Book Week 2006,
May 22nd – 26th
Welcome to the wonderful world of children's books … every 2 years our school holds a book week where staff and students focus on a particular aspect of children's literature. This year it was New Zealand's writers, illustrators and stories.
We invited Jenni Francis, author of Losing William and great-aunt of one of our very own pupils, to visit our senior classes. She read to them from her work and gave them tips on writing creatively.
Zoe, one of our year 9 students wrote this about her visit.
"It's not often that you get the chance to talk to somebody who not only knows a lot about a certain topic, but is also very passionate about the topic…. On May 24th this year, the Year 5 - 10 students at Hill Top were fortunate to have a visitor who fitted the above criteria.
Jenni Francis came to talk to us as part of our bicentennial Book Week celebrations. We were told of her career as an author and given some very valuable tips to inspire and assist the creative writer inside us. Jenni also captivated us by sharing a few of her short stories, one about the escapades of some young boys during World War 2, and another involving a case of exceedingly competitive tree climbing and it's result.
• If you have writer's block, and don't know where to go next in a piece of writing, the best idea is to stop writing the particular story for a while. Do something else, go for a walk or write something different.
• Small stories can fit in anywhere. They can make a larger story seem more entertaining. 'Small stories' can be defined as minor details, things or people you may observe in your daily life, or thoughts you've had. See? You knew that story about the woman who sits at the bus stop outside your house wearing a bright green sombrero hat and eating marmite and potato chip sandwiches would come in handy somewhere!
I know that it was an experience enjoyed by all, and I know now to look out for the names of former Hill Top students on book covers, when I walk into a bookshop in ten years time."