Two Marblehead middle schoolers were among those honored by The Massachusetts Center for the Book in its 23rd annual Letters About Literature program last month.
The state-wide reading and writing initiative invited fourth through 12th grade students to submit letters to authors about books that have special meaning to them. There were 15 students honored, which represented the top 1% of this year’s almost 1,500 submissions.
Sofia Celli, of the Village School, received an honor in the grade four to six category. Damilola Graciella Olabisi of Marblehead Veterans Middle School received an honor in the seventh and eighth grade category.
Celli, a sixth-grader, wrote her letter about “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith, which is a semi-autobiographical novel that explores the metaphor of growth within inner city walls.
Olabisi, an eighth-grader, wrote her letter on Jaqueline Woodson’s book “Brown Girl Dreaming.”
“Congratulations to Damilola on receiving this distinct honor,” state Sen. Brendan Crighton said. “Her powerful letter and strong connection to the author is a great reminder of the significance that reading can have on our lives.”
“Brown Girl Dreaming” is about the author’s childhood and experiences growing up as an African American girl in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York, with the remains of Jim Crow Laws and awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Woodson said that the adolescent verse novel explore how she felt “halfway home” in both places.
Olabisi wrote about how Woodson’s book “brought more melanin into the world of stories” for her. She told of how she connected with Woodson’s letter, and how she wishes to one day write her own stories as well.
“Damilola found her own story in ‘Brown Girl Dreaming,’ the best outcome from reading a good book,” state Rep. Jenny Armini said. “I want to congratulate Damilola on her beautiful letter and celebrate her creativity and voice.”
Olabisi’s language arts teacher, Caroline Todd, encouraged students to submit their letters to the authors they wrote to through the competition. Olabisi sent her letter to Woodson, who responded and sent her signed books.
“Go tell your stories,” Woodson wrote Olabisi.
This year’s judges were Celeste Bruno, the communications director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; Trey Jones, an English teacher at the Northampton Public School; and Daniel Guerrero, an audiovisual translator.
“Your letters have taught, moved and delighted us with your articulate thoughts about the importance of books in your lives,” said Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa.
“This is my first year administering Letters About Literature, and I’ve been amazed at the wealth of wisdom, talent and heart that our Massachusetts students show through this program,” said Karolina Zapal, the program coordinator for Massachusetts Center for the Book.
Jane Lawley, a ninth-grader at Methuen High School, also earned Honors for her letter to Ned Vizzini for his book “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” which follows a teenager who struggles with depression. The book chronicles the New York City boy’s days in hospitalization and the people he meets while confronting his anxieties.
Lawley wrote in her letter about how she had not read about mental health previously but rather stories of dragons and goblins. She said she would rather “hide behind the hypothetical dilemmas of made-up worlds than a story that touches on something so tangible.” and yet, the realness of Vizzini’s book is what connected the most with Lawley and her own experiences with anxiety.
