A study examined what children write when responding to literature they have read in school. The study investigated whether girls' writing differed from that of boys in the same classroom, as well as whether a classroom teacher responded differently to her children's journal writing based on gender or reading proficiency. One sixth grade class, involved in a literature-based reading program, and currently reading Katherine Patterson's "Bridge to Terabithia," participated in the study. Twenty student journals were analyzed in terms of frequency of particular writing features that have previously been proved or suspected to identify gender differences. Results showed that girls were much more apt to write their internal responses as they read a novel than boys, and when the book had two strong main characters, one male and one female, girls made more entries about these characters than did boys, and that girls used more overall proper names than boys (suggesting perhaps a stronger sense of inclusion for their readers). Results further showed that boys received more teacher directives than girls, and that poorer readers were less likely to include scriptal information or to use characters' names than were their peers. (One figure and two tables of data are included; 22 references are attached.) (SR)