IT IS not often a failed attempt to produce a prize-winning pumpkin leads to literary glory, but that is exactly what has happened to the students of St Joseph’s Catholic College Year 3/4D.
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The class was named as one of the winners of the 2014 Young Territory Author Awards this month and the students joined teacher Chloe Davis at the Katherine Public Library to receive their trophy and hear Katherine Town Council mayor Fay Miller read their book, Benson, Bella and the Evil Pumpkins, publicly for the first time on September 18.
“This is a special thing,” Ms Miller said excitedly as she flicked through the pages of the book.
“This is your story and it’s just absolutely amazing.”
The story came about as the result of the student’s failed attempt to grow giant pumpkins for the 2014 Katherine Show and Miss Davis said its production had been “a whole class effort”.
“The idea came up from planting giant pumpkin seeds for the Katherine Show, which didn’t come up,” she said.
In a boost to literary honours in the region, Katherine School of the Air student Hanna Hayes also received recognition for her book, 68 Stitches.
The 12-year-old, who lives on Mainoru Station, claimed the individual winner’s category for entrants aged between nine and 12, in addition to being named the Katherine regional winner.
She explained that the story was based around two fictional crocodile attacks on a remote station and the impact they had on the people involved.
“I think it took me about a month or two months to write,” she said as she showed off the book.