The first place winner for level II (grades 7 through 8) was Sinead Rose-Innes of Riverside Middle School in Greer for her letter to Laurie Halse Anderson for Speak. Placing second was D. J. Lee from Dent Middle School in Columbia for a letter to author Orson Scott Card, author of Speaker for the Dead. Third place was awarded to Kiana Knowlin of Rosemary Middle School in Andrews for her letter to Elizabeth Weitzman, author of Let’s Talk About When a Parent Dies.
The first place winner for Level III (grades 9 through 12) was Rhett Ricard of Mid-Carolina High School in Newberry, who wrote to Pat Conroy about My Losing Season. Taking second place was Katherine McCollough from the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology in Myrtle Beach for her letter to author Stephen Chbosky for his book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Third place was awarded to Danielle Lester from Mid-Carolina HS in Prosperity for her letter to author Elie Weisel for the book, Night. The winning letters by first place winners Pollard, Rose-Innes, and Ricard advanced to the national competition. An award ceremony will be held to recognize the nine winners, their teachers, and friends and family members on May 5th at 11:00am at the South Carolina Center for the Book located in Columbia at the South Carolina State Library, 1430 Senate Street in room 309.
Approximately 56,000 young readers across the country participated in this year’s Letters About Literature competition, a reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, presented in partnership with Target. Additional state funders include the South Carolina State Library Foundation. In South Carolina, nine hundred sixty-nine students competed across all three levels of competition. South Carolina finalists each receive a cash prize from the South Carolina State Library Foundation plus a $50 Target gift card.
To enter, young readers write a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Readers can select authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. The program has three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school, and secondary. The contest theme encourages young readers to explore his or her personal response to a book then express that response in a creative, original way.
Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,591 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today’s best retail trends at affordable prices. Target (NYSE:TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.
The South Carolina Center for the Book is the South Carolina Affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book and is a cooperative project of the South Carolina State Library, the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science, and the Humanities Council SC. The Center is located at 1430 Senate, Columbia, SC, in the SC Center for the Book & Talking Books Reading Room.
