Sixth-Grade Student Wins Letters About Literature Contest

The Texas Center for the Book, under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, recently announced the winners of the 2024-2025 Letters About Literature Texas contest, a statewide competition sponsored by the Texas Library and Archives Foundation.

In Letters About Literature, students read a book, poem, short story, or other written work and write a letter to an author – living or dead – explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world.

Greenhill’s Lily Qiu ’31 won the Level 1 category that is open to grades 4-6 for her letter to Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk.

Hundreds of students entered from across the state, and the level of competition was high. There were three categories of competition (grades 4-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12), and first-place winners received $300, as well as an additional $300 for their school library.

“I want to thank each and every Texas student who participated in this year’s Letters About Literature program,” said Gloria Meraz, TSLAC Director and Librarian. “All our letter writers demonstrated their appreciation for literature, and I congratulate the librarians, teachers, and parents who supported them. Of course, I want to applaud our winners in each of the categories for their outstanding work and writing. Congratulations to them all – their letters are wonderful and truly convey the power of the written word.”

The winning letters are published on the TSLAC website.

First place winners will receive their prizes and certificates, as well as read their letters, during a special awards ceremony during the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Dallas in April.