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2002 Letters About Literature National Winners

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Each year, six National and 12 National Honor letters are chosen from the tens of thousands of entries. National winners can name the library of their choice to receive a $10,000 award from Target, and the students receive a $500 Target GiftCard. National Honor winners can name a library to receive a $1,000 award from Target, and the students receive a $50 Target GiftCard.

Level I

Winner Letter Home Town Book Author
 
Allison Leigh Shaw, grade 6 Read Allison's letter Orange Park, FL “The Bear's House“ Marilyn Sachs

Level II

Winner Letter Home Town Book Author
 
Ledah Wilcox, grade 11 Read Ledah's letter Missoula, MT “Dandelion Wine“ Ray Bradbury

State Winners Letters About Literature 2002

See National Winners »

State Level I Level II
Alaska Traci Tangney, Juneau, AK, to Mary Downing Hahn, “Wait Till Helen Comes“ Ben Sturgulewski, Anchorage, AK, to Chuck Palahniuk, “Survivor“
Arizona Brittany Dawn Silverman, Tucson, AZ, to Karen Hesse, “Letters from Rifka“ Amy McGowan, Mesa, AZ, to Mary Shelley, “Frankenstein“
Arkansas Taylor Harris, Hot Springs, AR, to Ernest Lawrence Thayer, “"Casey at the Bat" “ Jean Desiree Pockrus, Bryant, AR, to Allen Ginsberg, “Howl“
California Ariana Jarrell, San Francisco, CA, to Theodore Taylor, “The Cay“ Erin Gilton, Roseville, CA, to J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter series
Colorado Jocelyn Mulkey, Longmont, CO, to Barry Denenberg, “One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss“ Jeanne Baxter, Littleton, CO, to Robert Munsch, “Love You Forever“
Connecticut Jay Gurney, West Hartford, CT, to Katherine Paterson, “Bridge to Terabithia“ Cassandra Faustini, Stratford, CT, to Jack Kerouac, “On the Road“
District of Columbia Katie Mapes, Washington, DC, to Judy Blume, “It's Not the End of the World “ Aisha Russell, Washington, DC, to Lan Cao, “Monkey Bridge“
Florida Allison Leigh Shaw, Orange Park, FL, to Marilyn Sachs, “The Bear's House“ Candace Mitchell, Gainesville, FL, to Toni Morrison, “Song of Solomon“
Georgia Lacey Rovinelli, Marietta, GA, to E. B. White, “Charlotte's Web“ Daniel Malcom, Good Hope, GA, to Mitch Albom, “Tuesdays with Morrie“
Illinois Matt Vasilogambros, Arlington Heights, IL, to Edgar Allan Poe, “"The Tell Tale Heart"“ Lauren Wong, Alrington Heights, IL, to Roald Dahl, “Charlie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory“
Indiana Lauren Wallace, Lafayette, IN, to Francis Thompson, “That Special Someone“ Lindsay K. Levin, Carmel, IN, to Mitch Albom, “Tuesdays with Morrie“
Kansas Nandini Sarma, Overland Park, KS, to Daniel Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon“ Nancy Cheng, Wichita, KS, to James D. Watson, “The Double Helix“
Maine Vanit Sharma, Portland, ME, to Gianni Sofri, “Gandhi“ Leah G. Schrader, Rangeley, ME, to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “One Hundred Years of Solitude“
Maryland Alex Edelman, Bethesda, MD, to Debbie Zimmett, “Eddie Enough!“ Max Meltzer, Rockville, MD, to Mildred D. Taylor, “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry“
Massachusetts Lauren Trapasso, Worcester, MA, to Douglas Wood, “Grandad's Prayers of the Earth“ Jamie L. Blair, Harwich, MA, to Sara Shandler, “Ophelia Speaks“
Minnesota Emily B. Davis, Mt. Iron, MN, to Louise Erdrich, “The Birchbark House“ Rebecca DeJarlais, Champlin, MN, to Kate Chopin, “The Awakening“
Missouri Morgan M. Grotewiel, Osage Beach, MO, to Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials trilogy Brooke Nevils, Chesterfield, MO, to David McCullough, “Truman“
Montana Kelsey J. Angel, Missoula, MT, to Ben Mikaelsen,“ Petey“ Ledah Wilcox, Missoula, MT, to Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
Nebraska Elizabeth McKim, Table Rock, NE, to Elizabeth George Spear, The Sign of the Beaver Ben Keele, Hastings, NE, to Ayn Rand, “The Fountainhead“
New Mexico Johnathan Butler, Las Cruces, NM, to Gary Smith,“ The Haunted Man “ Rachel Browne, Edgewood, NM, to Roseanna Beth Whitlow, Thistle Blossoms
North Carolina John Stephen Noble, Mount Airy, NC, to Gary Paulsen, The River Ian McClenny, New Bern, NC, to Patricia Calvert, “Picking Up the Pieces“
North Dakota Jessica Schultz, Bismarck, ND, to Anne Isaacs, “Torn Thread“ Jessica Gunderson, Grand Forks, ND, to J.K. Rowling, The Harry Potter series
Ohio Kelsey Sheridan, Aurora, OH, to Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You'll Go“ Ashley Martina, West Chester, OH, to J. K. Rowling, The Harry Potter series
Oklahoma Dylan Dysart, Grove, OK, to Michael Crichton, “Jurassic Park“ [Anonymous], Bartlesville, OK, to Mary Pipher, “Reviving Ophelia“
Oregon John Petroff, Beaverton, OR, to Erich Maria Remarque, “All Quiet on the Western Front“ Claire Richmond, Philomath, OR, to J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings“
Pennsylvania Geoffrey W. Locher, PA, to Stephen Crane, “Red Badge of Courage“ Michael J. Shafer, Lehighton, PA, to H.D. Thoreau, Walden
South Carolina Teonica Murphy, Columbia, SC, to Mildred Taylor,“ Let the Circle Be Unbroken“ Sadia Khan, Columbia, SC, to Mildred Taylor, “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry“
Tennessee Destiny D. Hicks, Elora, TN, to Judy Blume,“ Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing“ Christina Campbell, Bluff City, TN, to Lois Lowry, “The Giver“
Texas Nathan Wade, Big Sandy, TX, to Carl Deuker, “Painting the Black“ Renee Gilliland, El Paso, TX, to Amy Tan, “The Joy Luck Club“
Utah Mikayla Nicole Williamson, Laketown, UT, to J.K. Rowling, The Harry Potter series Emeri Fetzer, Salt Lake City, UT, to Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One's Own“
Vermont Lizz M. Cost, Putney, VT, to Natalie Kinsey-Warlock, If Wishes Were Horses Kayla Towle, Danville, VT, to Lois Lowry, “Number the Stars“
Virginia Jill Sumner, Stephens City, VA, to Elizabeth George Speare, “Sign of the Beaver“ Whitney Kimmet, Yorktown, VA, to Lois Lowry, “The Giver“
Washington Josh Evans, Mount Vernon, WA, to Wilson Rawls, “Where the Red Fern Grows“ Keegan Matosich, Lyle, WA, to Elie Wiesel, “Dawn“
West Virginia Abby Wells, Elkins, WV, to J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone“ Alicia Perez, Inwood, WV, to Ben Mikaelsen, “Petey“
Wisconsin Anne Proescholdt, Cumberland, WI, to J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone“ Andreas Hager, Madison, WI, to Joseph Heller, “Catch 22“
Wyoming Sara Hayden, Cheyenne, WY, to Adeline Yen Mah, “Chinese Cinderella“ Jolyn Udy, Kemmerer, WY, to Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Canterbury Tales“