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Record Number of Iowa Students Take Part in Letters About Literature
There was a 95 percent increase in the number of Iowa students who took part in this year’s Letters About Literature contest. A record 1,921 letters were written – 768 from students in grades four through six (Level I), 769 from students in grades seven and eight (Level II), and 384 from students in grades nine through12 (Level III).
Front, Hannah Soyer. Back, from left, Quinn Severs, Maddie Hemesath, Cole Rhatigan, Tricia Shi, and Audrey Keranen. Not pictured: Gracie Deery, Jasmine Chen and Nadia Hlebowitsh.
After being read by a panel of national judges, Iowa judges read semifinalists letters – 47 at Level I, 40 at Level II and 34 at Level III.
Iowa winners were:
Level I
1st place: Quinn Severs
Book: “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” by Mitch Albom
School: St. Francis of Assisi School, West Des Moines
Grade: 5
2nd place: Tricia Shi
Book: “Kira-Kira” by Cynthia Kadohata
School: Westwood Elementary School, West Des Moines
Grade:6
3rd place: Hannah Soyer
Book: “A Northern Light” by Jennifer Donnelly
School: Summit Middle School, Johnston
Grade: 6
Honorable Mention: Ruth Finley
Book: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
Town: Des Moines
Grade: 6
Honorable Mention: Danni L. WebbMausbach
Book: “Nighttime is Just Daytime with Your Eyes Closed” by Mark Lowry
School: St. Pius X School, Urbandale
Level II
1st place: Cole Rhatigan
Book: “Chasing Redbird” by Sharon Creech
School: Franklin Middle School, Cedar Rapids
Grade 8
2nd place: Maddie Hemesath
Book: “Define ‘Normal’” by Julie Anne Peters
School: Franklin Middle School, Cedar Rapids
Grade: 8
3rd place: Gracie Deery
Book: “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn
School: Notre Dame Junior High School, Burlington
Grade: 7
Level III
1st place: Audrey Keranen
Book: “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
Town: Iowa City
Grade: 11
Audrey was also a national winner.
2nd place: Jasmine Chen
Book: “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham
Town: Ames
Grade: 11
3rd place: Nadia Hlebowitsh
Book: “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
Town: Iowa City
Grade: 10
Honorable Mention: Clare Roth
Book: “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold
Town: Des Moines
Grade: 9
Honorable Mention: Matt Runde
Book: “Luckiest Man” by Jonathon Eig
School: Wahlert High School, Dubuque
Grade: 12
Letters About Literature is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Iowa Center for the Book (State Library) and Target Stores.