Each year the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Center for the Book sponsor “Letters About Literature” in partnership with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Target Stores.

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing promotion for students in grades 4 – 12 where students read a book and write a personal letter to the author explaining how the book changed his/her perception of the world. Students can participate through their schools, youth programs, libraries or individually. State and National winners are selected from three different judging levels based on the grade of the participating student. National winners receive a $10,000 grant for their school or community library and National honorable mentions receive a $1000 grant for the same.

Letters About Literature informational packets are sent to public and private schools across Illinois in early September, and Illinois libraries are more than welcome to be added to this mailer. If you would like to have your library added to the mailing list or have questions about Letters About Literature, please contact Bonnie Matheis, Coordinator of the Illinois Center for the Book, at bmatheis@ilsos.net or 217-558-2065.

The deadline to enter the 2009 Letters About Literature competition is December 14, 2008. State winners will be announced in April 2009 and national winners will be announced in May 2009. For additional information about previous Letters About Literature competitions and winners, feel free to go to the Illinois Center for the Book website. Specific information about the 2009 competition will be posted to the website in early September.