"Letters About Literature"
2008 Essay Contest Winners

The Missouri Center for the Book is pleased to announce the Missouri winners of the 2008 Letters About Literature contest, an annual competition where students write a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves.

This year 2,177 Missouri students entered the contest. Entries were divided into three competition levels: Level I (grades four through six); Level II (grades seven and eight); and Level III (grades nine through twelve). A first place, second place, and two honorable mention winners were awarded for each of the three competition levels.

Missouri winners were honored on April 16, 2008, at the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City, where they received certificates and cash prizes for their efforts. First place winners also received a gift card from Target Stores, a national sponsor of the competition.

The Letters About Literature contest encourages young readers to explore their personal responses to books and then express those responses in a creative, original way. The Missouri Center for the Book has sponsored the contest for fourteen years, and in that time over 18,000 Missouri students have submitted entries. Missouri is consistently among the top states in the nation in number of entries.

Letters About Literature is presented in conjunction with the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target Stores.

First row: Tricia Swartz; Second row, left to right: Tyler Hall, Victoria Ngo-Lam, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Sadie Allen; Third row, left to right: Laura Deutschmann, Annie Gardner, Ashley McRoy, Irene Henry, Sharon Han, Missouri Center for the Book Board President, Mark Tiedemann; Back row: Michael Musgrave; Not pictured: Izzy Carter and Anna Roberts.

Level I (Grades 4 – 6)

First Place
Tyler Hall, Matthews Elementary School, Matthews, MO

Second Place
Annie Gardner, Independence Elementary, St. Charles, MO

Honorable Mention
Sadie Allen, Two Mile Prarie Elementary, Fulton, MO

Honorable Mention
Tricia Swartz, Mark Twain Elementary, Springfield, MO

Level II (Grades 7 & 8)

1st Place
Sharon Han, Northeast Middle School, St. Louis, MO

2nd Place
Irene Henry, Hixson Middle School, Webster Groves, MO

Honorable Mention
Laura Deutschmann, Parkway Southwest Middle School, Ballwin, MO

Honorable Mention
Izzy Carter, Rockwood South Middle School, Fenton, MO

Level III (Grades 9 – 12)

1st Place
Michael Musgrave, Parkway North High School, St. Louis, MO

2nd Place
Victoria Ngo-Lam, Parkway North High School, St. Louis, MO

Honorable Mention
Anna Roberts, Home Schooled, Walnut Shade, MO

Honorable Mention
Ashley McRoy, Kingsville R-1 High School, Kingsville, MO