Letters About Literature Contest Winners Unveiled

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BY SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 05/17/2010

The winners of this year’s Letters About Literature contest include Lara Bagdasarian, a fifth grader from the UCLA Lab School in Los Angeles, CA, who wrote to Francisco Jiménez; Reagan Nelson, a sixth grader from Hutton Elementary School in Spokane, WA, who wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder; and Siori Koerner, an eighth grader from Murfreesboro, TN, who wrote to J. D. Salinger.

They and three other students from around the country took home the top prize, while 12 others were named national honor winners of the annual reading and writing program that asks young people in grades four through 12 to write to a living or dead author about how his or her book has affected their lives.

Washington state Letters About Literature winners (from left): Stephen Hitchcock, Reagan Nelson, and Tyler Christensen (state winner).

“I used to think my dad was too hard on me. Whatever I did just wasn’t good enough for him,” wrote Bagdasarian in her winning letter. “Your book [The Circuit] made me feel a lot better about my dad. I am now sure that he cares about me and he is just trying to help me become a better person. The Circuit has helped me understand my dad and realize his good intentions.”

Nelson wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder about the time when she was seven and her father rescued her from their burning house. “What Laura taught me most is that I can either be frightened or mad at life, or I can choose to view change as an opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. One of the most important lessons I learned from Laura and the Ingalls is that the challenges I face have to be greeted with gratitude.”

And Marisa Meier, an eighth grader from Bios Christian Academy in Gilbert, AZ, wrote to John Bibee about the impact of his book, The Magic Bicycle.” Being affected with a genetic disorder called Fragile X, my little brother Nathanael is slower than most at reading, writing, and even speaking,” Merier wrote. “Having a sibling with special needs, I found myself strangely mirrored by the protagonist, John…Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I wasn’t thrilled my brother was going to be different either.”

Close to 70,000 young readers from around the country took part in this year’s writing contest, a reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and presented in partnership with Target.

The top letters in each competition level for each state were chosen, and then two National winners were chosen from each of the three competition levels: Level 1 (grades 4-6), Level 2 (grades 7-8), and Level 3 (grades 9-12). Each national winner nominates a local public or school library to receive a $10,000 grants from Target. And students each receive a $500 Target gift card.

“This is a powerful way for a young person to give back to their community,” says Catherine Gourley, the national director of Letters About Literature. Grant money may be used to buy materials such as books or periodicals relevant to young readers and to support author visits and storytelling

On the state level, the program is sponsored by affiliate state centers for the book. State and national judges include published authors, editors, publishers, librarians and teachers.

The winners are:

National Winners
Level 1 (Grades 4-6):

Lara Bagdasarian, 5th grade, UCLA Lab School, Los Angeles, CA. She wrote to Francisco Jiménez, author of The Circuit
Reagan Nelson, 6th grade, Hutton Elementary School, Spokane, WA. She wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the “Little House”series.

Level 2 (Grades 7-8):

Marissa Meier, 8th grade, Bios Christian Academy, Gilbert, AZ. She wrote to John Bibee, author of The Magic Bicycle
Siori Koener, 8th grade, Murfreesboro, TN. She wrote to J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye

Level 3 (Grades 9-12):

Anna Wichorek, 11th grade, Anchorage, AK. She wrote to Velma Wallis, author of Two Old Women
Kaitlyn Kressalt, 11th grade, Moscow Senior High School, Moscow, ID. She wrote to Dr. Seuss about a variety of his books for children and adults.

National Honor Winners
Level 1 (Grades 4-6):