LAL Announces2011 First Place State Winners!
To read the state winning letters, please visit the state center for the book website. Many (but not all) states publish the winning letters on their sites. To visit the site, seeContact Uson the menu above or click on the links following the list of names below.
Alabama
Level 1: Ellie Guyader, Birmingham, grade 5, wrote to Michelle Zink, author of The Prophecy of the Sisters
Level 2: Gabrielle Aboki, Montgomery, grade 8, wrote to Langston Hughes, author of the poem A Dream Deferred
Level 3: Mary Locker, Florence, grade 12, wrote to Ernest Hemingway, author of The Old Man and the Sea
Alaska
Level 1: Brian Conwell, Unalaska, grade 5, wrote to Walter Dean Myers, author of The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins
Level 2: Adrienne Sypeck, Juneau, grade 8, wrote to Jim Butcher, author of The Furies of Calderon
Level 3: Kelsey Colclough, Anchorage, grade 11, wrote to Ned Vizzini, author of Its Kind of a Funny Story
Arizona
Level 1: Alec Smith, Mesa, grade 5, wrote to Wendy Mass, author of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Level 2: Kathleen Click, Chandler, grade 7, wrote to Shana Norris, author of Troy High
Level 3: Ashlee BeGell, Mesa, grade 9, wrote to J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan
Arkansas
Level 1: Taylor Mathews, Searcy, grade 6, wrote to Erin Hunter, author of Into the Wild
Level 2: Jordan Skabronski, Searcy, grade 7, wrote to Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Zen and the Art of Faking It
Level 3: Savanna George, Searcy, grade 9, wrote to Sarah Dessen, author of Just Listen
California
Level 1: Alexis Saenz, Santa Monica, grade 4, wrote to Roberta John, author of Proud to Be a Blacksheep
Level 2: Aric MacDavid, Mountain View, grade 7, wrote to James Howe, author of The Misfits
Level 3: Akash Kar, Saratoga, grade 11, wrote to Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake
Colorado
Level 1: Margot Lurie, Denver, grade 6, wrote to Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why
Level 2: Name withheld pending permission, Boulder, grader 8, wrote to John Green, author of Looking for Alaska
Level 3: Name withheld pending permission, Lafayette, grade 12, wrote to T. S. Eliot, author of the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Connecticut
Level 1: Tessora Chang, Hartford, grade 5, wrote to Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club
Level 2: Christian Lusardi, Hartford, grade 8, wrote to George Selden, author of The Cricket in Times Square
Level 3: Eliza Llewellyn, Westport, grade 9, wrote to Todd Strasser, author of If I Grow Up
Delaware
Level 1: Ariana Acosta, Bear, grade 6, wrote to S. E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders
Level 2: Aaron Jennings, Bear, grade 8, wrote to Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of Among the Imposters
Level 3: Catherine Getz, Georgetown, grade 9, wrote to Jandy Nelson, author of The Sky Is Everywhere
District of Columbia
Level 1: Clara Molot, District of Columbia, grade 6, wrote to Wendy Mass, author of A Mango Shaped Space
Level 2: DeSean Bonner, Gaithersburg MD, grade 8, wrote to Paul Laurence Dunbar, author of Sympathy
Level 3: Anthony Victor Clark, District of Columbia, grade 11, wrote to Margaret Atwood, author of Oryx and Crake
Florida
Level 1: Ryan Kasak, Lake City, grade 6, wrote to Gary Paulsen, author of Brians Return
Level 2: Dianne Lee, Tampa, grade 7, wrote to Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Level 3: Fabiola Urdaneta, Biscayne, grade 11, wrote to Sylvia Plath, author of The Bell Jar
Georgia
Level 1: Avery Herman, Atlanta, grade 6, wrote to Jeanne Birdsall, author of The Penderwicks
Level 2: Matthew L. Ingram, Stone Mountain, grade 7, wrote to Ben Mickelsen, author of Petey
Level 3: Ian Dawkins, Athens, grade 9, wrote to Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games
Hawaii
Level 1: Bruce R. Risley, Waikoloa, grade 4, wrote to Richard and Florence Atwater, authors of Mr. Poppers Penquins
Level 2: Noah Eddins, Kailua, grade 8, wrote to Gary Paulsen, author of Hatchet
Level 3:Jeanna Chi, Honolulu, grade11, wrote to Pearl S. Buck, author of The Good Earth
Idaho
Level 1: Koby Jargstorf, Meridian, grade 6, wrote to Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games
Level 2: Dillon Awes, Boise, grade 8, wrote to Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief
Level 3: Rosa Wolf, Boise, grade 11, wrote to Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Bean Trees
Illinois
Level 1: Conrad Oberhaus, Lincolnshire, grade 5, wrote to Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe
Level 2: Naasir Haleem, Naperville, grade 7, wrote to Mark Pfetzer, author of Within Reach
Level 3: Stacie Cler, Bloomington, grade 12, wrote to Helen Siiteri, author of The Adventures of Nicholas
Indiana
Level 1:Dominic Rossi, Zionsville, grade 6, wrote to Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma Young Reader's Edition
Level 2: Evelin Araiaza, Clarksville, TN, grade 7, wrote to Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of Because of Anya
Level 3: Hannah Chalmers, Crawfordsville, grade 9, wrote to Virginia Lee Burton, author of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Iowa
Level 1: Juliana Osgood, Marshalltown, grade 6, wrote to Patricia MacLachlan, author of Edwards Eyes
Level 2: Claire Eide, Des Moines, grade 8, wrote to Drayton Mayrant, author of Courage is Not Given
Level 3: Claire Eide, Des Moines, grade 8, wrote to Drayton Mayrant, author of Courage is Not Given
Kansas
Level 1: Romila Santra, Overland Park, grade 5, wrote to Cynthia Lord, author of Rules
Level 2: Riley Brennan, Overland Park, grade 8, wrote to Elie Wiesel, author of Night
Level 3: Robert Ludwig, Beloit, grade 12, wrote to Richard Peck, author of A Day No Pigs Would Die
Kentucky
Level 1: Sarah Koljaka, Louisville, grade4, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
Level 2: Isabella Campbell, Louisville, grade 8, wrote to Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Level 3: Michael Kamer, Lexington, grade 11, wrote to Elie Wiesel, author of Night
Louisiana
Level 1: Allison Walters, Metairie, grade 6, wrote to Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
Level 2: Michael Elliot, Lake Charles, grade 8, wrote to Dr. Seuss, author of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Level 3:Kirsten Page, Scarborough, grade 10, wrote to Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea
Maine
Level 1: Charlie Budd, Bangor, grade 5, wrote to Christopher Paul Curtis, author of Elijah of Buxton
Level 2: Libby OBrien, Cape Elizabeth, grade 8, wrote to Lois Lowry, author of Number the Stars
Level 3: Kirsten Page, Scarborough, grade 10, wrote to Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea
Maryland
Level 1: Melina George, Towson, grade 6, wrote to Beverly Cleary, author of Ramona the Pest
Level 2: Jordan Cook, Bel Air, grade 8, wrote to Rick Riordan author of The Lightning Thief
Level 3:Rebecca Thayer, Cumberland, grade 12, wrote to Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis
Massachusetts
Level 1: Maryam Salah, Shrewsbury, grade 6, wrote to Jerry Spinelli author of Maniac McGee
Level 2: Shane Godek, Metheun, grade 8, wrote to Dustin Pedroia, author of Born to Play
Level 3: Marcus Chiaretto, Pittsfield, grade 12, wrote to Shel Silverstein, author of The Giving Tree
Michigan
Level 1: David Carpenter, Clarkston, grade 6, wrote to Louis Sachar, author of Holes
Level 2: Heather Wiggins, Kalamazoo, grade 8, wrote to Sara Holbrook, author of Finals
Level 3: Ashli Bynum, Ada, grade 12, wrote to Marge Piercy, author of Barbie Doll
Minnesota
Level 1: Nicholas Behrens, Falcon Heights, Grade 6, wrote to Debra Frasier, author of On the Day You Were Born
Level 2: Solomon Polansky, Minnetonka, grade 8, wrote to Daniel Keyes, author of Flowers for Algernon
Level 3: Tyler Sturos, St. Michael, grade 12, wrote to Ken Hada, author of That Evening
Mississippi
Level 1: Joey Kauppi, Gautier, grade 5, wrote to Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of Shadow Children
Level 2: Reveena K. Makkar, Jackson, grade 8, wrote to Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird
Level 3: Elizabeth Wiggs, Houston, grade 12, wrote to Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Avonlea
Missouri
Level 1: Samantha Trout, Jefferson City, grade 6, wrote to Mildred Taylor, author of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Level 2: Allura Jones, Neosho, grade 8, wrote to Jodi Picoult, author of House Rules
Level 3: Vanessa Perou, St. Louis, grade 11, wrote to Sharon Draper, author of Copper Sun
Montana
Level 1: Tristan Tudor, Seeley Lake, grade 6, wrote to Lisa Graff, author of Umbrella Summer
Level 2: Erin Dringman, Big Timber, grade 7, wrote to Rebecca Wells, author of The Crowning Glory of Cala Lily Ponder
Level 3: Christian Smoker, Poplar, grade 12, wrote to Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, author of World in Hounding Me
Nebraska
Level 1: Grace Doll, Lincoln, grade 6, wrote to Willa Cather, author of My Antonia
Level 2: Meagan Brookhauser, Omaha, grade 8, wrote to Jeanette Walls, author of The Glass Castle
Level 3: Arash Hamidi, Omaha, grade 10, wrote to Gene Luen Yang, Author of American-Born Chinese
Nevada
Level 1: Caroline Liu, La Vegas, grade 6, wrote to Elizabeth George Speare, author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Level 2: Austin Ripley, Las Vegas, grade 8, wrote to Eli Wiesel, author of Night
Level 3: Shelby Ence, Minden, grade 9, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
New Hampshire
Level 1: Drew L. Stetson, Stratham, grade 5, wrote to Robert Frost about his seasonal poems
Level 2: Erin Choate, Lisbon, grade 7, wrote to Dave Pelzer, author of A Child Called It
Level 3: Jake Tinkham, Gilford, grade 12, wrote to Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall Series
New Jersey
Level 1: William Feng, Lumberton, grade 4, wrote to Ben Carson, author of Ben Carson
Level 2: Emma Burns, Moorestown, grade 8, wrote to Judee Blanco, author of Please Stop Laughing at Me
Level 3: Emma Burns, Moorestown, grade 8, wrote to Judee Blanco, author of Please Stop Laughing at Me
New Mexico
Level 1: Elizabeth Walztoni, Lamay, grade 6, wrote to Pablo Nerudo, author of the poem Shyness
Level 2: Stephanie Torres, Albuquerque, grade 8, wrote to Anne Frank, author of The Diary of Anne Frank
Level 3: Brittany Trejo, Hatch, grade 10, wrote to Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
New York
Level 1: Michael Ferdinand, West Babylon, grade 6, wrote to Martin Luther King, Jr., author of I Have a Dream
Level 2: Alexandra Kung, Chappaqua, grade 8, wrote to Serena Williams, author of On the Line
Level 3: Alexandra Saali, New York, grade 11, wrote to Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible
North Carolina
Level 1: Joey Johnson, Raleigh, grade 5, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.
Level 2: Janet Snow, Elkin, grade 8, wrote to Susan Cooper, author of Over Sea, Under Stone.
Level 3: Sydney Smith, grade 12, Salisbury, wrote to Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Ohio
Level 1: Alexis Hughes, Bay Village, grade 6, wrote to Lois Lowry, author of Number the Stars
Level 2: Sarah Cantley, Milan, grade 8, wrote to Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones series
Level 3: Mekeala Riley, Gahanna, grade 11, wrote to Koren Zailckas, author of Smashed, Story of a Drunken Girlhood
Oklahoma.
Level 1: Morgan Allison, Tulsa, grade 6, wrote to Kate DiCamillo, author of The Tale of Despereaux
Level 2: Hadyn Kirkpatrick, Edmond, grade 8, wrote to Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
Level 3: Jessy Walton, Washington, grade 12, wrote to Barry Peterson, author of Jans Story
Oregon
Level 1: Rachel Barnhart, Coburg, grade 6, wrote to Lisa Graff, author of Umbrella Summer
Level 2: Kayle Kelso, Vale, grade 8, wrote to Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why
Level 3: Allison Zhou, Portland, grade 9, wrote to Ayn Rand, author of Anthem
Pennsylvania
Level 1: Nicole Baldy, Murrysville, grade 6, wrote to Cynthia Lord, author of Rules
Level 2: May Wang, Holland, grade 7, wrote to Jiang Ji Li, author of The Red Scarf Girl
Level 3: Katie Wingert, Lebanon, grade 9, wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of The Long Winter
Rhode Island
Level 1: Isobel M. McCullough, Wakefield, grade 6, wrote to M. T. Anderson, author of Feed
Level 2: Jessica Bellows, Hope, grade 8, wrote to Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies
Level 3: Grace Perkins, Portsmouth, grade 12, wrote to Paulo Coehlo, author of The Alchemist
South Carolina
Level 1: Ellie Fuller, North Augusta, grade 5, wrote to Michael Buckley, author of The Sisters Grimm
Level 2: Dan Freeman, Greer, grade 8, wrote to Pierre Haski, author of The Diary of Ma Yan
Level 3: Creighton Boggs, Columbia, grade 11, wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
South Dakota
Level 1: No state winner selected this year
Level 2: Ellie Stevenson, Hayti, wrote to Barbara Park, author of Junie. B. Hones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Level 3: Neal Digre, Brookings, grade 11, wrote to T. H. White, author of The Once and Future King
Tennessee
Level 1: Name withheld pending permission, Memphis, grade 4, wrote to Connie McIntyre, author of Flowers for Grandpa Dan
Level 2: Taylor Saling, Murfreesboro, grade 8, wrote to Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why
Level 3: Namchi Do, Memphis, grade 11, wrote to Jodi Picoult, author of My Sisters Keeper
Texas
Level 1: Hanna Lee, Plano, grade 6, wrote to Tony Abbott, author of Firegirl
Level 2: Laney Morris, Flower Mound, grade 7, wrote to Corrie ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place
Level 3: Jada Brown, grade 10, Flower Mound, wrote to the unknown author of the poem What If I Am a Black Woman?
United States Virgin Islands
Level 1: Name withheld pending permission , Kingshill, St. Croix, grade 6, wrote to Ralph Fletcher, author of Flying Solo
Level 2: Anayah Ferris, Kingshille, St. Croix, grade 8, wrote to Stephanie Meyer, author of Eclipse
Level 3: No state winner selected this year
Utah
Level 1: Sierra Eyre, Murray, grade 6, wrote to Blaine Yorgasen, author of Charlies Monument
Level 2: Christi Kim, Sandy, grade 8, wrote to An Na, author of The Fold
Level 3: Erik Daniel Silsby, Ogden, grade 11, wrote to Jeff Scott Savage, author of Far World: Water Keep
Vermont
No state winners selected this year
Virginia
Level 1: Alexis Stafford, grade 6, wrote to Jane Maddox, author of Running Rivals
Level 2: Audrey Wood, Waynesboro, grade 7, wrote to J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan
Level 3: Charlotte Boatner-Doane, Charlottesville, grade 11, wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House in the Big Woods
Washington
Level 1: McKenna Conlin, Redmond, grade 6, wrote to Sherman Alexie author of The Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian
Level 2: Abby Bateman, Snoqualmie, grade 7, wrote to Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia
Level 3: John Kang, Shoreline, grade 11, wrote to Mary Paik Lee, author of Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America
West Virginia
Level 1: Dustin Jarvis, Chapmanville, grade 4, wrote to J. Campbell Bruce, author of The Picture that Thrilled a Nation
Level 2: Elijah Stull, Grafton, grade 8, wrote to Sharon Draper, author of The Hazelwood Trilogy
Level 3: Mikalyn Murphy, Charleston, grade 9, wrote to Portia de Rossi, author of Unbearable Lightness
Wisconsin
Level 1: Clare Honan, Wauwatosa, grade 6, wrote to Carolyn Meyer, author of In Mozarts Shadow
Level 2: Name withheld pending permission, Colgate, grade 8, wrote to Pam Munoz Ryan, author of Esperanza Rising
Level 3: Erika Ysais, Appleton, grade 12, wrote to Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
Wyoming
Level 1: Elisha Smith, Cody, grade 6, wrote to Lynda Durrant, author of Beaded Moccasins
Level 2: Emily Smith, Dubois, grade 8, wrote to Misty Bernall, author of She Said Yes
Level 3: Sarah Shafer, Big Piney, grade 9, wrote to Martha Finley, author of Elsie Dinsmore
LAL is a national reading promotion program of the Center for the Book 
New York's 2011 winners (above): A. Kung, M. Ferdinand, and A. Saali.
OKLAHOMA. Pictured are from right to left: Gini Moore Campbell, President of the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book, Jessy Walton, first place winner in Level III, and Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb.
