Letters About Literature

Letters About Literature in Massachusetts is a commonwealth-wide personal and reflective writing initiative sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. The program invites students in Grades 4 through 12 to read a book of their choice, reflect on it, and write a personal letter to its author, explaining the impact this work had on them. 

Students may have a strong connection to the theme of the book, or they may recognize themselves in a particular character. Some students will write about challenging events in their lives that connect to the books they have read. Others may take exception with a particular authorial viewpoint, be inspired by a particular authorial triumph, or link the humor or the erudition of the author to their lives. Whatever they choose to write about, students are encouraged to dig deep into their own thoughts and experiences, sticking with a central point and following it as far as they can to an original statement about why this book matters to them and to the world in which they live.

Letters are read in three grade-level categories:

Level I:  Grades 4 through 6

Level II: Grades 7 and 8

Level III:  Grades 9 through 12

The judges will award 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and name up to seven additional Honorable Mention writers in each level.

1st Place: $125

2nd Place: $75

3rd Place: $50

Massachusetts Center for the Book will recognize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, Honorable Mention, and Finalist letter writers with certificates of merit sent to schools or homes.

An Awards Ceremony for 2023-24 Letters About Literature will be held in-person in late spring, 2024. (A virtual celebration is substituted when in-person gatherings are not possible.)

Submissions will be accepted from October 2, 2023 until January 18, 2024.