From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Over 3300 letters from Washington state were submitted for this year’s Letters About Literature contest, and the Washington State Library is proud to announce the 173 Semi-Finalists, 14 Honorable Mentions, and 3 Champions for 2011!  A list of all those who are honored is on our website.  Continuing on to the national contest in Washington DC are the Washington state champions:

McKenna Conlin, a sixth grader at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Kirkland, competing in Level 1, who wrote her letter to Sherman Alexie about his book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian;

Abby Bateman, a seventh grader at Snoqualmie Middle School in Snoqualmie, competing in Level 2, who wrote her letter to Katherine Paterson about her book Bridge to Terabithia;

John Kang, an eleventh grader at Lakeside School in Seattle, competing in Level 3, who wrote his letter to Mary Paik Lee about her book Quiet Odyssey:  A Pioneer Korean Woman in America.

Congratulations to McKenna, Abby, and John!  Thank you to all the students, teachers, and families who participated in Washington’s Letters About Literature program, as well as our hardworking judges.  Washington has a legacy of letters placing at the national level, so stay tuned!