Hastings: Discovery
Hastings: Discovery
“Congratulations to all the young writers featured in this anthology. I am so impressed by their imaginative and creative stories a must-read!” Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive, National Literacy Trust
Connecting Stories Connecting Stories
Connecting Stories, funded by Arts Council England, aims to increase children and young people’s interest in reading and writing, and to promote diverse voices and stories. Children and young people were invited to take part in a creative writing competition which has been judged by publishers, authors and community champions. This anthology celebrates their creativity and hard work. We hope all entrants feel extremely proud to see their story published and that this gives them the confidence and passion to continue writing.
Connecting Stories
The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL Supported by Arts Council England Cover illustration © Chanté Timothy, 2021 Zine illustrations on activity pages © Kristyna Baczynski, 2021 Design and content © National Literacy Trust, 2021 Design by Jacob Hawkins All enquiries around this anthology should be directed to: contact@literacytrust.org.uk
Connecting Stories Hastings: Discovery
The National Literacy Trust is a charity dedicated to improving the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of those who need it most, giving them the best possible chance of success in school, work and life. We support communities, schools and early years settings and campaign to make literacy a priority. The Connecting Stories campaign is a project funded by Arts Council England to increase children and young people’s interest in reading and writing and to promote diverse voices and stories. Connecting Stories provides a programme of exciting events, such as virtual author visits, creative writing competitions, and activities for families to enjoy.
With thanks... We would like to thank Arts Council England for funding and supporting the Connecting Stories project. We would also like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing and Michelle Robinson and Lesley Parr, who generously supported this anthology, and extend warm thanks to the numerous community champions and corporate volunteers who have kindly donated their time to help bring this anthology together: Atlantic Books
Margaret Duff
Cambridge University Press
Hannah Fogg
Emerald Publishing
Charlotte Kim
Faber & Faber
James Kingett
Pearson
Jenna Lee
Saffron Alexander
Michael Leyland
Sally Atkinson
Marykate McGrath
Gaganpreet Kaur Basra
Jan Papworth
Sheena Carman
Allison Potter
Dawn Claypole
Tahera Sultana
Carole Dixon
Emile Tambeh
Rhona Drever
Felicia Tennant
And finally, thank you to all of the children who took part. It is their stories that make this anthology so special.
A word from our author, Lesley Parr
A word from our Hub Manager, Alison Glossop
I’m delighted to have had the pleasure of reading the entries from Hastings. All the stories included in this anthology have captured the theme of DISCOVERY in such imaginative and original ways.
This anthology has really made the local voices from Hastings shine and is a testament to the creativity of children and young people here. Traditionally, anthologies don’t focus on a particular area, nor do they often include the voices of children or young people. Yet these are the very groups of people with the most creative ideas and the most relevant experiences!
Anthologies written by children are rare, so we’ve collected the best young voices from across Hastings and gathered them in these pages so they can be heard. The wonderful thing about creative writing is that you, the writer, have the ability to invent whole worlds (whether realistic or fantastical) and decide the fate of the inhabitants; these can be humans, animals, monsters, aliens – the list goes on! A writer can disappear into these worlds for a while and, when stories emerge, it’s one of the best feelings there is! These worlds that writers create are also worlds in which readers love to lose themselves. Stories can take us out of our everyday lives completely, or show us shared experiences, and – perhaps best of all – entertain us. Inspiration can be found anywhere. I get mine from lots of different places and, often when I least expect it, something will pop up in what I’m reading or watching to make me think ‘Ooh maybe there’s something there’. Before I wrote The Valley of Lost Secrets, I was researching trees for another story, and an idea I found there grew into my whole book. You could say I made an unexpected discovery which became a book about an unexpected discovery! I wish you as much joy reading this anthology as I had selecting the entries and, above all, that they inspire you to keep reading and writing. Lesley Parr
Reading and writing can be so much fun. There’s magic to be found in discovering a book that you love, or gaining a spark of inspiration and then putting your ideas down on paper. And inspiration can really be found anywhere! A piece of writing could be based on a single word you’ve heard, an object you’ve discovered or something in nature you’ve seen. Not only is it fun, but there’s so much power in sharing your voice, and writing or reading about things that you care about, whether that be something on your doorstep in Hastings or further afield. If you’re inspired by reading some of the entries in this book, why not have a go yourself? I wish you as much joy reading this anthology as I had in helping to collate it, and above all I hope it convinces you of how important it is to read the stories of others, and to tell your own story. Alison Glossop
Contents Winning entry: 02 Edward B, 9
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2nd place: 05 Astrid M, 10
All entries 08 Cleo S, 7
17 Francesca, Yr 3
22 Ivy S, 8
10 Sofia N, 11
18 Casey-Jay, Yr 3
23 Mohammed, Yr 5
11 Lerryn D, 11
19 Isabelle, Yr 5
14 Syeda N, 8
20 Harriet, Yr 5
24 Participating schools
15 Maddison, Yr 3
21 Aidan G, 8
Edward B, 9 The Sunrise Have you ever sat watching the sun rise? I’m sitting at the table at daybreak, melancholically thinking about Mum whilst my grandparents make me breakfast. I had been living alone with Mum until she got ill and was rushed to hospital. I can still remember the last words she said to me, “I won’t be long, James. I’ll be back before you know it and we can watch the sun rise at the park together. “Now a week has passed and still no word from the doctors. I long for Mum by my side. It’s so boring being stuck alone at Grandma and Grandad’s house with no one to play with. Grandma sees the glum expression on my face. “Why don’t you sort out the attic? There’s lots of interesting things in there that I think you might like to see. You can do it straight after breakfast.” I liked the sound of this so I ate breakfast quickly and followed Gran to the attic. Sunlight was seeping through the only window and there were boxes filling up every corner. The boxes were of many shapes and sizes; some rectangular, some cardboard and some wooden.
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Dust covered everything and I even saw a papery wasp’s nest that was thankfully empty. Gran left me to explore. I wondered what secrets had been stored away up here. One particular box caught my eye. It seemed to be the oldest, most fragile box in the attic. Inside I found another box and then another one, each looking more precious than the last until, eventually, I reached the final box. It was a leather case embroidered with gold. I was surprisingly nervous to open it wondering what might be inside. With shaking hands, I undid the catch. I’m dazzled by a glint in the case and I think I see the shape of a gold ring! As I bring the box into the shade, I can see that I was correct. There is a gold ring with a diamond on it; there is also an old-looking note. Wondering where such a beautiful ring might have come from, I find myself reading the letter: 5th September 1914 My Dearest Mary, I’ll be leaving for Marne shortly. I will miss you greatly. When I return, we can watch the sunrise from the park together. Remember that I love you.
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I didn’t know who Clive was. Mary was my great grandma but he was not Great Grandad because I knew I had been named after him. The words were the same words Mum had said to me before she left. Tears of hope for Mum run down my cheek. I wonder if I will ever see her again... Several days have passed and I’m sitting with Mum in the park watching the sunrise. I find its myriad of colours phenomenal. I love the way they dance. Mum puts her arm around me and we both sit looking, entranced by the sight.
Astrid M, 10 I’ll never know whether this actually happened or not
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the trees sway around me As I find a big rock I make sure that no one is around As I give the boulder a knock It feels hollow Could it be? I roll the boulder out of the way And I can see … Lots of animals Chatting and drinking tea! Weirdly I can understand them How? I don’t know. I walk in Time seems to freeze
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As each animal
As I find a big rock
Fumbles for a key
I make sure that no one is around
There is a problem though
As I give the boulder a knock
They can’t find any.
It feels hollow
I produce a golden key from my pocket
Could it be?
I didn’t even know it was there
I roll the boulder out of the way
but straightaway the animals snatch it from me
And I can see …
They turn it in my mind And I see an image Of me being normal I forget what is going on I slip into sleep I wake up an hour later On the street The trees sway around me
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Cleo S, 7 THE LYNX IN MY PATH Walking in from school, I opened my front door I saw something that belonged on a moor I saw a cat in my path. It was a lynx yet I Mistook it for a sphinx With eyes like fire, this was the cat I most desire Claws like razors, eyes like lasers Teeth like knives that could take many lives Far more precious than a maid of mer Ears with beautiful tips. A tail stronger than 20 whips It was like my cat but a lot less fat I do desire the cat with the eyes of fire With a mix of amazement and fear I wish I had drunken Beer, and that this is just a hallucination
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Sofia N, 11
Lerryn D, 11
On a bright sunny morning, I was preparing to plant some flowers, as I was digging, I saw something unusual sticking out of the ground. I dug it up and it was an arrow head! I went inside to wash the mud off and went to tell my mum. She found it strange and told me tomorrow we can go to the Hastings Museum.
MAYBE
The next day, we went to the museum and saw an archaeologist, he told us he would look into it and call us when he had some information. A few days later the phone rang, it was from the museum. He spoke to my mum and asked if we could go and see him as he had very important information to tell us. That afternoon my mum and I went to the museum. The archaeologist was waiting for us. We went to the office and sat down. He told us that the arrow head was from the Battle of Hastings 1066. The arrow head is now in the Hastings Museum and displayed as an artefact.
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“Lucy, come on! We’re going for a walk! You can’t stay holed up reading all day, you know!” “Ok Mum, I’m coming. Can I just finish the chapter? I only have 1 page left,” Lucy grumbled. She had just read up to the part where the main characters were about the steal the dagger. If only real life was that exciting, Lucy reflected glumly as she trudged down the stairs. “Hey, Rusty! Fetch!” Samuel’s excited cry rolled over the sparse moorland until it reached Lucy, who was traipsing along at the back of the group. She hated walking. Samuel’s enjoyment and Rusty’s excited barking only made it worse. She couldn’t do anything to make it more fun. Sighing, she jogged to the front and asked Samuel to give her Rusty’s ball. Lucy crawled on her hands and knees into the gorse, cursing under her breath as the thorns tore into her. Why did she have to be the one who had to do all the hard work – Samuel had thrown it into the bush! Hissing through her teeth and seething with righteous anger, she felt around the cramped space for the ball and then
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let out a gasp. Was that a helmet? It was. Lucy felt around the sides and found some scratches. As she held the helmet to the light, Lucy realised that they were words! Pierre... she read with some effort - the engravings were covered in moss – Pierre Lumiere-Grenadine. Lucy recognised that name from a few months ago! Lumiere-Grenadine... Rachel Lumiere-Grenadine! Lucy and her father had been sitting at the table. “Dad?” Lucy had mumbled through a mouthful of cornflakes. “Yes Luce?” her father had replied. “Who’s Rachel Lumiere-Grenadine? She was in a leaflet I read yesterday.” “She’s the rich lady who lives alone in a manor on a hill.” “Thanks, Dad.” Lucy sat up straight and instantly regretted it when her hair caught in the gorse. She untangled it and crawled out, Rusty’s ball forgotten. This was AMAZING. What was this helmet? The possibilities were endless. And she had found it! Not Samuel, not Mum, not Dad – her. As Lucy scrambled to her feet outside, she made one final decision. She was going to visit the manor.
THE DAILY DEAVES THE NEWS WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR 12-year-old Lucy Hawk has uncovered an authentic relic from the Battle of Hastings, nearly a thousand years ago (Rebecca Smithson writes). A helmet worn by Pierre Lumiere-Grenadine was found hidden away in a bush by the girl. Lucy describes thinking it, ‘important but not really, know what I mean? I was a bit overexcited, but I never would have guessed it would cause such a stir. How wrong I was. I even have a meeting with the Queen in a few hours!’
As Lucy glued the newspaper clipping from all those years ago into her scrapbook, despite the arguments with her husband, despite her baby crying in the next room, she smiled. Maybe real life could be exciting after all.
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Syeda N, 8 In the comfort of the warm, cosy, palace Princess Felicity of Egypt was just drifting off to sleep when she heard a tap, tap, tap under her bed. She poked her head underneath and was shocked to see a furry fox family! There was a male, a female, and their four cubs. She noticed that the family were skinny with sad, threadbare eyes and pale faces. “Greetings your Royal Highness”, greeted the male and female. “Hi Princess Felicity”, squeaked the cubs. “Hello!” replied Princess Felicity anxiously.
the law of burning forests down if I can”, she told the red foxes. “OK!” they replied in a tone that suggested that they wanted just that to happen. “In the meantime, do not go back to the wild it’s not safe there”, she warned them. “But where can we live?” the fourth cub piped up. “You wait and see!” she said She let the foxes stay under the bed. Meanwhile Princess Felicity hired a builder to make a den next to the palace so they could see each other whenever they wanted.
“How did you get into the palace?” she queried “We snuck in from the treasured palace vault”, the female confessed to her. “OK but why have you come to me?” she enquired/ “Because we need a home”, they said, “the humans burnt our house down” they replied in a forlorn voice. “Oh no! That’s sad, if I can, I will persuade my parents to change
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Maddison, Yr 3 One foggy winters day, me and my family decided to go for a walk in the woods so that we could hunt for leaves to paint at home later that day. On the way there we had a lovely walk with some nice fresh air and we heard lots of cars and people.
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Once we arrived at the woods it was lovely and peaceful and I could only hear the birds chirping and smell the beautiful smell of nature from the trees. My sisters and myself rolled down a very big hill, it was so much fun! When we reached the bottom of the hill there was lots of trees and lots of different ways to walk, we decided to take the second path, we reached the end of the path and knew we made the right choice, it was full of leaves everywhere! My mum said this was the perfect spot to collect our leaves, my sister Maisie and I started to collect lots of them, we even had time to dig for worms. As I was digging, I came across this very old looking coin, I decided to put it in my pocket to look at when I got home. After playing for a while, it was time to head home, once we got home, I took out the coin and I had never seen one like it before! I gave it a rub to clean off the dirt and something magical happened: a fairy princess appeared! She said she was here to grant my wishes this was amazing, my family and I had all the wishes we could ever want or need and I am not a selfish person so I would also share my coin with the rest of the world, so no one would ever struggle again. I will make the world a better place with my very own fairy princess.
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Francesca, Yr 3 The Rainbow Alicorn Once upon a time I was looking at my unicorn pictures on my wall and wondering: are unicorns real or are they just madeup fairy tales? I had been told that unicorns were only in stories and books but something was telling me they might be real. I began the search for a unicorn. I tried every day I began the search for a unicorn. I tried each day and night but there was no sign of a unicorn. Just when I was about to give up, I saw light outside my bedroom window. What was it? I thought is it a unicorn? I went outside to see what it was and standing right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow unicorn with magical wings. Shining as bright as a star, they trotted towards me. Hello unicorn I said. Then the unicorn bent down and leaned her back towards me I felt like she wanted me to ride on her I jumped on her and then the uniform corn trotted quickly she went quicker and quicker until she flew into the sky she was an ally corn a unicorn with wings she had
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shimmery rainbow wings shining brightly Through the sky we went off and can see everything below then I saw the most magical thing of all there were more beautiful Alicorns flying towards us Barleycorn introduced me to the others and then I discovered I could talk to them and understand their name is and then we flew all day and night then she took me back home I will see you again soon I whispered we did see each other again as every weekend the unicorn flew down to see me and we went on wonderful adventures with her lovely family
school desk which is weird. Today was my mummy’s first day at her new job, she did well but she takes a lot of coffee breaks and I had to teach her about the maths crocodile that eats bigger numbers. I have had fun today but my biggest discovery is... I MISS MY TEACHER!
Isabelle, Yr 5 Discover new things
Casey-Jay, Yr 3
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Islands to explore Something to be proud of
Dear Diary
Create new memories
Today is Monday 23rd March 2020 and we have no school as all schools are shut! I was very shocked that all schools have been closed, but the biggest shock of all was to discover I had a new teacher. That new teacher is my mummy and my classroom is the dining room, the table I eat my dinner every day is now my
Open secrets the world never knew Very important objects will be found Explore a new world Remember to always have fun
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Harriet, Yr 5
Aidan G, 8 The Discovery I once found a peach. Laying on the beach. The peach was orange and round And was buried in the ground. I dug it up with all my might And oh, it was a lovely sight. I ate it up and I was sure That if I kept looking, I would find more
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Ivy S, 8
Mohammed, Yr 5
Dear Diary,
Somewhere far, far as a star in the distance
I just had the most amazing but creepy day. You would be surprised as me! Here is what happened...
Somewhere lost for ages
It was an ordinary day at my house and I was eating pancakes with my little sister, Audrey. As always, she eats really quickly because she LOVES her playmobile. I asked my mum if I can meet my friend (Sophie) in the woods. She said, ‘yes and you can take a picnic too’. I packed my picnic with a delicious variety of sandwiches, biscuits and juice. After minutes later, I met Sophie and we walked to the field and laid out the picnic on the soft green grass. I decided to thank my mother by picking her some flowers while Sophie read a book. I skipped to the hollow tree in the distance. There was always pretty flowers there. I looked into the tree’s hole and screamed. It was a doll. But it was doll from my worst nightmare. I ran back to the meadow when she asked why I was crying I said I got stung by a stinging nettle.
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Perhaps you might find it Gone for days and the plans were never laid It seems like what’s important Is lost memories Questions that never answered Until one of my years Please don’t forget your memories Like what I did It’s up to you
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With thanks to the following schools, whose pupils’ wonderful work is included in this anthology:
Ark Blacklands All Saints C of E Junior Academy Robsack Wood Primary Academy The Baird Primary Academy Sacred Heart Catholic Primary Academy
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ACTIVITY PAGES a photo of your Ask a grown-up to send pages to y ivit completed act ytrust.org.uk rac lite ns@ cs.competitio ed on our social for a chance to be featur es! media pag
Draw a picture to go with ‘The Sunrise’ on page 2 in the space below!
What is your favourite piece of writing in this anthology? Use the space below to write another paragraph of the story or another verse of a poem!
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Book Review
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