SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, April 25, 2017 – The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, as the home of the Minnesota Center for the Book, is pleased to announce the state-level winners of the 2017 Letters About Literature Essay Contest, co-sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English and Common Good Books.
More than 40,000 adolescent and young adult readers nationwide in grades four through twelve participated in this year’s Letters About Literature program, which encourages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author who has somehow changed their view of the world or themselves. The number of entries from Minnesota’s students was 1,122, and 130 student letters made it through to the state round of judging in the three levels of competition. For more information about the contest, national winners, and free teaching resources to guide students through the reader response and writing process, visit www.read.gov/letters/.
The winners of the Letters About Literature essay competition were selected on three levels: Level I – for grades four through six, Level II – for grades seven and eight, and Level III – for grades nine through twelve.
The winners are:
Level I
- First Place: Ava Kaydea (Grade 4: Lake Country Montessori School, Minneapolis)
Letter to Hilary McKay, Lulu and the Hamster in the Night
- Second Place: Maryeva Gonzalez (Grade 6: Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights)
Letter to Paul Harrington, The Secret to Teen Power
- Third Place (tie): Grace Keeley (Grade 5: Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights)
Letter to Patrick McDonnell, Just Like Heaven; andElla Passe (Grade 6: Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights)
Letter to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, The War That Saved My Life
Level II
- First Place: Charlotte Morrison (Grade 8: The Blake School, Hopkins)
Letter to Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret - Second Place: India Lacey (Grade 8: : The Blake School, Hopkins)
Letter to Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl - Third Place: Sridhatri Guntipally (Grade 8: Eagle Ridge Academy, Minnetonka)
Letter to Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron
Level III
- First Place: Chava Bouchard (Grade 12: Individual Entry, Bloomington)
Letter to Judy Blume, Forever… - Second Place: Julia Du (Grade 11: Individual Entry, Afton)
Letter to William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing - Third Place: Elizabeth Wilfahrt (Grade 9: New Ulm Public High School, New Ulm)
Letter to Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
About The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library:
The Friends, with a staff of 18 and an operating budget of $3 million, produces 70 events per year and provides over $1.5 million in support annually to the library, resulting in the Saint Paul Public Library being recognized as a national leader in serving its community. In recognition of its statewide programs and services, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library has been recognized by the Library of Congress as the state’s designated Center for the Book. With a mission of stronger libraries for stronger communities, The Friends supports not only the Saint Paul system, but also libraries and library organizations across the country and internationally through its consulting services, Library Strategies. For more information, contact The Friends at 651-222-3242 or visit thefriends.org.