National Letter Writing Week

(Clip Art courtesy of The Old Design Shop [olddesignshop.com])

Did you know that the second week of January is National Letter Writing Week?  Neither did I, until it was already upon us!  As I went about my work at the library, trying to think of how to celebrate this unique occasion (aside from penning a letter or two of my own to friends and family), I realized that Portland District Library has the perfect thing for any occasion - books!

If you are participating in our Winter Reading Program (which is running until January 28th - if you aren't, there's still time!), then you're likely already reading anything you can get your hands on to fill your reading time.  But if you're open to suggestions, here's a list of books for every age level to get the whole family excited about letters, from their writing to their contents:

Adult:

• Keep Me Posted - Beazley, Lisa - "Two sisters share the surprising highs and cringeworthy lows of social media fame, when their most private thoughts become incredibly public in this fresh and funny debut novel." (Goodreads)
• The Love Letters - Lewis, Beverly - "Marlena Wenger, a young aunt from the Beachy Amish caring for her infant niece, finds comfort and hope from an Old Order Amish mother and her family who extend friendship to a homeless man, whose few possessions include a collection of love letters." (Publisher)
• Paper Chains  - Moriarty, Nicola - "From the acclaimed author of The Fifth Letter and Those Other Women comes this touching story of secrets, friendship, family, and forgiveness—and the serendipitous twists of fate that shape our lives." (Goodreads)
• The Letters - Rice, Luanne - "Parting ways after the sudden death of their only son, Sam and Hadley West retreat to opposite sides of the country, but the couple exchanges written letters while Sam treks out to the crash site in Alaska via dogsled, and Hadley moves into a slightly haunted house in Maine, with intentions to start painting again." (Publisher)
• The Last Letter - Yarros, Rebecca - "Beckett, a solider in Afghanistan, falls in love with Ryan's sister through her letters to him and, despite feeling guilty over his friend's death, seeks her out to fulfill his promise to watch over her." (Publisher)

Audiobooks:

• Letters from Skye - Brockmole, Jessica - "A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole's atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart." (Publisher)
• Dead Letters - Dolan-Leach, Caite - "A missing woman leads her twin sister on a twisted scavenger hunt in this clever debut novel of suspense for readers of Luckiest Girl Alive and Reconstructing Amelia." (Goodreads)
• Note: This title is also available at PDL as a traditional book!

Teens:

• The Love Letters of Abelhard and Lily - Creedle, Laura - "When Lily Michaels-Ryan ditches her ADHD meds and lands in detention with Abelard, who has Asperger's, she's intrigued--Abelard seems thirty seconds behind, while she feels thirty seconds ahead. It doesn't hurt that he's brilliant and beautiful. When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person?" (Publisher)
• To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Han, Jenny - "Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved and then hides them in a hatbox until one day those letters are accidentally sent." (Publisher)
• Letters to the Lost - Kemmerer, Brigid - "Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother, a world famous photojournalist--even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. When Declan finds a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist the urge to write back. Soon, he is sharing his pain with a perfect stranger. When real life interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart." (Publisher)
• From Twinkle, with Love - Menon, Sandhya - "Told through letters, aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra learns a lesson about love while directing a movie for the Midsummer Night arts festival, in which her longtime crush and his twin brother are also participating." (Publisher)
• Dear Martin - Stone, Nic - "Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him." (Publisher)

Nonfiction:

• Writing to Persuade - Hall, Trish [808.042 HAL] - "In the tradition of The Elements of Style comes Trish Hall's essential new work on writing well--a sparkling instructional guide to persuading (almost) anyone, on (nearly) anything." (Publisher)
• Extraordinary E-mails, Letters and Resumes - Nobleman, Marc Tyler [808.6 NOB] - "A detailed explanation of how to write e-mails, résumés, letters and other types of correspondence." (Publisher)
• The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela - Mandela, Nelson [968.060 MAN] - "An unforgettable portrait of one of the most inspiring historical figures of the twentieth century, published on the centenary of his birth." (Publisher)
• Kurt Vonnegut: Letters - Vonnegut, Kurt [813.54 VON] - "A compilation of personal correspondence written over a sixty-year period offers insight into Kurt Vonnegut's literary personality, his experiences as a German POW, his struggles with fame, and the inspirations for his famous books." (Publisher)

Youth:

Middle Grade:

• Letters from Cuba - Behar, Ruth - "The story of a young Jewish girl who escapes Poland to make a new life in Cuba, while she works to rescue the rest of her family." (Goodreads)
• Dear Mr. Henshaw - Cleary, Beverly - "In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world." (Publisher)
• The Journal of Curious Letters [13th Reality #1] - Dashner, James - "Thirteen-year-old Atticus "Tick" Higginbottom begins receiving mysterious letters from around the world signed only "M.G.," and the clues contained therein lead him on a journey to the perilous 13th Reality and a confrontation with evil Mistress Jane." (Publisher)
• The Secret Letters [Mysteries of Trash and Treasure #1] - Haddix, Margaret Peterson - ""When Colin finds a shoebox full of letters hidden in a stranger's attic, he knows he's supposed to throw them away. That's his summer job, getting rid of junk. But Colin wants to rescue the letters--and find out what really happened to best friends Rosemary and Toby way back in the 1970s. Meanwhile, across town, Nevaeh also finds a mysterious letter. But this one reads like a confession to a crime. And Nevaeh knows her father, the 'Junk King,' expects her to join the rest of the family in blaming a single suspect: his business rival, Colin's mom." (Publisher)
• Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?  - Jones, Kelly - "Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, relates her adventures as two new unusual chickens come to the farm." (Publisher)
• The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School - Mahoney, Kristin Mary - "Augusta writes letters to her younger sister, Louie, about life in middle school, from tackling a new school building to meeting new people like the assistant principal, the class pet, and the renegade." (Publisher)

Lower Grade:

• Your Friend, Parker - Curry, Parker - "Parker writes letters to her friend Gia while she travels across the U.S. and visits states such as Georgia and New Mexico." (Publisher)
• Dear Earth... From Your Friends in Room 5 - Erin Dealey - "When the kids in room 5 write to Earth asking what they can do to help save our planet, they are delighted to get a letter back." (Publisher)
• The Love Letter - Denise, Anika - "Stumbling on the same mysterious love letter in turn, best friends Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel are reminded of the joys of friendship following a silly mix-up about their secret admirer." (Publisher)
• A Letter for Leo - Ruzzier, Sergio - "When Leo, a weasel mailman, rescues a young bird that was separated from his flock, the two become friends and Leo's dream of one day receiving a letter of his own may finally come true." (Publisher)
• Earth to Clunk - Smallcomb, Pam - "For a school assignment, a boy reluctantly writes a letter to Clunk of the planet Quazar, sending his older sister with it, but as more letters and packages are exchanged, he realizes that having an alien pen pal can be fun" (Publisher)
• Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School - Teague, Mark - "Gertrude LaRue receives typewritten and paw-written letters from her dog Ike, entreating her to let him leave the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy and come back home." (Publisher)

Youth Nonfiction:

• Meet a Mail Carrier! - Herrick, Becky [JNF 383 HER] - "This book introduces readers to the role of mail carriers in our community." (Publisher) [Lower Grade]
• Dear Malala, We Stand With You - McCarney, Rosemary A. [JNF 371.82 MCC] - "An inspiring letter to two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Malala Yousafzai, that is both a show of support and a call to action for girls around the world." (Publisher) [Middle Grade]