MARBLEHEAD – Two Marblehead 8th graders from Veterans Middle School were honored at the Letters About Literature (LAL) awards ceremony Tuesday at the State House in the Great Hall.
LAL is a statewide personal and reflective writing initiative which invites students from grades 4-12 to read a book of their choice, reflect on it and write a personal letter to the author, explaining the impact this work has had on them.
The program is run by the Massachusetts Center for the Book (MCB). MCB is a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring a love of reading, honoring the rich literary culture of the Commonwealth, promoting unrestricted access to books and libraries and fostering literacy and learning.
In welcoming the audience of 25 students and their families, legislators, teachers and librarians, MCB Executive Director Courtney Andree praised the 2025 honorees, remarking that their letters represent the top percentage point of submissions received, revealing “a depth of range of issues that they are now facing, including struggles to overcome discrimination, displacement, loneliness and bullying.”
Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa provided the legislative welcome in the Great Hall, taking up the example of beloved Massachusetts writer Louisa May Alcott. She noted that, “For Alcott, books were familiar friends. They made her feel safe in a world that was full of uncertainty.” Sabadosa congratulated the students “for reading voraciously, for being committed to learning more about the world that surrounds (them) and for sharing (their experiences.”
The literature awards were split into three levels, dividing the applicants by their grades. Marbleheader Melissa Balla won the Level II category for 7th and 8th graders with her letter to Naomi Shihab Nye, the author of the poem “Kindness.” Melissa wrote that this poem taught her “that it’s as if we are blind before feeling pain, but once we do, we begin seeing colors we have never seen before.” She said winning “means that I have a bright future ahead of me.”
“It was a way for me to start seeing people differently because I feel like I didn’t really pay attention to why people did things, and I thought that kindness was kind of like something fake, but it definitely comes from somewhere real,” Melissa said about why she resonated with the poem “Kindness.”
Marbleheader Sofia Celli earned an honorable mention in the Level II category for her letter to “Heartstopper” author Alice Oseman. In her letter, Sofia opened up to Oseman about how she felt seen and understood by Charlie, one of Oseman’s protagonists who struggles with asking for the help he needs to address his eating disorder.
“It was kind of eye-opening,” Sofia said, processing how she felt connected to Charlie’s story. “I felt like I could also see that I could also be brave. He was like my example, so Charlie definitely helped me gain the confidence I needed.”
Sofia said she hopes to continue submitting letters for the contest moving forward “because it’s nice having a chance to share my story and maybe inspire even other people who have similarities to me.” She added that it’s been “amazing realizing I actually have an impact on others, and I’m not just there as a little shadow.” Next year she will compete in the Level III group, which is for students in grades 9-12.
Rep. Jenny Armini said “it was really moving to hear their very personal messages to these authors.”
“Even though they were reading them aloud to us, and who knows if the author ever saw it, they were really personal. I was struck by that, by how personal these letters were, and how these students opened up about how these poems or these stories really touched their lives,” Armini said. “In the case of Melissa, she was talking about really paying attention and observing people in her community, people she didn’t know, and how meaningful that was for her. You can see how it really permanently changed this young person’s perspective on life – and that’s the power of literature.”
Armini emphasized the significance of having this award ceremony in the Great Hall.
“It was fitting for these young people to stand up there in this very grand room and share with their peers from all over the state, and teachers from all over the state, and parents from all over the state,” Armini said. “It showed, again, the power of literature and the power of their own voices. To actually hear them in this very grand room made it seem even more important and more impressive.”
This year’s competition was judged by Diane Costagliola, director of the Sandwich Public Library; Julia Sullivan, youth services librarian from the Chelmsford Public Library; and acclaimed young adult author and Concord-Carlisle High School library technician Kip Wilson. They were supported by a team of screeners from the Simmons University School of Library and Information Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Smith College.
For a complete list of the 2025 LAL Honorees, visit massbook.org/current-awards.
