Reading and writing contest
Grades 4 through 12
September 30, 2007
Letters about Literature (LAL) is a national reading and writing promotion program for students in grades 4-12, who write a personal letter about a book to its author, whether he or she be living or not.
The book itself may be of any genre, fiction or nonfiction. According to the official rules, the contest also includes short stories, poems, essays, or speeches that have evoked strong feelings. Song lyrics are not included.
The contest's letter style of writing is intended to be informal and conversational in tone, allowing the writer to express himself or herself openly about how the book touched, inspired, or affected the reader in some way. Students should not summarize, but rather reflect and share their reactions and feelings about a book�s character or characters, plot, theme, overall personal impact or view of the world. Participants may simply ask themselves, In what way was this book meaningful to me?"
There are three competition levels at the state and national level. Three state winners, one at each level, will receive a cash award, as well as a $50 Target gift card and advancement to the national level of judging.
Six national winners -- two per level of competition -- will receive a $500 Target gift card, plus each will win a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for their community or school library so that others can experience personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell. Twelve National Honorable Mention Winners -- four per level of competition -- will each receive a $100 Target gift card and a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for the community or school library of their choice.
The recommended guidelines for length of the letters is 100-400 words for grades 4-6, 300-600 words for grades 7 and 8; and 500-800 words for grades 9-12. Entries must be received by December 14, 2007.
For a list of previous winners or additional submission details, visit your school librarian or the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress website: loc.gov/letters An entry coupon – available from the website -- must be filled out in its entirely and submitted along with the entrant's letter.
Entries will be judged and scored on a scale of 0 to 5, according to the following guidelines: exposition (use of language skills, organization, and grammar), content (achievement in addressing the contest theme), and voice (style and originality of expression).
In the 2007 LAL competition, more than 1,400 Kansas students submitted letters.
