Book Review: Letters About Literature

What a fun little find! Letters About Literature: 2017 Winning Letters by Indiana Students offers up 100 letters written by 4th to 12th grade students to the authors of inspiring books. Not only will you enter into the minds of young readers to learn what connections they are making to the literature they read, but you will also get a feel for what books are popular with today's students. I was thrilled to find that the very first letter in the book was addressed to one of my favorite authors, Gloria Whelan, for my favorite of her books, Listening for Lions. Some of the books I had read, and others I hadn't. I came away with at least one suggestion for my middle son (who is a reluctant reader but loves books about football players). I plan to mention this reading-writing contest, sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book, to my sons' teachers next fall, in the hopes that our small community might be represented in a future book. I'm just thrilled that I stumbled upon it. Since I could not find a cover image, I used this image taken from the www.read.gov site. I imagine that many libraries carry the small volumes containing the winning letters for their state. It was a very interesting read and I plan to seek out the two other volumes in my library's holdings (2015, 2016). Always great to see how literature makes a difference in people's lives.