Top honors have gone to three students in the 2019-2020 Wyoming Letters About Literature Contest. Letters About Literature encourages students to read, be inspired, and write back to their favorite authors. The Wyoming State Library awarded Parker Zoe Jackson of Laramie first place in Level 3 (grades 9-12). Stetson Asay, Lovell, placed first in Level 2 (grades 7-8), and Abbi Odell, Cheyenne, placed first in Level 1 (grades 4-6).
Letters About Literature asks students to respond to a book, rather than simply report on it. What matters most is the connection the student makes with the author’s words and the impact it has on that student’s life and how they see the world.
Jackson wrote to Shannon Messenger, author of Everblaze, part of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. “Without your book,” Jackson wrote, “it may never have become clear to me why I feel so strongly about my town, my state, and the Earth as a whole. I may never have understood the importance of my actions in the bigger picture.”
Asay wrote to Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), author of the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Asay said in his letter, “Your books have made me realize how lucky I really am, even if it doesn’t seem like it, and made me want to help others when they are struggling.”
After reading Ron Clark’s The Essential 55, Odell wrote that “I try to embrace these rules each day, I want to be a kinder, politer, a better classmate, a better student, and better friend. Reading this book has made me a better person.”
See all winners’ names and read their letters below.
Wyoming Letters About Literature is a reading and writing promotion program of the Wyoming Center for the Book, a program of the Wyoming State Library. For more information about Wyoming Letters About Literature, contact Susan Mark at susan.mark@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5915.
Wyoming Letters About Literature Winners
LEVEL 3: Grades 9-12
- 1st place: Parker Zoe Jackson, Laramie
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Everblaze by Shannon Messenger
Read Parker’s letter - 2nd place: Amoriah Barnhill, Worland
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Read Amoriah’s letter - 3rd place: Kimberly Sumida, Worland
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Read Kinberly’s letter
LEVEL 2: Grades 7-8
- 1st place: Stetson Asay, Lovell
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket)
Read Stetson’s letter - 2nd place: Meredith Paul, Cheyenne
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Read Meredith’s letter - 3rd place: Elisa Wachob, Cody
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Read Elisa’s letter - Honorable mention: Harriet Sullivan, Wilson
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Read Harriet’s letter
LEVEL 1: Grades 4-6
- 1st place: Abbi Odell, Cheyenne
The Essential 55 by Ron Clark
Read Abbi’s letter - 2nd place: Addi Jarosh, Cheyenne
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Drapor
Read Addi’s letter - 3rd place: Reese Merritt, Cody
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Read Reese’s letter