Skip to main content

2022-2023 My Favorite Book Competition

Susan Grossman (Kirkpatrick Foundation), Cynthia Gonzalez, Quinn Brown, Milo Manning, Steven Baker (Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book), Azmerrah Teav, Sarah Avelar, Olivia Baldwin, Connie Armstrong (Oklahoma Center for the Book), Saray-al Butler, Emercyn Looper, Natalie Currie (Oklahoma Department of Libraries)

Division I (Grades 4 through 6)

First Place: Olivia Baldwin, Blanchard Intermediate, Blanchard
For letter to author Ally Carter for the Winterborne book series

Second Place: Saray-al Butler, Epic Charter Schools, Del City      
For letter to author Carole Boston Weatherford for The Faith of Elijah Cummings

Third Place: Milo Manning, Homeschool, Sallisaw           
For letter to author Harold Keith for Rifles for Watie

Division II (Grades 7 and 8)

First Place: Azmerrah Teav, Homeschool, Broken Arrow
For letter to author Noah Webster for Webster’s American English Dictionary

Second Place: Sarah Avelar, Sequoyah Middle School, Edmond
For letter to Kelly Yang for Front Desk

Third Place: Cynthia Gonzalez, Bethany Middle School, Bethany
For letter to Jacqueline Woodson for the Before the Ever After

Division III (Grades 9 through 12)

First Place: Emercyn Looper, El Reno Public High School, El Reno
For letter to author Markus Zusak for The Book Thief

Second Place: Everleigh Rainbolt, Sapulpa High School, Sapulpa
For letter to author Alton Carter for The Boy Who Carried Bricks

Third Place: Quinn Brown, Pawnee High School, Pawnee
For letter to author Jerry Spinelli for Milkweed


For the My Favorite Book competition, the Oklahoma Center for the Book invites readers in Grades 4–12 to write a letter to the author of a favorite book and explain how the book or one of the book’s characters impacted their life.

Contest Levels:
Level 1: Grades 4–6
Level 2: Grades 7–8
Level 3: Grades 9–12

Cash Prizes will be awarded to the student writers of the top three letters in each level.

First Place: $500
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $100

First place winners selected their school library or public library to receive a cash prize of $1,000!


For students younger than 18 years of age (as of October 10, 2022), a permission form signed by a parent or legal guardian was required to be submitted along with their entry.


Promotional Items

Download and print these PDFs to promote the My Favorite Book contest at your library or school! All are designed for letter-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches).


Funding provided by

The Oklahoma Center for the Book (OCB) in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries is a state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and is organized to focus attention on the vital role of books and reading in our lives. The Center promotes the past, current, and future works of Oklahoma authors; promotes the literary heritage of the state; and encourages reading for pleasure by Oklahomans of all ages.


Questions? Review FAQs or email info@libraries.ok.gov.

Last Modified on May 12, 2023