The Pennsylvania winners of the 2017 Letters About Literature Contest are, from left to right, Level II (grades seven to eight) winner Madison Kelleher, of Montoursville; Level III (grades nine to 12) winner Hailey Cross, of Scottdale; and Level I (grades four to six) winner Lydia Floreck, of Gettysburg.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book recently recognized the Pennsylvania winners of the 2017 Letters About Literature Contest. A nationwide event sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, the contest invites students in three grade levels to write letters to authors — living or dead — about how an author’s words affected them or changed their worldview.

The Level I (grades four to six) winner, Lydia Floreck, of Gettysburg, was honored for her letter to Susan Cain about “Quiet Power.” The Level II (grades seven to eight) winner, Madison A. Kelleher, of Montoursville, wrote her letter to Robert Munsch about “Love You Forever.” And the Level III (grades nine to 12) winner, Hailey Cross, of Scottdale, was honored for her letter to James Hurst about “Scarlet Ibis.”

Winners receive $200 and were honored at a celebratory luncheon with their families on Saturday, May 20, at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus.

The full Penn State News article may be read online.

For more information about the Letters About Literature Contest in Pennsylvania, contact editor Nicole Miyashiro at nmm16@psu.edu, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website at www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu.