State Winners Letters About Literature 2008
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.
| State | Level I | Level II | Level III |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Erin McKee, Decatur, wrote to Cynthia Lord, author of “Rules” | Darsey Wegrzyn, Huntsville, wrote to Lemony Snicket, author of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” | Shejuti Paul, Florence, wrote to Cormac McCarthy, author of “The Road” |
| Alaska | Garrett Rutherford, Fairbanks, wrote to Avi, author of “Ereth's Birthday” | Sarah Frankl, Anchorage, wrote to Lois Lowry, author of “The Giver” | Nikki Wray, Anchorage, wrote to Shel Silverstein, author of “The Giving Tree” |
| Arizona | Creighton Morfitt, Scottsdale, wrote to Jerry Spinelli, author of “Maniac Magee” | Shannon Green, Lakeside, wrote to Scott Westerfeld, author of “Uglies” | William Johnston, Gilbert, wrote to Chaim Potok, author of “The Chosen” |
| Arkansas | Valeria Herrera, Batesville, wrote to Nicholasa Mohr, author of “Felita” | Ashley Crossman, Searcy, wrote to Naoko Takeuchi, author of “Sailor Moon” | Hattie Felton, Story, wrote to Betty Smith, author of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” |
| California | Augustine Chemparathy, Danville, wrote to James Herriot, author of “All Creatures Great and Small” | Francesca Libutti, Upland, wrote to Patricia McCormick, author of “Sold” | Sarah Zarrin, Saratoga, wrote to Alex Haley, author of “Roots” |
| Colorado | Douglas Lesher, Aurora, wrote to Katherine Paterson, author of “Bridge to Terabithia” | Amanda Coopersmith, Greenwood Village, wrote to Sarah Dessen, author of “The Truth About Forever” | Melanie Brown, Centennial, wrote to Walter Farley, author of “Little Black, A Pony” |
| Connecticut | Emma Koether, Southport, wrote to Ann M. Martin, author of “A Corner of the Universe” | ** Anna Rodis, Farmington, wrote to Paul Showers, author of “The Listening Walk” | Jennifer Ky, Hartford, wrote to Stephen Chbosky, author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” |
| Delaware | Connor Driscall, Middletown, wrote to C.S. Lewis, author of “The Last Battle” | Chloe Dye, Milton, wrote to Mitch Albom, author of “Tuesdays with Morrie” | Emilee Maroun, Middletown, wrote to Don Piper, author of “90 Minutes in Heaven” |
| District of Columbia | Sydney Harris, Washington DC, wrote to Sue Monk Kidd, author of “The Secret Life of Bees” | Ayodele Akosile, Washington DC, wrote to Walter Dean Myers, author of “Bad Boy” | Michael Walker, Washington DC, wrote to John Steinbeck, author of “Of Mice and Men” |
| Florida | Courtney Andexler, DeBary, wrote to Elisa Bartone, author of “Peppe, the Lamplighter” | Xianlu Wang, Wesley Chapel, wrote to Blue Balliet, author of “Chasing Vermeer” | Alexis Vanlaningham, Hollywood, wrote to Rachel Simon, author of “Riding the Bus with My Sister” |
| Georgia | Katie Williamson, Atlanta, wrote to Jodi Lynn Anderson, author of “Peaches” | Shaina Sayeed, Savannah, wrote to Charles Dickens, author of “Oliver Twist” | Fred Dong, Lilburn, wrote to Edgar Allen Poe, author of “"Alone"” |
| Hawaii | * Sarah Jenkins, Kaunakakai, wrote to Mildred Taylor, author of “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” | Ben White, Kailua, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” | Roy Franco, Waimanalo, wrote to Albert Camus, author of “The Plague” |
| Idaho | Lessa Mansfield, Meridian, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of The Harry Potter series | Katie Mondada, Boise, Daniel Keyes, author of “Flowers for Algernon” | Lindsey Evans, Pocatello, wrote to Wally Armstrong and Ken Blanchard, authors of “The Mulligan” |
| Illinois | Nikki Rhum, Buffalo Grove, wrote to Dan Millman, author of “Peaceful Warrior” | Joey Romano, Norridge, wrote to Betsy Byars, author of “Summer of the Swans” | Amy Nathan, Skokie, wrote to Mitch Albom, author of “Tuesdays with Morrie” |
| Indiana | Emma Alexander, Columbus, wrote to Robert Frost, author of “"The Road Not Taken"” | Mathew Voorhees, Battle Ground, wrote to Ben Mikaelsen, author of “Touching Spirit Bear” | Yasamin Oloomi, Fort Wayne, wrote to Azadeh Moaveni, author of “Lipstick Jihad” |
| Iowa | * Sarah Startz, Johnston, wrote to Barbara Park, author of “The Graduation of Jake Moon” | * Laura Wang, Cedar Rapids, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of The Harry Potter series | Mythili Prabhu, Ames, wrote to William Easterly, author of “The White Man's Burden” |
| Kansas | Jamie Yearout, Stilwell, wrote Ann M. Martin, author of “A Corner of the Universe” | Corinne Andresen, Overland Park, wrote Madeline L'Engle, author of “A Swiftly Tilting Planet” | Ammarah Usmani, Wichita, wrote Firoozeh Dumas, author of “Funny in Farsi” |
| Kentucky | Elizabeth Guthrie, Bowling Green, wrote to Pam Muñoz Ryan, author of “Esperanza Rising” | Braden Deifel, Louisville, wrote to Wilson Rawls, author of “Where the Red Fern Grows” | Lydia Pope, Danville, wrote to Chris Bohjalian, author of “Midwives” |
| Louisiana | Mary Beth Oliver, Metairie, wrote to Gail Giles, “Dead Girls Don't Write Letters” | Danielle Sermon, Boyce, wrote to Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun, authors of “Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust” | No winner selected this year on this competition level |
| Maine | Ben McKenna, Appleton, wrote to Gary Paulsen, author of “The Voyage of the Frog” | ** Dana Vigue wrote to Janet Shaw, author of “Meet Kaya” | Mike Weber, Auburn, wrote to Alex Sanchez, author of “The Rainbow Boys” |
| Maryland | Karina Sharma, Cumberland, wrote to Pam Muñoz Ryan, author of “Esperanza Rising” | Kaley Booth, Salisbury, wrote to Ann M. Martin, author of “A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray” | ** Maggie Tighe, Frederick, wrote to Aldous Huxley, author of “Brave New World” |
| Massachusetts | *Michael Hampton, East Longmeadow, wrote to Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” | Ja-Lene Scott-Dottin, Somerville, wrote to Sharon Draper, author of “Copper Sun” | * Ryan Heffrin, Marblehead, wrote to Jodi Picoult, author of “Nineteen Minutes” |
| Michigan | Phoebe Brown, Birmingham, wrote to Sarah Miller, author of “Miss Spitfire” | Gabrielle Montesanti, Howell, wrote to Jesse Stuart, author of “Come to My Tomorrowland” | Katelyn Wright, Battle Creek, wrote to Gerda Weissman Klein, author of “All But My Life” |
| Minnesota | Eliza Edwards, St. Paul, wrote to Mother Goose, author “of My Very First Mother Goose” | * Anna Priore, Kenyon, wrote to Clarence K. Larson, author of “A Long March Home” | Rachel Finkbeiner, Ramsey, wrote to F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of “The Great Gatsby” |
| Mississippi | Gabriel Phillips, Coldwater, wrote to Dav Pilkey, author of “Captain Underpants” | Andrew Scott Wiggins, Laurel, wrote to Orson Scott Card, author of “Ender's Game” | Niah Jamerson, Starkville, wrote to William Shakespeare, author of “Romeo and Juliet” |
| Missouri | Tyler Hall, Mathews, wrote to Mark Twain, author of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” | Sharon Han, Creve Coeur, wrote to Gabrielle Zevin, author of “Elsewhere” | Michael Musgrave, Maryland Heights, wrote to Stephen Hawking, author of “A Brief History of Time” |
| Montana | Meranie Vercio, Great Falls, wrote to Katy Pistole, author of “Morning Glory” | Mariah N. Wearley, Choteau, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” | Leah Bryan, Roundup, wrote to Louisa May Alcott, author of “An Old Fashioned Girl” |
| Nebraska | Ellen Friesen, Lincoln, wrote to Lois Lowry, author of “Number the Stars” | Itachi Sanchez, Lincoln, wrote to Charles Finn, author of “Please Hear What I'm Not Saying” | Andrew Squires, Lincoln, wrote to Leonard Peltier, author of “Prison Writings: My Life Is my Sun Dance” |
| Nevada | Jamyka Robinson, Las Vegas, wrote to Alan Lawrence Sitomer, author of “Hip Hop High School” | Amanda Marks, Las Vegas, wrote to Scott Westerfeld, author of “Uglies” | Suzette Smart, Winnemucca, wrote to Hal Borland, author of “When the Legends Die” |
| New Hampshire | Angela Wang, Nashua, wrote to Beverly Cleary, author of “Ramona the Pest” | Sydnie Spencer, Lee, wrote to Carolyn Mackler, author of “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” | Livie Lane, Dover, wrote to Jodi Picoult, author of “My Sister's Keeper” |
| New Jersey | Chris Farkouh, Rumson, wrote to Elie Wiesel, author of “Night” | Courtney La Costa, Berkeley Heights, wrote to Paula Danzinger and Ann M. Martin, authors of “Snail Mail No More” | * Marissa Brogger, Rumson, wrote to Sue Monk Kidd, author of “The Secret Life of Bees” |
| New Mexico | Meagen Lin, Cedar Crest, wrote to Deepak Chopra, author of “Keeper” | Shaquelle Pettes, Las Cruces, wrote to Thomas J. Dygard, author of “The Backfield Package” | Julia Ottenstein, Albuquerque, wrote to Arthur Golden, author of “Memoirs of a Geisha” |
| New York | * Anne Le, Staten Island, wrote to Rafe Martin, author of “Birdwing” | * Daniel Lee, Great Neck, wrote to Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” | Christina Troitino, Clifton Park, wrote to Khaled Hosseini, author of “The Kite Runner” |
| North Carolina | Amber Parker, Matthews, wrote to Lisa Yee, author of “Millicent Min, Girl Genius” | Leah Howard, Apex, wrote to Scott Westerfeld, author of “Uglies” | Richard Deans, Rocky Mount, wrote to Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference” |
| North Dakota | Savannah Husebye, Bismarck, wrote to O. T. Nelson, author of “The Girl Who Owned a City” | Micaela Gerhardt, Bismarck, wrote to Sharon Creech, author of “Walk Two Moons” | Liz Collin, Bismarck, wrote to Jon Krakauer, author of “Into the Wild” |
| Ohio | Lilah Kalfus, Orange, wrote to Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black, author of “The Spiderwick Chronicles” | Sterling Streb, Columbus, wrote to Lisi Harrison, author of “The Clique” | Sunia Arif, Strongsville, wrote to Mariane Pearl, author of “A Mighty Heart” |
| Oklahoma | Haydn Kirkpatrick, Edmond, wrote to Richard Bach, author of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” | Monica Glover, Moore, wrote to Jack Canfield, author of “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul” | Jesse Walton, Washington, wrote to Dave Pelzer, author of “A Man Named Dave” |
| Oregon | ** Hunter Hastings, Springfield, wrote to Lawrence Taylor, author of “Taylor” | Jesse Turner, Portland, wrote to Barbara Robinson, author of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” | Maya Lim, McMinnville, wrote to Anne Lamott, author of “Bird by Bird” |
| Pennsylvania | Maddie Roach, Malvern, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of The Harry Potter series | Carly Houlahan, Rosemont, wrote to Dr. Seuss, author of “Oh, The Places You'll Go” | Samantha Weber, Freeport, wrote to Elie Wiesel, author of “Night” |
| Rhode Island | Julia Zubiago, East Greenwich, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” | Nolan McHale-Rossi, Barrington, wrote to Mary Roach, author of “Stiff” | * Gabrielle Sclafani, Barrington, wrote to Wally Lamb, author of “She's Come Undone” |
| South Carolina | Lindsay Pollard, Clemson, wrote to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of “How I Came To Be a Writer” | Sinead Rose-Innes, Greer, wrote to Laurie Halse Anderson, author of “Speak” | Rhett Ricard, Pomaria, wrote to Pat Conroy, author of “My Losing Season” |
| South Dakota | Peyton Sanders, North Sioux City, wrote to Simon Adams, author of “World War II Eyewitness” | Denai Likness, Watertown, wrote to John Grogan, author of “Marley and Me” | Amanda Jones, Claremont, wrote to Khaled Hosseini, author of “The Kite Runner” |
| Tennessee | Abby Glover, Milan, wrote to Pat Brisson, author of “Sky Memories” | Megan Lee, Memphis, wrote to Wendelin Van Draanen, author of “Flipped” | ** Ayesha Usmani, Memphis, wrote to Amy Tan, author of “The Joy Luck Club” |
| Texas | Elaine Parizot, Houston, wrote to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of “Sang Spell” | Danielle Strasburger, Austin, wrote to Henning Mankell, author of “Secrets In the Fire” | Charlie Caplan, Houston, wrote to Robert Jordan, author of “Knife of Dreams” |
| Utah | Quinn Howe, Murray, wrote to Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin, authors of “Jacob's Rescue” | Lindy Hughes, Salt Lake City, wrote to Markus Zusak, author of “The Book Thief” | Mary Lauren Harris, Layton, wrote to Anne Frank, about “The Diary of Anne Frank” |
| Vermont | Katherine (Lydia) Ham, Sheffield, wrote to Elizabeth Winthrop, author of “Counting On Grace” | No winner selected this year on this competition level | No winner selected this year on this competition level |
| Virginia | Zach Rieman wrote to Gerald Morris, author of “The Squire, His Knight and His Lady” | Brain Desgrosiellier, Palmyra, wrote to Andy McNab, author of “Traitor” | * Courtney Hartnett, King George, wrote to Laura Hillenbrand, author of “Seabiscuit” |
| Washington | ** McKenzie Dent, Puyallup, wrote to Alice Mead, author of “Soldier Mom” | Jessica Jang, Olympia, wrote to Richard Adams, author of “Watership Down” | Alayna Chamberland, Olympia, wrote to Wally Lamb, author of “She's Come Undone” |
| West Virginia | Laken Autrey, Princeton, wrote to Kimberly Willis Holt, author of “My Louisiana Sky” | Alexandra Flanigan, Morgantown, wrote to J. R. R. Tolkien, author of “Lord of the Rings” | Rachel Hoffpauir, Paden City, wrote to Scott Westerfeld, author of “Uglies” |
| Wisconsin | Matthew Stokdyk, Sheboygan Falls, wrote to Edgar Allen Poe, author of "Evening Star" | Taylor Kurowski, Green Bay, wrote to Wendelin Van Draanen, author of “Runaway” | Tracy Haack, Clintonville, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of The Harry Potter series |
| Wyoming | Gabriella LaBazzo, Cody, wrote to Ruth White, author of “Buttermilk Hill” | Lila Jackson, Encampment, wrote to Frewin Jones, author of “The Faerie Path” | Christopher Guiden, Worland, wrote to Ben Mikaelsen, author of “Petey” |
