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2002 Letters About Literature National Winners
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
| 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“ |
