We are very pleased to announce that Washington’s Level 2 champion in the state Letters About Literature competition, Riya Sharma, was selected as a National Honor Award winner for her letter about The Confidence Code. Riya is an 8^th grade student at The Overlake School in Redmond. Our judges weren't surprised at all by her national recognition. Here's what they said about Riya’s letter: “Ms. Sharma’s letter stood out among many well written entries and did an excellent job of connecting the book to her own life. The way she applied the lessons in the book to her life was very perceptive. Ms. Sharma expresses insight into applying the concepts in The Confidence Code to her daily life, at school and at home. She writes to the authors saying, “The way to build confidence is by becoming comfortable with something. And you can’t be comfortable with something unless you try, even if there’s the chance of failure.” More than 46,800 young readers from across the country participated in this year's Letters About Literature contest, which aims to instill a lifelong love of reading in the nation’s youth and to engage and nurture their passion for literature. The contest is promoted by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress through its affiliated state centers, state libraries, state humanities councils, and other organizations. In Washington, the affiliate is the Washington Center for the Book. “Letters About Literature provides an authentic writing experience for students to reflect on their own reading and connect with an author,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “As a librarian, I know first-hand how important the link is between reading and writing. Children who read will write better and children who write will read more.” This is the thirteenth year Washington has participated in the Letters About Literature contest. Riya joins a list of many talented Washington students who have been recognized nationally. Here is a list of the previous awardees and a link to each of their letters. 2012 Honor Winners – Clare Doran (Level 1), Sam Smith (Level 2), and Oliver Reed (Level 3). 2011 Honor Winner – Abby Bateman (Level 2) 2008 Level 1 National Winner - Reagan Nelson 2010 Honor Winner - Stephen Hitchcock (Level 2) 2008 Level 1 National Winner - McKenzie Dent