Letters About Literature
2012 Contest Information
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The guidelines and entry forms for the 2013 Letters About Literature contest will be available in September 2013. The national reading-writing competition is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with the Indiana Center for the Book, and presented by the James & Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation. The contest calls on students grades 4-12 to write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre (fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, etc.) explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or their self.
Letters About Literature is open to legal U.S. residents enrolled as a student in grades 4-12.
Teacher Resources
- Lesson Plans
- Accentuate the Positive
- Synthesize, Don't Summarize!
- What Is Reader Response?
- Common Core State Standards and LAL
Visit lettersaboutliterature.org/ for more valuable program resources like lesson plans, sample letters, contest updates, teacher tips, and much more.
2013 Youth Literary Day and Award Ceremony
All Indiana Letters About Literature semifinalists will be invited to the Indiana Youth Literary Day & Awards Ceremony presented by the James & Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation on April 27. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in creative writing workshops presented by notable Hoosier young adult authors, and will be honored at ceremony following the day’s activities. All semifinalists in attendance will receive free books and are invited to an exclusive book-signing reception following the ceremony.
Past LAL Results
- Letters About Literature 2012
- Letters About Literature 2011
- Letters About Literature 2010
- Letters About Literature 2009
- Letters About Literature 2008
- Letters About Literature 2007
- Letters About Literature 2001-2006
About the Program
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The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in cooperation with the Indiana Center 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, nonfiction, or poetry, 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: Grades 4-6
- Level II: Grades 7 & 8
- Level III: Grades 9-12 (note: only grades 9 & 10 eligible for national prizes)
State winners, announced in April each year, receive cash awards, plaques, and an invitation to LAL Indiana Awards Ceremony. National winners, announced in late April, receive additional prizes.
LAL supports educational standards established for reading and language arts as recommended by the International Reading Association and the National Council for the Teaching of English.
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