Young Author Win for Boys' School

One of our Year 5 boys, Carter Tang, has written a winning entry in the Barfoot & Thompson 2013 Young Authors Challenge with his story about two unlikely friends - a hermit crab and a turtle.

The challenge went out to Year 5 and Year 6 boys to enter at the beginning of Term Two. A number of boys met the May deadline and their entries were posted off.

The Boys’ School were then delighted to receive news last week that one of their entries had made it into the final six winners.

Carter’s adventure story will now be illustrated by current All Black Keven Mealamu, and published in a storybook volume of the six finalists which will be available for sale.

The winning students will also be helped through the publishing process with the assistance of an Authors Workshop hosted by renowned children’s author John Parker.

All proceeds of the storybook will benefit Starship Children’s Hospital’s Magic of Reading Programme, which provides all overnighting patients in Starship Children’s Hospital and Whangarei Hospital’s Children’s Ward with their own book to read and keep.

This year Barfoot & Thompson received 899 individual entries for the Challenge, which is the largest number of entries since the competition started six years ago, and so far has raised $130,000.

The 2013 winners chose topics that involved the reader, and had engaging characters, interesting situations, warming themes and satisfying resolutions.

There will be a presentation to Carter in the first week of Term Three at the Boys’ School to congratulate him on his success.