PORTLAND — The Maine Humanities Council, the state’s partner with the national Letters About Literature competition, announced the 2013 winners.

Among the winners was Elliot Pressman, a ninthgrader at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham. Pressman received an honorable mention.

Letters About Literature encourages students to write to an author explaining how the author’s book changed their perspective and influenced their life. The competition is sponsored nationally by the Library of Congress, and locally by the David Royte Foundation

“The quality of this year’s letters was truly impressive,” notes Hayden Anderson, executive director for the Maine Humanities Council. “The Council is thrilled to offer a competition that inspires such thoughtfulness and enthusiasm in young readers and their teachers.”

Level I (grades 4-6)

First-place winner: Lauren Paradise, Grade 6, Lyman Moore Middle School, Portland; “A Casual Vacancy,” by J.K. Rowling.

Second: Tristam Sanborn, Grade 6, Center for Teaching and Learning, Edgecomb; “All the Broken Pieces,” by Ann E. Burg.

Honorable mention: Caroline Reed, Grade 6, Veazie Community School; “Life As We Knew It,” by Susan Pfeffer. Also, Sydney Sullivan, Grade 5, Center for Teaching and Learning, Edgecomb; “The Breadwinner,” by Deborah Ellis.

Level II (grades 7-8)

First: Emma Sophia Forthofer, Grade 8, Pemetic Elementary School, Southwest Harbor; “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky.

Second (tie): Saraphina Birtolo, Grade 7, Middle School of the Kennebunks, Kennebunk; “Homeless Bird,” by Gloria Whalen. Also Tara Carroll, Grade 8, Windham Middle School; “Charlie Howard’s Descent,” by Mark Doty.

Level III (grades 9-10)

First: Maura Perry, Grade 10, Greely High School, Cumberland; “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky.

Second: Lena Rich, Grade 9, North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth; “The Glass Castle,” by Jeanette Walls.

Honorable mention: Elliot Pressman, Grade 9, Mt. Ararat High School, Topsham; “Night,” by Elie Wiesel.

Other local students who reached the semifinal level are: Center for Teaching and Learning — Avery Jackson; and Mt. Ararat High School — Sarah Ashey and Mackenzie Dufresne.