The Hawaii Center for the Book invites young readers to write a letter to their favorite author as part of the 2009 Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest.

To enter, readers must write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. They may select authors from any genre — fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Authors may be from any time period and from any country.

Readers in grades 4 through 12 are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature contest, which is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target Stores.

The Hawaii Center for the Book will select the top essayists in the state on each of the three competition levels: Level I for children in grades 4 through 6, Level II for grades 7 and 8, and Level III, grades 9 through 12.

The winning Hawai'i essayists will receive a cash prize and a Target GiftCard, and they will be entered in the national competition.

National winners also will receive a gift card, plus a $10,000 Letters about Literature Reading Promotion Grant for their local public or school library.

The deadline for entries is Dec. 6. To obtain the required entry coupon, go to the Hawaii State Public Library System Web site at www.librarieshawaii.org and download the coupon. Copies of contest guidelines and the entry coupon also will be available in all public libraries.

For more information, call the Hawaii Center for the Book at 586-3555.