“Every year students across the nation write letters to authors, living or deceased, describing how a book positively impacted their life,” said White. “Anyone who has read these letters can see how literature inspires and touches the lives of our young people. Students truly enjoy this contest, and I hope thousands of Illinois students will participate this year.”

There are three levels of participation – Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7 & 8 and Level III for grades 9 – 12. Each participating state will select a winning letter for each competition level. The three Illinois winners will receive a $50 Target gift card, plaque and United States savings bond from the Illinois Center for the Book. They will also read their letters at a special reception hosted by Secretary White.

Winners also advance to national competition, where two national winners and four national honorable mentions will be selected for each competition level. The six national winners will receive a $500 Target GiftCard, and each will secure a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in their name for his or her community or school library so that others can experience personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell. The twelve honorable mentions will each receive a $100 Target GiftCard, and each will secure a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in their name for his or her community or school library.

The deadline to enter the competition is December 10, 2010. State winners will be announced in April 2011. For more information about the competition, contact Bonnie Matheis or call Bonnie at 217-558-2065.

Information can also be found at the Illinois Center for the Book website. 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 work you do to support your readers with the Summer Reading program is a great outreach to the community. But did you know that it also makes a difference in students’ reading abilities and ultimately—test scores? 

Family Reading Night  is sponsored by Jesse White, Secretary of State and State Librarian. It is a statewide event that encourages families to spend quality time reading together. It is celebrated annually in Illinois on the third Thursday in November.

Program coordinator Jeanne Urbanek has tallied up statistics for the 2009-2010 school year. 1,111 students and twenty adults took part, representing 71 high school and public libraries. Participants read 5,582 books, or an average of almost five books per reader. Thirty six high school seniors received certificates for taking part all four high school years, and eleven students read all twenty-five titles on this year’s booklist.

The top five most read titles were: Thirteen Reasons Why; Coraline; Perfect Chemistry; The Hunger Games; and The Bridge to Terabithia. Thanks to everyone who made this year’s program a success.

Secretary White, together with the Illinois State Board of Education, is also urging libraries to promote summer reading through the Find-a-Book website. The website provides quick and easy access to a list of books that will match a student’s reading level and interests, as well as the nearest libraries carrying each title. Read more about it.

Secretary White will meet at the State Capitol with this year’s winners of the Letters About Literature contest. The annual Letters About Literature competition encourages students to read a book and then write a letter to the author describing how the book impacted the student’s life. This year’s winning students are:

• Level I, Grades 4-6, Carra Wu of Lake Forest, who attends fifth grade at Deer Path Middle School in Lake Forest. Carra wrote to Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of A Little Princess
• Level II, Grades 7 & 8, Jana Mudrock of New Lenox, who attends 8th grade at Martino Jr. High in New Lenox. Jana wrote to Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why
• Level III, Grades 9-12, Allyssa Brown of Athens, who is in the 12th grade at Athens Community High School. Allyssa wrote to Sarah Dessen, author of Lock and Key

The “Letters About Literature” contest is a national reading and writing competition for students in grades 4-12. Participants read a book and write a personal letter to an author, explaining how the book changed their views of the world or themselves. Students may select authors, living or deceased, from any genre–fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. The Illinois Center for the Book appointed judges who selected the top essayists on three competition levels.

This year’s winners are:

• Level I, Grades 4-6–Carra Wu of Lake Forest, who attends 5th grade at Deer Path Middle School in Lake Forest. Carra wrote to Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of “A Little Princess.”
• Level II, Grades 7 & 8–Jana Mudrock of New Lenox, who attends 8th grade at Martino Jr. High in New Lenox. Jana wrote to Jay Asher, author of “Thirteen Reasons Why.”
• Level III, Grades 9-12–Allyssa Brown of Athens, who is in the 12th grade at Athens Community High School. Allyssa wrote to Sarah Dessen, author of “Lock and Key.”

“These three talented young readers were among more than 6,300 Illinois students who took part in this year’s contest,” said Secretary White. “For the third year in a row Illinois had more entries than any state in the nation. I am proud of all of the students who took part, because they are developing a lifelong love of reading and learning.”

The three winning students will receive a tour of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, a plaque, a U.S. Savings Bond and a $25 Target Gift Card. An awards ceremony will be held in May at the State Library for the three winning students, their families and teachers.

The Illinois Center for the Book is a not-for-profit organization established in 1985 as an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The Illinois Center for the Book works to nurture and connect readers and writers, and honor Illinois’ rich literary heritage.

I Collaboratory is sponsored by Northwestern University and provides educational web-based activities in a variety of disciplines.  If you have any questions, you can contact Bonnie Thurber at 847-331-4633.