AUBURN — This year’s winner of the Auburn Book Project, a competition for sixth-grade writers, is Oliver Hall, 12, who won while attending East Auburn Community School.

Oliver and nine other finalists will be honored with an author’s reception from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Auburn Public Library. The public is welcome.

The Auburn Book Project is a competition for sixth-graders in Auburn elementary schools. It is offered through gifted and talented services and taught by Joanie Simard and Carolyn Dupee.

Oliver’s book, “Walking Through the Seasons,” celebrates the changing weather. He illustrated the book with his own watercolor paintings.

He is the son of Melissa Sundell, who works at Park Avenue Elementary School in Auburn, and Joe Hall, a history professor at Bates College. An avid reader, Oliver enjoys “The Golden Compass,” Harry Potter novels and Jane Yolen stories.

Oliver chose to write poetry because he’s always liked writing poetry and enjoys writing about nature, he said in a news release from the Auburn School Department. His favorite poem in his book is “Falling Into Winter,” which observes animals preparing for winter, “the cold wind rustles the falling leaves …. frost covering all, diminishing boldness.”

Oliver hopes anyone reading his book notices how words and pictures can be made from anything, “how everything blends and there are little connections,” he said. “Sometimes, it takes a couple of reads to notice it all.”

He recommends students embarking on a big school project think about how much work they need to do, plan the work in advance, get into a routine tackling the project “and it won’t seem so hard.”

Oliver Hall’s favorite poem in his book:

“Falling into Winter

As the cold wind rustles the falling leaves

And in the morning, the spider weaves,

All of the animals prepare for coldness.

Frost covering all, diminishing boldness.

And during it all, the snow prepares

That freezing cloak that winter wears.

Growing ever stronger still,

Temperatures dropping with increasing wind chill

Showing the way, and covering the tracks.

Fall will bring winter with no time to relax.

Watching creatures start deep sleep

As summer goes away to weep.

Fall is here so all beware,

It’s time to get warmer clothes to wear.”