LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
A Statewide Writing Contest
Sponsors | History | Past Winners
Announcing the 2008 Letters About Literature Essay Contest Winners
How-to-Enter Guidelines and the Entry Coupon for LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2008
Now in its 27th year, LAL is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Target. Each state has the opportunity to participate. All statewide winners are also entered in the national contest. The participation guidelines are also available at the Library of Congress web site.
Additional information:
Letters About Literature in the state of Pennsylvania
This year's judges
Pennsylvania state prizes
2008 Winners
Maddie Roach, Samantha Weber, and Carly Houlahan
Level I Award (grades four through six)
Maddie Roach , writing to J.K. Rowling about the Harry Potter books
Level II Award (grades seven and eight)
Carly Houlahan , writing to Dr. Seuss about Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Level III Award (grades nine through twelve)
Samantha Weber , writing to Elie Wiesel about Night
Level I honor of high distinction winner is:
Claire Lacon of Blue Bell, writing to Judy Blume about Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Level I honorable-mention winners are:
- Amanda Allred of Thorndale, writing to Jane Langton about The Fledgling
- Alicia Schapire of Media, writing to James Bradley about Flags of Our Fathers
- Dean Ward of Media, also writing to James Bradley about Flags of Our Fathers
- Hannah Tobin of Pittsburgh, writing to Wilson Rawls for Where the Red Fern Grows
- Anna Jane Williams of West Chester, writing to Jean Fritz about Homesick: My Own Story
Level II honorable-mention winners are:
- Alexandra Richardson of Moon Township writing to Lisa See about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- Beverly A. Wagner of Middleburg, writing to C.S. Lewis about The Chronicles of Narnia
- Lindsay Hummell of Harleysville, writing to Kate DiCamillo about Because of Winn-Dixie
- Amanda Armstrong of Coatesville, writing to Khidhir Hamza about Saddam’s Bombmaker: The Daring Escape of the Man Who Built Iraq’s Secret Weapon
- Virginia Small of Rosemont, writing to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings about The Yearling
Level III honorable-mention winners are:
- Courtney Robel, writing to Christie Pettit for Starving: A Personal Journey Through Anorexia
- Rachel Lohr of Newtown, writing to Henry David Thoreau about Walden
- Arguelles of Dingmans Ferry, writing to Orson Scott Card for Ender’s Game
- Jane Brendlinger of Swarthmore, writing to Ian McEwan about Saturday
- Esha Karki of New Castle, writing to S.E. Hinton about Tex
Judges
Letters About Literature contest judges were:
- Susan Campbell Bartoletti, a writer from Moscow
- Anna Eichner, a former Letters About Literature winner and student at Grove City College
- Maggie Herb, Assistant Director, Writing Center, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Nancy Leuschner, a retired English and humanities teacher from Harrisburg
- Kara Robertson, a data-management coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh
- David Rockower, a sixth-grade teacher at Mount Nittany Middle School from Boalsburg
About the Sponsors
Target Stores and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress are the presenting sponsors of Letters About Literature. Target Stores, along with its parent company, Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests, and team members to help meet community needs.