For Immediate Release
Contact: Mary Russell, 603-271-2866
March 25, 2010

Letters About Literature 2010 New Hampshire Semi-finalists Have Been Selected

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, presented in partnership with Target Stores and coordinated in New Hampshire by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library. To enter, young readers wrote a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Readers selected authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. There were three competition levels in the program: upper elementary, middle school, and secondary. The contest theme encouraged young readers to explore their personal response to a book and then express that response in a creative, original way.

This year there were 684 letters received from New Hampshire students. Forty-seven New Hampshire semi-finalists were selected across the three competition levels by a panel of judges working on behalf of the Library of Congress. These letters are being reviewed by a panel of judges here in New Hampshire who will select the winning letters for New Hampshire which will be announced at http://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com by the end of March. The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library will award $100 to each first place winner. State winners will advance to the national competition where they could win a $500 Target GiftCard and a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for their community. 

Congratulations to all the 2010 Letters About Literature New Hampshire semi-finalists!

Abby Bronson - Landaff

Abby Howard - Durham

Abby Richett -North Hampton

Amelia Schillemat - Marlborough

Amy Meyers – Gilford

Andrew Norkiewicz - Belmont

Annabeth Gullo – Pembroke

Ashley Rogers - Jaffrey

Brian Morgan - Hopkinton

Brianna Hutchinson - Pembroke

Bridie Rose O'Connell - N. Sandwich

Brie Tarmey – Pembroke

Brittney Gesick-LaMears – Marlborough

Cameron Randlett - Brookline

Christie Cannone - Windham

Courtney Bloniasz – Brookline

Ethan Gorman – Etna

Gus Lewis – Brookline

Hannah Lang – Grantham

Hannah Whitesel - Jaffrey

Jacob H. Geil - Monroe

Jake Clark – Claremont

Jami Daigle – Marlborough

John Sterritt - Hollis

Kristin Chan - Nashua

Lauren Kiessling - N. Haverhill

Lauren Olivier – Lincoln

Leah Prevost - Marlborough

Lindsey Beauregard – Hollis

Mandy Kabel – Hollis

McKenna Robinson – Lisbon

Megan Brown - Sugar Hill

Morgan Sulham - N. Haverhill

Nate Hunt – Hopkinton

Nicole Langlais – Derry

Olivia Eaton - Portsmouth

Patrick Donohue – Gilford

Sarah Schott – Canterbury

Shania Clark – Pembroke

Sophia Lingley – Dunbarton

Srishti Sadhir - Londonderry

Tim Gurshin – Canterbury

Will Shepard - Thetford Ctr., VT

Please note that in addition to the students listed here, there were 4 other students honored as semi-finalists who had not given us permission to announce their names as of today.

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