Building the Next Generation of Thinkers & Writers
Young Reader Club ISSUE 35 / SGD 8.00 ISSN: 2010 - 1376
Muhd Hasan aspires to inspire and share his heart through his writing Special Feature: We catch up with our seven judges for this year’s Young Author Awards – all former Young Authors! Our Featured Stories from last issue reach their climax! Will it be success or death for our protagonists?
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YRC Online provides blogs and reviews by young authors about issues and topics that concern the youth of today, while giving opportunities to maximise the YRC experience through e-books, worksheets for students and teachers, and 4 e-magazines!
SGD 7.50 ISSN: 2010- 1376
Breaking Boundaries: Cambodia
2 teachers and 1 village with a dream
YRC Investigates:
Singapore’s Lost History
Discovering memories & more
Health Matters
Celebrating World Milk Day 2011
Fierce Facts
Cool things about pizza
3 Fascinating Tales You Can’t Resist
Jennifer Yip, Maybank 2007 YAA Awardee Our Featured Author of the Month
Building the Next Generation of Thinkers & Writers3 VOL. 8 2011
THE YRC TEAM Managing Editor / Publisher Catherine Khoo Editor Natalya Thangamany
From the Publisher’s Desk
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Natalya Thangamany
Dear readers, Happy holidays! With the exams out of the way, now’s a perfectly good time to kick back, relax, and reward yourself for all the hard work you have put in for the first half of 2016. And what better way to do that than to check out this issue of YRC! First, we meet our Featured Author Muhammad Hasanuddin Bin Mohammad Hanafiah, who wrote an inspiring story entitled The Band of Brothers. We find out that behind his love for writing is a huge heart for both his family and the community. Talking to Hasan and his family gave us a lot of life lessons and a renewed determination to help others. Our Featured Stories from our previous issue conclude here; read their Part Twos to see what happened to their protagonists and their respective quests. Will our four hunters from The Scythe of Kronos survive their journey and find the legendary scythe? Will 1-906 from Artificial Fire come to terms with her past, unexpectedly revealed to her? And will Nick save both the dream and real worlds in The Sleepwalker, and what price would he have to pay to do so? With our Young Author Awards 2015/2016 wrapping up, we bring you a special feature starring our seven judges. All of these judges had been Young Authors in their younger years, and they have willingly stepped up to assess this year’s young literary talents. Find out what they have been up to since their Young Author Scheme experiences years ago, and be inspired by their stories. If you plan to indulge in writing during the holidays, check out this issue’s Top 10! We have searched cyberspace to bring you ten writing apps that you can access via your mobile phones, computers, or the Internet. That way, you can keep writing no matter where you are. Enjoy the holidays!
is published by Experiences & Experiments Books Pte Ltd 261 Waterloo Street #03-08 Waterloo Centre Singapore 180261
Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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4 Muhammad Hasanuddin bin Mohammad Hanafiah Known as ‘Hasan’ to family and friends, this Primary 6 student aspires to do
more than just write. Speaking to him and his family reveals both a huge love for writing and the community. Read this inspiring interview to see what drives Hasan as both a writer and a person, and how the power of family support helps him achieve his dreams.
10 The Scythe of Kronos (Part 2) by Michael Ho In Part 2 of this Greek mythological adventure, the four hunters set off across
dangerous terrains to retrieve the missing scythe. As they negotiate with the blind Graeae and cross the rivers of the underworld, they get closer to their goal…until the sudden appearance of a mysterious figure threatens not just their journey, but their lives as well.
20 Artificial Fire (Part 2) by Sophie Tan Having discovered a horrifying secret about herself, the mutant 1-906 must
now combine forces with her former foe to infiltrate the organization she once worked for. But that is easier said than done as the organisation’s head threatens everyone around her. Will she confront the mastermind of the organisation’s secret vices, or will he snuff out her fire first?
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The Sleepwalker (Part 2) by Sijbren Kramer
Now awake and human, Nick must traverse the waking world to find his allies and the clues to defeating an interdimensional enemy. He would find that being in the waking world is no safer than being in his dreams, as the enemy he and his allies seek lies in unexpected places. Will Nick be able to save both worlds, or will he die in one and thus die altogether?
40 Special Feature — YAA 2015/2016 Judges
For the Young Author Awards 2015/2016, we enlist seven former Young Authors to be judges for the new batch of stories. Catch up with them to see what they have been up to since their writing adventures years ago, and hear their thoughts on judging the work of this year’s Young Author Awards finalists.
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TOP 10 Writing Apps
The school holidays are a perfect opportunity to catch up with writing, and with the abundance of apps in this technological era, access to writing has never been easier. Some writers have written scores of work on just their mobile phone. So check out the Top 10 Writing Apps (and they are all free!) that you can use to write your next big story, whether it is at home or on the move.
At YRC Magazine, we ensure that stories are kept at their most original form, yet there are times that content is abridged to suit the magazine’s readership. Stories featured in YRC Magazine are abridged as necessary, to fit page constraints. The YRC is a literary magazine that conforms to the reading palate of 10 – 16 year olds. Once a story is featured in the magazine, it is at the discretion of the editor to copyedit articles to a certain extent, to suit the target audience. Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Featured Author
It was in 2015, during the Young Author Scheme conducted at Bedok Green Primary School with the E2 school cluster, that we met Muhammad Hasanuddin Bin Mohammad Hanafiah. Fondly known as Hasan to friends and family, he was then in Primary 5 and joined the Scheme with a few other classmates. The story he wrote during the scheme, The Band of Brothers, earned him a spot as finalist during the Young Author Awards 2014/2015; it was an inspirational piece about a pair of brothers who struggled against the odds after losing their parents. 4
Magic & Fantasy
The Scythe of Kronos
By Michael Ho
( Part 2)
By Michael Ho
I l l u s t r a t i o n s b y V i c k i e Yo n g 10
W
The Scythe of Kronos
Journey To Hell
“Wait!” Joe said, looking at the sphere. The beam of light that emanated from it after Joe activated it stopped suddenly. “I think this is the place,” he said. “Oh gee, you think?” Harrison said. Joe ignored him and placed his palms on the sphere. Nothing happened. He frowned. “Did Daedalus say to put just my hands on it, or each of our palms on it? Because nothing’s happening,” he asked. “I don’t know,” Dale said. “Let’s try it with each of our palms. It worked the last few times we did it,” Percy suggested. “Right,” Joe nodded. The hunters gathered round the sphere and place their palms on it. The sphere hummed and Joe suddenly felt nauseous. The world started spinning and everything went dark. Joe woke up, opening his eyes to the sight of a desolate wasteland. The air was thick with ashes, causing him to cough. “Percy! Joe! Harrison! You guys there?” he shouted. “Over here!” they shouted, walking towards Joe. “I think we’ve reached the Graeae’s home,” Joe said. “I read about it once. It was said to be a wasteland such as this.” “Ok… so how do we find them?” Harrison asked, dusting the ashes off his shirt. Just as he finished his sentence, he heard voices. Three old ladies then appeared. “Demigods…” one hissed. “I smell them, four of them. Powerful,” the other hissed. “Where’s the eye? Pass it to me,” the last one hissed. The first one threw the eye but the last one failed to catch it. It fell on the ground and rolled behind them.
“Ok, this is definitely not good,” Harrison whispered. “Really? And you just noticed that?” Dale replied. “What are we going to do, Joe?” “Can anyone remember any useful information about the Graeae?” Joe asked. “I do,” Percy said. “In the legends, Perseus, in order to get information from the Graeae, stole the eye and threatened to throw it far away.” “Well, that should work. But how are we gonna steal it?” Joe asked. “You can leave that to me. All I need is a distraction,” Harrison said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Alright,” Joe smiled. “On three?” “I told you there’s no point in waiting,” Dale replied, smiling. The three hunters ran towards the Graeae and started shouting. “Hey ugly! Over here!” Dale shouted. “Over here, Grandma!” Joe shouted. The three ladies turned around but could see nothing without the eye. Out of the corner of his eye, Joe noticed Harrison creeping up behind them. The Graeae were shuffling around, trying to find the eye. Harrison got onto the ground and crawled towards the eye, which was almost in reach. The Graeae turned in his direction, smelling the air. Oh crap, he thought. The Graeae took a step forward. Percy shouted, “Hey ladies, remember Perseus!” “Perseus… threaten… the eye,” The Graeae hissed, one by one. It was working! The Graeae were distracted at the mention of Perseus. Harrison grabbed hold of the eye, almost dropping it in disgust as it was slimy. He took off his shirt and wrapped it around the eye. He stood up and ran back to the hunters, Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Feature Story
e’re lost, aren’t we?” Harrison complained, rubbing his tired legs. “For the thousandth time, Harrison, we’re not lost! The Graeae’s home is further than we thought, even though this is the labyrinth,” Dale replied, exasperated.
Story Trivia
Feature Story
In every fantasy story, there is always a magical object. Said object could be retrieved at the end of the story (e.g. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan), or it could be used throughout the story (e.g. The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Anderson), or it might have to be destroyed to fulfill the protagonist’ objective (e.g. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien). The object can be anything, from a piece of jewellery to a weapon to a swatch of clothing, and often possesses magical properties. Weapons, particularly magical ones, are prominent in the magic-and-fantasy genre. They especially pop up a lot in mythology, wielded either by the gods or by mortal heroes. Such weapons hook the interest of us readers not just because of their abilities, but also the roles they played in their stories. Some weapons were used for good, but others were used for ill intent. Let us first take a look at the magical object in Michael Ho’s The Scythe of Kronos — the titular weapon itself.
Cronus (sometimes spelt as ‘Kronos’) was a figure from Greek mythology; one of the first Titans, he was the son of Uranus (the earth) and Gaia (the sky). His mother Gaia gifted the scythe to him, which he then used to defeat his father Uranus by mutilating him (the definition of ‘mutilation’ here being much more gruesome than it sounds and not for the faint-hearted). Cronus eventually birthed several famous Greek gods, such as Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Other than the scythe of Cronus, here are some other mythological weapons: • Excalibur, the sword wielded by King Arthur which he got from the Lady of the Lake • Ruyi Jingu Bang, the magical size-shifting staff that Sun Wukong/The Monkey King from Journey To The West uses to fight demons • Mjölnir, the mighty hammer wielded by the Norse god Thor • The thunderbolts used by the Greek god Zeus • Honjo Masamune, a sword crafted by renowned Japanese swordsmith Goro Nyudo Masamune; the sword was said to be used by many Shoguns (military rulers in medieval Japan) in battle. What other legendary or magical weapons can you think off? Will you want to go on a quest to retrieve such an object?
Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Aliens &Angels
Ar ti f i c i a l Fi re
(Pa r t 2 )
By Sophie Tan
I l l u s t r a t i o n s b y V i c k i e Yo n g
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was 31. I was a new scientist at the base. I worked on two other Generation Ones. Generation 1, was as you know, a failure.
“It was the only generation that had tried to make life using the orbs. That’s when a scientist was making you, and your orb was not being cooperative and the scientist was about to declare you a failure. But I saw potential in that red stone. You know, with the whole scientist’s intuition. So I told him I would work on it. They were skeptical since I was new but they allowed me to use it anyway. “You proved to be difficult. You were fighting against me.” He laughed and put a finger on his chin. “But after months of working on you... a single cell appeared on the surface of the orb. It was then that I knew I succeeded. The cell multiplied and multiplied... and your youthful face surfaced and when you started to breathe... everyone was rejoicing. I was promoted to head scientist and I was in my prime. “When you first came out of your testing chamber, I asked you if you were willing to work for us. The others thought I was mad to give you a choice. I don’t think you knew who I was because I had a mask over my face. But you nodded, and the head of the government was surprised to see you shooting fire to destroy targets. “Then the government funded us generously and Generation 2 started. We were getting started on creating humans again but the original head scientist told us to get actual test subjects. I was horrified. Those who weren’t compatible would die. I started working on this thing. ” He patted the machine. “It took two years, and Generation 3 was beginning when my colleagues found out. They sent you after me to hunt me down. But if it weren’t for that Major Grean, you would have found out the truth sooner. And I wouldn’t have needed to work on this for another year. You’re 16 now, aren’t you?”
I nodded and pointed at the machine. “So you want to give everyone their old lives back right?” He nodded his head. “They’re doing the scientist’s bidding. It wasn’t right to begin with and it isn’t right now. I thought when I was creating Generation 1 that it would have been used for other work. But the state that the facility has brought down on everyone in the city because of funding problems has forced them to do the risky things and apply for this life-threatening job.” He tapped his watch. “Ah, it’s been four hours; they’ve probably ring the bell on me.” That was a lot to take in. “Hey, you need to get into that base, right?” I asked, looking at the flame in my palm before throwing it against the wall. The wall dented slightly and Relar stared at it. “Uhm, yes. My plan isn’t much really, just charge in with my little sleep rounds,” he stated and I smirked. “I’m sorry, but I don’t care how much confidence you have in your machine, but the layout of the base has changed since Genera tion 3. You’re going to need some inside help; and all I need is my confidence and my ear piece back.” He smiled and took it out. “Oh, fixing this thing? It’s like stealing candy from a baby.”
* * * *
The underground base was not a place everyone could enter. In fact, most agents, like me, were kept in the dark of the location in case of kidnappings or betrayal. But Clarice revealed everything to me. It was just a matter of measuring the ground and finding the right circuits to feed them a loop. Luckily
Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Feature Story
I
Artificial Fire
s t e r c e
Feature Story
S
Li e
s
Story Trivia
The motifs of lies and secrets are rampant in Sophie Tan’s Artificial Fire; the protagonist grows up in a secret organization with a relatively mundane life (considering her definition of ‘mundane’ is going on dangerous missions and tracking down criminals) until an unexpected incident blows open every secret behind her existence.
Why was it such a shock to 1-906/ Kyndal when Relar told her about the organisation’s true intentions? What made her go from chasing a wanted man to confronting the place that raised her? It was because she had been lied to her whole life and she was an unfortunate pawn in the organisation’s big dark secret — stealing lives from people to turn them into weapons. We too would be shocked and angry when the suddenly exposed throws our lives into shock and disarray. The wary spouse could stumble upon a long-term extramarital affair. A star pupil could be secretly harbouring a vice. The death of a loved one could suddenly reveal that they had another life on the side. It is said that keeping secrets is a form of lying — lying is relaying false information,
while keeping secrets withhold certain information. Thus, the information given is incomplete and can be seen as suspicious or false. A fictional character from an anime once declared that people lie to protect something. But how true is that statement? Does every lie told really protect something? More importantly…why do people lie? Website The Hope Line says that people lie because of one or all of the following reasons: fear, manipulation, and pride. It points out that people lie to others as a way to achieve their own agenda. The website also states that if left unchecked, constant lying can lead to an addiction where one lies even if they see no need to. So, is ignorance really bliss? Can lying really protect us? Or can the truth really set us free? Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Magic & Fantasy
The
Sleepwalker ( Part 2)
By Sijbren Kramer
I l l u s t r a t i o n s b y V i c k i e Yo n g 30
ick woke, with a clear path set in his mind. He stood up and walked to the door, the old house playing a symphony of creaks, cracks, and groans with every step. The Raven
Guilt gnawed away at him, as he would be leaving behind everything he knew, and his parents, what would they think, but this was beyond personal worries. As quietly as possible, he opened the door and prowled down the stairs. He picked up an old wooly jacket and swung open the door; the cold air engulfed him, snapping him alert and alive. He meandered up Vigery Lane. From a shadow jumped a girl that could not have been more than six, but her eyes were deep wells, windows to a soul that had seen far too much. Her hair was a ratty black, her skin was pale and bruised, and she held two plane tickets in her hand. Her name was Rachel. Upon arriving in a rural airport bordering the northern Romanian border, they found a man with a sputtering jeep waiting for them. He took them for a nasty ride that trudged through mud, forest and wandered up dirty roads. The air was swollen with the thick smell of horse manure. The ground was caked with dirt smeared by the rain into puddles and slick patches of mud. They traveled east along the city border. The roads grew undefined, bordered by tall, dilapidated houses with gangly shadows that reached far to the east. Shutters slammed in a rackety chorus, a tune that was a constant companion, as they entered the poverty-stricken district. Finally in the gathering darkness, they reached the abandoned train tracks Angor had spoken of. They were right outside the city limits, patrolling the edge of a menacing forest for many miles. The forest was thick, a black wall against the last remains of the dying sun. “Angor!” Nick cried “Angor!” At that moment, a menacing screech pierced the silence, coming from within the black
forest. Rachel and Nick crossed the tracks tentatively and passed into the dappled shadow of the woods. A tremor passed through the trees as the wind caressed their bare branches, as if the trees were whispering the news that someone had passed into their clutches. The shadows of their branches were cast on the floor, but they looked more like spindly hands grasping at his ankles. Suddenly, a black blur whistled through the trees. Nick stepped forward to meet it, a warm, tickling sensation forming at the base of his throat, his arms raised protectively. Rachel brushed him aside, and extended her arm and a black raven alighted upon it. Rachel gave him a knowing look and said, “Meet Angor.” A look of astonishment passed over Nick’s face, and Rachel began laughing. She pulled out some birdseed and the raven began pecking at her open palm. The bird’s feathers were a glossy black though somewhat ruffled, and its eyes had a knowing look that would not be out of place on an old philosopher or scholar. But that paled in contrast to the massive Angor, and Nick realized how painful the awakening must have been for the Troll. Suddenly, the bird’s head perked up and it took to the sky, weaving amongst the crooked trees and the crooked shadows they cast. They followed the bird, remembering that Angor had said it would lead them to the Duke. Nick tried not to take heed of the shadows that scuttled on the edge of his sight. They lost the raven more than once, but it screeched and squawked, and every time they found it again. As the night wore on they followed the Raven to a winding path through thickets and clearings that steadily inclined up the side of Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Feature Story
N
The Sleepwalker
Story Trivia
Lucid
Ever had a dream
that was so intriguing and felt so real that you never want to wake up from it, to the extent that when you wake up, you immediately go back to sleep hoping to continue it? Well, in Sijbren Kramer’s The Sleep Walker, Nick and Rachel (or was it Karn and Mera? Who knows) got much more than just dreams when their dreams and lives collided.
Perhaps it is exciting to have one life when you are awake and become somebody (or something) else entirely when you are asleep, but not so fun when your life (or lives) is in danger. It is actually possible to feel like your dreams are reality; this phenomenon is called ‘lucid dreaming’ (or vivid dreaming). Typically, your body shuts down when you are asleep. But your brain is still awake and working, leading to the formation of dreams. Lucid dreaming happens when your five senses and sense of awareness connect
to your mind when you are asleep. It can be caused by a variety of factors faced when you are awake, like emotional stress or a memorable incident; these factors can affect your mind to the point dreams develop when you fall asleep. This little mental circuitry is why your dream could feel so real although you are aware you are dreaming. Sometimes, a sleeping person may only realise they are in a dream when they see something unrealistic, like a flying pig with wings or people with green skin or even mythological creatures. Some people are able to control what they dream through lucid dreaming. They may make use of lucid dreaming to perform fantastical feats that they are unable to do in the waking world, like flying, breathing underwater, or even meeting their favourite characters. Plus, because their senses are active in a lucid dream, things they feel, smell, taste, see and hear could feel real. Already, researchers are looking into the power of lucid dreams as a form of therapy or wish fulfillment. What will you do in a lucid dream if you have one? Young Reader Club / Issue 35
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Feature Story
Dreaming
SPECIAL FEATURE
YAA 2015/2016 JUDGES
T
his year marks the second time we have invited our former Young Authors to be judges for our finalists’ stories. This year, seven former Young Authors have stepped forward and took up the judges’ mantles, reading through our forty finalists’ written works over a few weeks.
Let’s meet the seven judges, all having previously written stories that were either once in the Young Author Awards or simply caught our eyes because of how captivating they were. Now all grown up, these former Young Authors have gone far since their childhood writing endeavours and still take the time to dabble in the craft of writing.
CHEW KUO SHENG Age: 16 Age when he wrote his story: 11 Story: Clash of the Emperors Since finishing Clash of the Emperors years ago, Kuo Sheng has been enjoying his time in books, movies, television and video games. Seeing himself as an introvert, he reads books to gain extra knowledge and interesting things ‘at (his) fingertips’. “With the exposure, I can now describe the details in vivid detail,” he shared. “I easily gain creative ideas for movies and games, mostly derived from the vast variety of interests.” Currently in Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, Kuo Sheng has watched Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant and The Danish Girl. “Personally, I think quality and maturity will overcome any unwholesome content in media,” he pointed out. Kuo Sheng’s aspirations have changed over the years — he has switched from wanting to be a comedian to aspiring to be
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a lawyer. However, he is still very much a writer at heart. “Oddly, my writing occurs when I least expect. In a furious pace, I wrote three pages expounding why ITS existence is a hilarious joke. Perhaps IT was born on a highway, or perhaps because accidents are plentiful there.” This inner writer of his spurred his enthusiasm in judging this year’s entries. “I feel honoured to have participated in this prestigious event. All stories had much to showcase and not a single came close to disappointment. I hope to be part of such a purposeful and thrilling event in the future. I am sure to remember every intricate detail of the judging process.”
It is the school holidays, and you are planning on how to spend your free time (next to finishing copious amounts of holiday homework). If you love to write, dedicating hours to writing might be on your holiday to-do list. So, we have scoured the Internet to find ten writing apps (whether they be from mobile, desktop or web platforms) that you can use for your writing endeavours, whether you want to write a novel or just a few drabbles. P.S. They are all free!
(1)
EVERNOTE
Platform: Mobile, Desktop and Web The writer of this column uses Evernote to jot down story ideas, and store numerous audio recordings of interviews conducted for YRC — which is why she is putting this app on this Top 10. While Evernote is not exactly a writing app, it is good for storing notes and research for your next big story. Basically, Evernote is like your virtual notebook, and lets you sync all the information you keep there on all your devices. It lets you create multiple notebooks (one for interviews, one for ideas, one for school notes, etc) so that you can keep your notes organized. You can even keep one notebook to write an entire story! Not only does Evernote store notes, but it also stores images, web pages, audio, and
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even handwritten notes. The downside to this though, is you have to create an account (but that’s free!) and download the Evernote app on all your devices for the sync to work. The developer of Evernote, the Evernote Corporation, has also developed productivity apps like Skitch, Penultimate (handy for handwritten notes), and Evernote Scannable. If you want to get this free virtual notebook on your computer (and on all your other devices), go to www.evernote.com or your respective mobile app stores.
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