The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with and in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book, invites readers in grades 4 through 10 to enter Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre-- fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves.

There are three competition levels: Level I for children in grades 4 through 6; Level II for grades 7 and 8, and Level III, grades 9 - 10. Winners, announced in the spring of each year, receive cash awards at the national and state levels.

The 2012-13 contest began in late 2012 and ended in January 2013. Letters had to be postmarked by January 11, 2013. Visit http://www.read.gov/contests/ for official rules and free teaching materials, including lesson plans, assessment checklists, writing samples, plus teaching tips from many LAL teachers who have previously participated.  Check out our blog story to see this year's winners.  Congratulations!