The California Center for the Book, housed at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and affiliated with the Library of Congress, announced the 22nd annual "Letters About Literature" contest.

The national prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the winning student and his or her teacher and parents. To enter, readers from grades 4 through 12 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. The contest is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores.

The California Center for the Book will select the top letter-writers in California at each of the three competition levels: level I for grades 4 through 6; level II for grades 7 and 8; and level III, grades 9-12.

Deadline for entries is Dec. 4. To obtain an entry coupon, visit the California Center for the Book's Web site at http://www.calbook.org/ or call (310) 206-9361. State winners advance to the national competition and receive cash prizes plus a $50 Target gift card. Winners also attend an awards ceremony in the spring, and their letters are published in a commemorative booklet.

In California, Letters About Literature is supported by the California Department of Education, the California School Library Association, the California Teachers Association and the Children's Literature Council of Southern California.

Six national winners will each receive an expenses-paid trip to the nation's capital to read their letters during the National Book Festival in the fall of 2005. In addition, they will receive a $500 Target gift card redeemable at any Target Store or http://target.com. Target Stores is the presenting sponsor of Letters About Literature.

Teachers, librarians, or parents interested in obtaining copies of the contest guidelines and the 16-page teaching supplement to guide students through the reading-writing process should visit the Center for the Book Web site at http://www.calbook.org/.

Target Stores, along with its parent company, Target Corp., gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has forged partnerships with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

The California Center for the Book is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the state librarian.