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About the Contest
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book and in partnership with Target Stores, invites readers in grades 4 through 12 to enter Letters About Literature (LAL), 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 for children in grades 4 through 6
- Level II for grades 7 and 8
- Level III, grades 9 through 12
State winners, announced in March each year, receive cash awards. National winners, announced in late April, receive additional prizes and earn for their school or community library LAL Reading Promotion Grants valued at thousands of dollars!
LAL focuses on reader response and reflective writing. We provide free teaching material including lesson plans, writing samples, assessment checklists, and teacher tips--all downloadable through this site.
Winning Letters
National Honor Winner, Level 1: Nicholas Behrens, MN
Dear Debra Frasier,
Each and every living thing in the universe is unique and spectacular! Each and every plant, animal, and person is connected to another and has an important place and purpose! Each and every day of my life, I see this in the green Earth around me and feel it deep down in my soul.
Please know, Ms. Frasier, that these valuable and treasured messages I first learned and experienced from you! And, from my parents who told me the story in your beautiful book, On the Day You Were Born, on March 29, 1999 – the day I was welcomed to this “spinning world”!
National Honor Winner, Level 2: Solomon Polansky, MN
Dear Mr. Keyes,
Upon reading your book, Flowers for Algernon, I felt a change. Perhaps not a physical change, such as a loss of a limb, but a change in my mind and heart. This story provided me with a new understanding of our society and a completely different point of view I had never thought about previously. A new window was opened in my mind, and now light could flood in.
This change began with the main character in your story. Charlie, a man with an obvious mental disability, narrates his experience in journal form. Charlie was able to teach me about myself and society as a whole. As I journeyed with Charlie through its pages, I began to realize new truths about knowledge and intelligence.
National Honor Winner, Level 3: Akash Kar, CA
Dear Ms. Jhumpa Lahiri,
For a few magical hours, I had the opportunity to sit in front of a mirror, and reflect on my past, my present, my future, my family, and my heritage. No, I did not literally sit in the bathroom on a chair, but I read your personally touching novel The Namesake. The book moved me to tears at points, thinking of how Gogol struggles to follow his culture, over his own personal desires; how Ashima must keep her culture alive as she assimilates to life in the United States; and how Moushumi has to lie to her parents in order to study in the field she chooses, changing majors while attending a prestigious university.
I see these struggles happening on a day to day basis in my life, and reading this book gave me an opportunity to look at them from an outside perspective and allow me to reflect on what truly is important in life.
Rules and Entry Forms
Please note: A young reader may enter either:
(a) through a classroom teacher/school or library or
(b) as an individual, on his or her own.
We have two different forms with tips on how to enter. Please follow the link below that applies to you.
Entry form for schools and libraries. Teachers and librarians, please note that every letter must have an entry coupon. Please duplicate the entry coupons and have students staple those coupons to the back of their letters.
Entry form for individuals not entering through a school or library. Individuals, please note that you must also include your name and address on your letter in addition to completing and stapling your entry coupon to your letter.
For more information on entering the contest and official guidelines, visit the Letters About Literature website.
Links and Resources
For Young Readers
- 2011 Letters About Literature (LAL) National Winners
- Frequently Asked Questions and Contest Timeline
- Read.gov for Kids
- Letter Writing Basics