The Winners of the 2007 School Journal Competition

Winner: Senior section
Lucy Davy, 12 years, Ponsonby Intermediate School, Auckland.

To Mr. Alan Bagnall

To Mr. Alan Bagnall [or 'Baggy' for short]
You write poems and stories. I know that you've taught
Lots of children to love sharing and reading aloud.
To understand poetry and feel proud.
I know you like farms. I can feel that in 'Muster'.
'Away in the Jungle' was a real boredom-buster.
The life of the girl in 'The President' was alarming.
The 'Afternoon Lesson' was funny and charming.
Your images are pretty. Your rhymes really witty.
Your metaphors are striking. Your similes to my liking.
Your work makes me cry, smile and laugh.
I've read it at school, at the beach, in the bath!
You're a real Kiwi writer, for kids of our nation.
I certainly know that you're my inspiration.
I loved 'Information'. I just wanted to say
'Thank you heaps' Mr. Bagnall ... Is there a poem on the way?

Highly commended: Keneti Ah Kuoi - Atmore, 12 years, Ponsonby Intermediate School

My favourite author in the School Journals is Anna Kenna. She writes about people, families and communities in a truthful way, which allows me to relate to characters in her stories very well.

The characters in Anna Kenna's stories are truthful with no exaggeration about abilities, appearance or personality. She only writes what did, or would have happened in real life. In Doctor in the House, one of her stories that I have read, a young girl went to her room and wept at the situation that their family were in, being attacked by the media because of an accident that her father had made, while operating on a young baby. The girl wept for the baby and her family. This is all very realistic and I could see myself in her shoes acting the same way and being overwhelmed by the emotional drama of it all.

Anna Kenna writes in a style that gripped me in and made me want to read on and on. This is because of her realistic writing which allowed me to relate to the characters in the story exceptionally well. Anna Kenna is by far my favourite author in the school journals.

Winner: Junior section, Sophie Maxtone, 9 years, Fendalton School, Christchurch.

Desna Wallace is a journal writer and writes plays, poems and stories. Desna wrote a fabulous play that I really liked called "A House with a Mouse". I enjoyed that play because of its characters, especially the father he had a good sense of humour and the Mouse seemed to get up to lots of mischief (e.g when he scared the wits out of Dad by scuttling across the floor).

Desna writes plays on lots of different topics. Two other plays I was delighted with were "The Repair Shop" and "Everyone Forgets Sometimes". In "The Repair Shop" I got pulled in by the spectacular sound effects (e.g ping! ping! ping! Pop! Pop! Pop! Zap! Zap! Zap! .......). In "Everyone Forgets Sometimes" it was interesting about the teacher that in the end he forgot something as well.

In Desna's poem "Changing Landscapes" to me it spoke of how people need to leave land for native animals otherwise the native animals might become extinct. In "Write a Poem" by Desna Wallace the beginning of the describing words in each verse started with the same letter (e.g whistle, whisper, whirl, happy, hiss, howl). I liked the feelings I experienced when I read those words because of their meanings. So now why don't you try one of Desna's books I'm sure you will enjoy it.