Read, Be Inspired, Write Back

Students in grades 4 through 12 are invited to enter Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing promotion program for young readers, sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target and coordinated in New Hampshire by the Center for the Book at the NH State Library. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Young readers can select authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic.

Granite State judges will select the top essayists in the state on three competition levels: Level I for young readers in grades 4 through 6; Level II for grade 7 and 8 readers, and Level III, for readers in grades 9 through 12. State winners will receive a $50 Target GiftCard and $100 from the NH Center for the Book. Each state winner will then advance to the national competition.

A panel of judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will then select six national winners (two per competition level) and 12 national runners-up (four per competition level). Each national winner will receive a $500 Target GiftCard. In addition, they will win a Reading Promotion Grant of $10,000 for their school or community library. National winners will be instrumental in deciding how the library funds will be spent. The 12 national runners-up will win a $100 Target GiftCard, plus they will win a Reading Promotion Grant of $1,000 for their school or community library.

“To be able to give such a generous gift to his or her hometown or school library is an empowering experience for a young person,” said Catherine Gourley, Letters About Literature’s national project director. “The goal of these grants is not only to recognize our young readers but also to bring personal reading experiences to other young people across the country.”

Deadline for entries is December 14, 2007.