May 22, 2006 Library of Congress Announces State Winners in "Letters About Literature" Program

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress has announced the state winners in its 2005-2006 “Letters About Literature” reading and writing program that is sponsored by Target Stores.

More than 48,000 adolescent and young adult readers in grades 4-12 participated in this year’s program, which encourages young people to read, be inspired and write to an author who has somehow changed their view of the world or of themselves. Students compete in one of three competition levels: Level I, grades 4-6; Level II, grades 7-8; and Level III, grades 9-12. Each state winner receives a cash award, a Target Gift card and the opportunity to compete on the national level.

Six national winners will be honored at an awards ceremony at the National Book Festival on Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C.

The state competitions are sponsored by affiliated state centers for the book. Each state center selects its panel of state judges. This year, state judges included newspaper and magazine editors and publishers, authors, teachers, librarians and some state officials. In Maine, first lady Karen Baldacci served on that state’s judging panel. In Washington, Gerry L. Anderson, chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court, read entries for that state’s competition.

“Created more than 15 years ago, ‘Letters About Literature’ is the Center for the Book’s premier reading motivation program for young people,” said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. “With support from Target, which became the program’s sponsor two years ago, we’ve been able to increase ‘Letters About Literature’s’ visibility and participation.”

Target sponsors “Letters About Literature” as part of its national reading initiative,“Ready. Sit. Read!” which is aimed at fostering a love of reading among children at an early age. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

The Center for the Book was established in 1977 as a public-private partnership to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about its activities and national reading promotion networks, visit www.loc.gov/cfbook.

The more than 130 state winners are listed below by competition level (levels I, II and III), along with the author and the book or piece of writing chosen by each winner. The winning letters may be found at www.loc.gov/letters.

“Letters About Literature” is an annual program. For more information about the 2006-2007 competition, as well as to receive free teacher resources for guiding students through the reading and writing process, contact Catherine Gourley, program director, at lettersaboutlit@epix.net.

ALABAMA

-Caleb Killough, Madison, to Norton Juster, author of “The Phantom Tollbooth.”

-April Whisenant, Eva, to J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.

-Brent Douglas, Wilsonville, to Ayn Rand, author of “The Fountainhead.”

ALASKA

-Emma Marquardt, Dutch Harbor, to Bill Richardson, author of “After Hamelin.”

-Sophie Wiepking-Brown, Anchorage, to Mark Haddon, author of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.”

-Brittany Walters, Kenai, to James Frey, author of “A Million Little Pieces.”

ARIZONA

-Cadi Sande, Tucson, to Lemony Snicket, author of “The Bad Beginning.”

-Kelsey Wyman, Yuma, to Iain Lawrence, author of “Ghost Boy.”

-Iris Lee, Chandler, to Anchee Min, author of “Empress Orchid.”

ARKANSAS

-Harrison Gooch, Searcy, to Eve Bunting, author of “The Summer of Riley.”

-Stephanie Lim, Searcy, to Wilson Rawls, author of “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

-Louise Li, Fayetteville, to Upton Sinclair, author of “The Jungle.”

CALIFORNIA

-Troy Just, Westlake, to Katie Couric, author of “The Brand New Kid.”

-Summer Dowd-Lukesh, Rancho Cucamonga, to Cate Tierman, author of “Full Circle.”

-Larkin Grant, Orinda, to Tim O’Brien, author of “The Things They Carried.”

COLORADO

-Keric Lamb, Colorado Springs, to Deborah Ellis, author of “The Breadwinner.”

-Gabe Goodman, Greeley; a letter to “all authors.”

-Christiana Wyman, Littleton, to Paulo Coel, author of “The Alchemist.”

CONNECTICUT

-Amy Tomasso, Farmington, to Shannon Hale, author of “The Goose Girl.”

-Sophia Harrington, West Hartford, to Peter Jennings, author of “Walk Across America.”

-Lauren Hefferson, Waterbury, to Miguel de Unamuno, author of “San Manuel Bueno.”

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

-Evan Lassman, Washington, D.C., to Gary Paulsen, author of “Hatchet.”

-Eric Sinclair Jackson, Washington, D.C., to Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

-Antar Tichavakurda, Washington, D.C., to Herman Hesse, author of “Siddhartha.”

FLORIDA

-Emanuel Ireland, Boca Raton, to Elizabeth Yates, author of “Amos Fortune, Free Man.”

-Chissybil Baulin, Pembroke Pines, to Sharon Draper, author of “Tears of a Tiger.”

-Katy Monegeau, Jacksonville, to Marya Hornbackher, author of “Wasted.”

GEORGIA

-Bronte A. Velez, Decatur, to David Pelzer, author of “A Child Called It.”

-Jihye Choi, Ringgold, to Spencer Johnson, author of “Who Moved My Cheese?”

-Amanda Kate Pillatzki, Hampton, to Christopher Paul Curtis, author of “The Watsons

Go to Birmingham, 1963.”

HAWAII

-Wai Sam Lao, Honolulu, to Eleaor Coerr, author of “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.”

-Rachel Turner, Haleiwa, to Lemony Snicket, author of “The Bad Beginning.”

-Nikki Picciotto, Kailua, to Anne Frank, author of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.”

ILLINOIS

-Annika Sundberg, Lake Zurich, to Jerry Spinelli, author of “Stargirl.”

-Abby Renner, Ashland, to Ben Mikaelsen, author of “Petey.”

-Heather Vogt, Sheridan, to J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings.”

INDIANA

-Megan Dyer, Bloomington, to Carl Hiaasen, author of “Hoof.”

-Sunny Huang, Carmel, to Jane Austen, author of “Pride and Prejudice”

-Dakota Risner, Rochester, to Walter Dean Myers, author of “Hoops.”

IOWA

-Hannah Soyer, Johnston, to Tamora Pierce, author of the “Song of the Lioness” series.

-Isaac Behrens, Cedar Rapids, to Joseph Girzone, author of “Joshua.”

-Amoi Agarwai, Clive, to Chitra Divakaruni, author of “Clothes.”

KANSAS

-Jessi Glueck, Leawood, to Esme Raji Codell, author of “Shara Special.”

-Anna Petrow, Mission Hills, to Wilson Rawls, author of “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

-Autumn Myers, Ottawa, to Max Lucado, author of “You Are Special.”

LOUISIANA

-Level II: Amanda Reed, Lafayette, to Alice Sebold, author of “The Lovely Bones.”

MAINE

-Sarah Fitch, North Yormouth, to Gary Schmidt, author of “Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.”

-Lacie Craven, Bucks Harbor, to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of “The Yearling.”

-Beatrice Abbott, Windsor, to Robert Frost, author of the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

MARYLAND

-Angela Reevers, Burtonsville, to Megan McDonald, author of “Judy Moody Gets Famous.”

-Michael Ruzzi, Arnold, to George Orwell, author of “1984.”

-Venda Jennings Leandre, Laurel, to Maya Angelou, author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

MASSACHUSETTS

-Bruno Araujo, Brockton, to David Pelzer, author of “A Child Called It.”

-Janelle Garcelon, Salisbury, to Elie Wiesel, author of “Night.”

-Jessenia Gonzalez, Worcester, to Sandra Cisneros, author of “Woman Hollering Creek.”

MICHIGAN

-Ashlyn Schaefer Feige, Gaines, to Gail Carson Levine, author of “Ella Enchanted.”

-Meagan Photiou, Swartz Creek, to J.K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

-Alexander Puiu, Troy, to Paulo Coelho, author of “The Alchemist.”

MINNESOTA

-Melissa Tholmey, St. Paul, to Wilson Rawls, author of “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

-Tucker Everett, Edina, to George Harrar, author of “Parents Wanted.”

-Jeehyun Choi, St. Paul, to Peter Hedges, author of “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”

MISSOURI

-Franklin McCracken-VanFleet, Chesterfield, to Avi, author of “The Fighting Grounds.”

-Pari Jafari, Columbia, to Jean Webster, author of “Daddy Long Legs.”

-Casey Lynette Morrow, Mansfield, to Aldous Huxley, author of “Brave New World.”

MONTANA

-Devan Fitzpatrick, Big Fork, to Kenneth Thomasma, author of “Pathki Nana.”

-Hunter Lapp, Kalispell, to C.S. Lewis, author of “The Screwtape Letters.”

-Christie Hanna, Bozeman, to Mitch Albom, author of “Tuesdays with Morrie.”

NEBRASKA

-Connor Goecke, OmahaFiona Loggie, Omaha; Dianne Gray, “Holding Up the Earth.”

-Elizabeth Milan, Herman; Misty Bernall, “She Said Yes.”

-Alexander J. Lin, Lincoln; Mark Twain, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE

-Isabel Starr, Hollis, to Natalie Babbitt, author of “The Search for Delicious.”

-Kylee Drugan-Eppich, Madbury, to Jenni Schaefer, author of “Life Without Ed.”

-Evelyn Anne Bulkeley, Plainfield; Thorton Wilker, “Our Town.”

-Steve Therrien, Exeter, to Rowland Still, author of “Opportunity.”

NEW JERSEY

-Wesley McLeon, Jersey City, to Linda Sue Park, author of “A Single Shard.”

-Elizabeth Camuti, Skillman, to Todd Strasser, author of “The Wave.”

-Kristin Hanratty, Cinnaminson, to Robert Frost, author of the poem, “The Road Not Taken.”

NEW YORK

-Hanna Bruy, Jericho, to Patricia Riley Giff, author of “Pictures of Hollis Woods.”

-Colby Eisen, Mt. Kisco, to Mark Haddon, author of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime.”

-Sarah Brenner, New City, to Daniel Keyes, author of “Flowers for Algernon.”

NORTH CAROLINA

-Danielle Gargano, Matthews, to Beverly Cleary, author of “Ramona Quimby, Age 8.”

-Danielle Enrique, Mooresville, to Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

-Austen Stovall, Kill Devil Hills, to Ann Brashares, author of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

NORTH DAKOTA

-Phillip Brockman, Thompson, to Michael Crichton, author of “Sphere.”

-Mia Barnett, Fargo, to Rodman Philbrick, author of “Freak the Almighty.”

-Timothy Cooper, Fargo, to Iris Chang, author of “The Rape of Nanking.”

OHIO

-Hallie Davidson, Solon, to Sharon Creech, author of “Walk Two Moons.”

-Paul Burgess, Minster, to Orson Scott Card, author of “Ender’s Game.”

-Gavin Wandrey, Chagrin Falls, to William Butler Yeats, author of the poem “The Second Coming.”

OKLAHOMA

-Jessica Shenoi, Tulsa, to E.B. White, author of “Charlotte’s Web.”

-Byrne Harris, Oklahoma City, to Kyoko Mori, author of “Shizuko’s Daughter.”

-Amy Tai, Tulso, to Jean Plaidy, author of “Queen of this Realm.”

OREGON

-Aubrey Means, Portland, to Ann Rinald, author of “A Break with Charity.”

-Jessie Karlovich, Ashland, to Tamora Pierce, author of “Alanna.”

-Nick Engelfried, Hillsboro, to Janet Tashjian, author of “The Gospel According to Larry.”

PENNSYLVANIA

-Chris Cox, New Wilmington, to Temple Grandin, author of “Emergence Labeled Autistic.”

-Jenny Uehling, Glenside, to Jerry Spinelli, author of “Stargirl.”

-Natasha Kumar, Hummelstown, to Lois Lowry, author of “The Giver.”

RHODE ISLAND

-Matthew DePietro, Johnston, to Chris Van Allsburg, author of “Zathura.”

-Gabrielle Sclafani, Barrington, to Mitch Albom, author of “Tuesdays with Morrie.”

-Linh Dang, Cranston, to Sherry Garland, author of “Song of the Buffalo Boy.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

-Daisi Rubi Flores, Prosperity, to Pam Munoz Ryan, author of “Esperanza Rising.”

-Hayes Werner, Beaufort, to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of “The Yearling.”

-Whitley Fulcher, Easley, to Davida Hurwin, author of “A Time for Dancing.”

SOUTH DAKOTA

-Erica Ramstad, Crooks, to Wilson Rawls, author of “Summer of the Monkeys.”

-Katie Sorenson, Britton, to L.M. Montgomery, author of “Anne of Green Gables.”

-Alyssa Erickson, Sioux Falls, to Henrik Ibsen, author of the play “A Doll’s House.”

TENNESSEE

-Molly Tague, Oak Ridge, to Georgia Byng, author of “Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism.”

-Sarah Noor, Germantown, to Anne Frank, author of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.”

-Martha Park, Memphis, to J.D. Salinger, author of “The Catcher in the Rye.”

TEXAS

-Emily Devereaux, Austin, to C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

-Samantha Abundes, Brownsville, to Gary Paulsen, author of “The Crossing.”

-Esperanza Cantu, Monte Alto, to J.D. Salinger, author of “The Catcher in the Rye.”

UTAH

-Devan Betts, Murray, to Lois Lowry, author of “The Giver.”

-Breanne Anderson, Lehi, to Mette Ivie Harrison, author of “Mira, Mirror.”

-Lexie Labertew, Park City, to Deborah Hautzig, author of “Second Star to the Right.”

VIRGINIA

-Level I: Justin Hazelwood, Chesterfield, to Suzanne Moyer, author of “One Brave Heart.”

-Level II: Elizabeth Heifets, Newport News, to Anne Frank, author of “Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.”

WASHINGTON

-Zach Minnerly, Spokane, to Jerry Spinelli, author of “Loser.”

-Clare Kane, Olympia, to L.M. Montgomery, author of “Anne of Green Gables.”

-Carly Houser, Camano Island, to Sylvia Plath Hughes, author of “Ariel.”

WEST VIRGINIA

-Leila Feuchtenberger, Bluefield, to Helen Lester, author of “Tacky.”

-Bryan Misaghi, Charleston, to Lois Lowry, author of “The Giver.”

-Mashai Shaikh, Charleston, to Amy Tan, author of “The Joy Luck Club.”

WISCONSIN

-Brett W. Tobin, Milwaukee, to Montrew Dunham, author of “Neil Armstrong.”

-Olivia Wulf, Appleton, to Jodee Bianco, author of “Please Stop Laughing at Me.”

-Jessica Hjort, Clintonville, to L.M. Montgomery, author of “Anne of Green Gables.”

WYOMING

-Britney Titensor, Thayne, to Deborah Ellis, author of “The Breadwinner.”

-Kristi Mingus, Powell, to Mary Hahn, author of “Daphne’s Book.”

-Greg Luegering, Worland, to David Baldacci, author of “The Simple Truth.”