<html><body><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 15pt 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 20.9pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-para-margin-top: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 1.25gd; mso-para-margin-bottom: .0001pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.25gd"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3>Readers in grades <STRONG>4-12</STRONG> who write a letter to their favorite author might win an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D. C. for themselves, their parents and their teacher. The trip to our nation’s capital is the national prize in <STRONG>Letters about Literature (LAL),</STRONG> a writing contest sponsored by the <STRONG>Ohio Center for the Book</STRONG> in partnership with the <STRONG>Center for the Book</STRONG> <STRONG>in the Library of Congress, with</STRONG> the<STRONG> Target Corporation </STRONG>as presenting sponsor. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Young readers can select authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 15pt 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 20.9pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-para-margin-top: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 1.25gd; mso-para-margin-bottom: .0001pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.25gd"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3>Student winners will be selected in three competition levels: Level I – grades 4-6; Level II – grades 7-8; and Level III – grades 9-12. <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> finalists at each competition level will receive a $100 cash award, Target $50 gift card, and $40 gift card from Joseph-Beth Booksellers, <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Legacy</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Village</st1:PlaceType>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Lyndhurst</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">OH</st1:State></st1:place>. State winners will be notified in March 2008.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Each state’s first place winners will advance to national judging in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 15pt 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 20.9pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-para-margin-top: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 1.25gd; mso-para-margin-bottom: .0001pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.25gd"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3>Two national winners will be selected in each competition level. Each of the six national winners will receive a $500 Target gift card and a $10,000 community grant to promote reading by children and young adults. Twelve national honorable mentions, four in each level, will receive a $100 Target gift card and a $1,000 grant for their community.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 15pt 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 20.9pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-para-margin-top: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 1.25gd; mso-para-margin-bottom: .0001pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.25gd"><SPAN><FONT size=3><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><STRONG>Submission deadline for all levels is December 14, 2007. </STRONG>Entry forms and participation guidelines may be obtained at <STRONG>www.ohiocenterforthebook.org</STRONG>. Teachers, librarians, or parents interested in obtaining the required entry coupon, program specifics, teacher’s guides, lesson plans, black line masters and assessment checklists may contact the LAL Project Director at lettersaboutlit@epix.net. For more information, call <STRONG>(216) 623-2831.<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN></body></html>