title page, coming soon
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Contributors: Gemma Andrews Shelley Critchley Donna Cullens Aimee Denvir Charlotte Dixon Pat Eccles Marie Elmes Katie Haigh Ashleigh Haigh (age 10) Lauren Hughes Georgia Hughes (age 6) Holly Hughes (age 7) Carol Keys Gillian McCoy Carol McGowan Roni Prior
Thanks to: Tracy Liddell, Adele Palmer, Tracey Msahli, and all at Woodland Sure Start Children’s Centre. Karan Youngblut, Rochdale Borough Carers’ Network Writing facilitator: Joy Winkler www.joywinkler.co.uk Illustrator: Jenny Davies www.twolefteyes.com Design: Paula at tyme design www.tymedesign.com Text copyright: © individual authors Published and distributed by: Tell Us Another One at Cartwheel Arts, 110 Manchester St, Heywood, OL10 1DW www.cartwheelarts.org.uk
About Tell Us Another One Tell Us Another One is a three-year adventure in storytelling and creative writing, run by Cartwheel Arts. Tell Us Another One works with diverse communities in the boroughs of Rochdale, Bury and Oldham, to encourage adults to get involved in creative writing. For more information, contact Emma Melling on 01706 361300 or emma@cartwheelarts.org.uk Cartwheel Arts promotes inclusion, cohesion, diversity and regeneration through participation in innovative, high-quality arts projects. The writing in My Magic Pen expresses the thoughts and feelings of the project participants. The views expressed are not necessarily those of Cartwheel Arts, nor of the community groups to which the participants belong.
!"##$%%% This book was written by a group of grown-ups, who decided to try and write the kinds of stories we would have liked to read when we were younger. Together with a writer, Joy Winkler, and an illustrator, Jenny Davies, we met up once a week, and wrote stories and poems on the theme of “adventures”. You might want read some of them on your own; others, you could read to a younger brother or sister, or ask an adult to read to you. When we started writing, we discovered that a pen might look like an ordinary thing, but actually it can be magic. If you use it with imagination, it can reveal a world where anything can happen! Our “magic pens” have given us tales of exciting journeys, magical creatures, funny families, and unknown lands. We also found that real-life tales can be just as amazing - so we wrote down one or two adventures that we, or our families, have had in real life. Either way, the stories were all brought to life with just a simple pen - and a bit of magic. That’s how we got the book’s title, “My Magic Pen”, and we wanted to share this secret with you. So, dotted all through the book you’ll find ideas to inspire you to write stories of your own, and find out for yourself what it’s like when your pen turns magic! What’s more. this book is not quite finished yet - and only you can finish it, by adding a story yourself. At the end of the book, there’s a blank page where you can write your own story in. It might be a story you’ve heard from someone in your family, or a memory of something that really happened to you, or something you dreamed up in your imagination - with the help, of course, of your “magic pen”. from Vik (editor) and all at Tell Us Another One
* My pen is magic, it takes me on adventures to faraway places. It takes me to where illusions are real and the impossible is possible. It takes me on emotional highs and lows. It takes me to fear and beyond. It takes me to where laughter begins and to where skies can be red, blue, yellow and green. It takes me anywhere my imagination can reach. *
* My pen is magic, it speaks stories in a thin blue little voice. When it is in a good mood, the stories are exciting and funny, but sometimes my pen is a bit sad and its magic dries up. When that happens it sleeps for a while. Later, when the moon comes up, my magic pen is happy again and the stories fill the page. *
&'()"*(+,(&-.+/ by all participants
* My pen is magic, it’s a glow pen and it comes to life in the dark. My pen is very mischievous and has special powers to bring all the children’s toys to life. * My pen is magic and it can turn into a wand so that I can do magic tricks, like the one I did on Billy Wicks last week when he called me ‘Shorty’. My magic pen made him three inches tall. Ha ha. *
* My pen is magic and if I don’t put the lid on it, it goes crazy. It starts writing on the ceiling, writing on the walls and writing on the floor. It writes and writes until it runs out of ink and then it falls down exhausted. *
* My pen is magic, it brings my creations to life. Whatever I choose to write about or draw, it magically brings my ideas alive. Whether it is a story about the weather or a picture of a dinosaur, it will appear right in front of my eyes. * * My pen is magic; it takes me to places where I want to go and keeps me in touch with everyone. It can also tell stories, of which I have quite a few. Sometimes it runs out of ink but I have other pens to take me on other journeys. *
Do you have a magic pen? Tell us what your pen can do...
01"(&-.+/(!$2," I was in school at night and something was scaring me. Suddenly I saw it was a ghost. ‘Get away,’ I said. But the ghost pointed to a big, black cupboard. I went over to it and opened it. There stood a magic horse on the cupboard shelf. The horse was pink with a tattoo of a flower on its flank. The ghost flapped its arms and shrieked. The horse stamped her feet and flared her nostrils. Then she flew out of the cupboard and away to a magic place, to Egypt. I never saw the horse again. by Georgia Hughes, age 6
01"()+3+",’(4$52*"'( 6$(61"(7*8($9( 61"(:-+*;$< Once upon a time, there were three pixies: Tinkle, Tongle and Tangle. They lived in the rainbow in a big pixie mushroom. Their house had sky-blue curtains, a settee and a table and chairs. One day Tinkle said to his friends, ‘I’d like to find that big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that everyone’s talking about.’ So the next morning they all set off with their knapsacks filled with jam sandwiches and raspberry drink. It was a lovely, sunny day and they were in cheerful spirits. They had just passed the middle of the rainbow when they heard a mean chuckle from behind a tree. It was a nasty goblin called Eric. ‘Where are you three going on such a fine day, then?’ he sneered. Tinkle replied, ‘We’re going to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and it will make us rich so that we can buy a bigger house.’ ‘Can I join you on your journey and help you to find it?’ Eric asked. The pixies were a friendly bunch and agreed at once. Further along the way, they stopped by a stream to sit down and eat and refresh themselves. From behind the bridge they heard a sneeze. ‘Tish-oo.’ It was Bertie Fox. ‘Hello, what are you chaps up to then?’
‘Bless you,’ Tinkle said. ‘We’re going to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.’ And because he was a friendly pixie he added, ‘Would you like to join us?’ So Tinkle, Tongle, Tangle, Eric the Goblin and Bertie Fox set off to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When it got dark, they slept in the bushes under the stars listening to the too-wit, too-woo sounds of Mr Owl in the tree nearby.
pixies’ journey
Next day the sun shone brightly and the birds sang. The smell of flowers was in the air and it was a glorious day.
‘Wow, look over there,’ Tinkle said, ‘it’s the biggest pot of gold in the world.’ Sure enough they were at the end of the rainbow and there was the pot of gold. The pixies leapt with joy and cheered and clapped. They just couldn’t believe it. As they celebrated, Eric turned away and walked into the trees. The pixies could hear him talking to somebody but didn’t know who it was. Actually Eric was on one of the goblin telephones hidden inside the trunk of a tree, something that all goblins knew about. When he came back he said, ‘I have an idea. Let’s all carry the pot of gold down as far as the stream, then we can rest before we set off back home.’ They all agreed and set off towards the stream. It was heavenly, lying there listening to the sounds of the water rippling along the rainbow. One by one, they all nodded off. All except Eric, that is. Later they woke up to the sounds of sniggering and laughing all around them and found that they couldn’t move. Eric and his nasty goblin friends had thrown a big net over them. To their horror they were trapped and the goblins were running away with the pot of gold.
‘Oh no, they’ve stolen the gold. We’ve been tricked,’ Tinkle cried. ‘Whatever shall we do?’ There seemed to be no way of escape. However, Bertie Fox said, ‘Don’t worry, I have big, sharp, strong teeth. It’ll take me no time at all to set us free.’ He chewed until his jaws ached and at last managed to set them all free. ‘Hooray, hooray,’ they shouted. The pixies and Bertie Fox set off back home. They were sad and tearful because they had lost the pot of gold. But as they neared an opening in the bushes, they heard sounds of music and laughter. Looking through the opening they saw that the goblins were dancing and singing around the pot of gold. Bertie Fox was so angry he started growling and his tail bushed up. He ran at the goblins, snarling and chasing them. The goblins were so frightened that they all ran off in different directions, crying and scared. Bertie smiled, ‘That’ll teach them not to steal,’ he said. Tinkle, Tongle and Tangle ran up to Bertie thanking him for his brave performance, and they all set off back home across the rainbow with the pot of gold. Back at home they had a big party for their friends and the gold helped them to build bigger, posher houses, some pixie schools and a park for all the pixies and fairies. Bertie was invited to live with them. They all lived happily ever after and the greedy goblins never stole anything ever again. by Marie Elmes
01"()#-*"6(!$=="2 My friend Dylan is a boy who’s scientific Fond of spacemen, Mars and Venus and such stuff Even built himself a little silver rocket Reinforced with dustbin lids to make it tough. When one day, his mum came round to ours, demented, Screaming, ‘Dylan’s gone, he’s taken off for Mars’, We all calmed her down, said, ‘You must be mistaken, Dylan only dreams of going to the stars.’
But his little silver rocket ship had vanished Dylan too had disappeared without a trace And his mum was crying, thinking she would never Look again upon his chubby little face. But on Christmas Eve as I peeped through the curtains Trying hard to get a look at Santa’s sleigh I was shocked to see their Dylan’s silver rocket As it plummeted upon its homeward way.
Well I know I’ll not forget that great homecoming For they had a village party there and then And young Dylan said he’d had enough of space flight And that he would never try such things again. But just last week I saw him gazing sadly From his bedroom window at the distant stars And I’ve noticed that he’s cleaned his silver rocket So I guess he’ll soon be off again to Mars. by Joy Winkler
01"(&$*"'(02"" It was the summer holidays and three best friends, Charlotte, David and Jessica, were sitting in a park. The sun was shining brightly and young children were running around playing and eating ice cream. But these friends were very bored. Suddenly, Charlotte’s brother James came running up to them shouting, ‘Come quick, you’ve got to see this!’ They followed James up the hill and when they got to the top they saw the old tree that they had climbed many times in previous summers. But now it seemed to be growing money! ‘Wow!’ Jessica exclaimed. ‘It’s a money tree!’ As they stared at the tree in amazement the money started to fade away. Second by second it was disappearing. Quick as a flash David climbed the tree and started to pull off the notes that were left and let them float to the ground. Charlotte, Jessica and James picked the money up and stuffed their pockets with it. David climbed down and they all ran back to the park bench where they split the money evenly between them. At home each of them put the money in a very safe place. But amazingly, the next day when they looked, the money had doubled! So they met in the park again and climbed the hill up to the old tree. But to their dismay, the branches were bare. No money! And from that day to this, they never saw money on the money tree again. And what’s more the money they put in a safe place never doubled again or changed in any way. Except of course when they spent it. by Charlotte Dixon
&'(>-*6-,6+/(>-+2.2$5*8(:+8" It was Christmas Eve and I was at the fairground on the roller coaster ride. I was in the front car and it started to go up, up, up, higher and higher. It felt like I was at the top of the world. But I was there for only a moment as with a ‘WHOOSH’ it suddenly sped downhill. And then up again. As it hit the top of the next hill, it suddenly flew right off the rails. Off it went, flying up into the sky. To my amazement I was travelling through the clouds, flying over houses and trees, and people were looking up and waving at me. What an adventure! Then the car started to go back down. Slowly it descended towards the ground and landed with a bump on the soft grass below. I climbed out of the car and wondered where I was. I noticed a huge wooden shed. It had a sign that said, ‘Santa’s Workshop, Lapland’. Inside I told Santa what had happened and he said ‘Don’t worry, I will take you home. But can you help make some toys first?’ I was more than happy to help out. We made hundreds of teddy bears and zillions of dolls. Then Santa said. ‘Now you can choose a toy to take home with you.’ I chose the prettiest doll in the toyshop. Then it was time to go. We got on the sleigh and the next thing I knew I was at home. I don’t think Mum and Dad quite believed my story. They just looked at each other and smiled, the way that parents sometimes do. I showed them the doll but they thought I’d won it at the fair. But I know what I know. And I know what I heard later that night. It was very quiet when suddenly I heard a thump on the roof and a voice saying, “I hope you enjoyed your fairground ride. Thanks for your help. Ho, ho ho.” Then I fell asleep and the next day was Christmas Day. by Gillian McCoy
?()+2-6"@,(A+9"(9$2(&" I was training to be a pirate and that day I was on the ship to ‘watch and learn’. Then suddenly there was a big storm and all of the pirates fell overboard. I was the only one left. I wasn’t big enough to control the ship on my own but I had to try. The ship was to-ing and fro-ing and I was beginning to feel sick! To make matters worse, it started to snow and everything turned white! I got hold of the wheel and held it as hard as I could to control the ship. The snow came down from the sky thicker and thicker. I could hardly see. Then as quickly as it had started the wind went quiet and the sea calmed. The ship began to bob along gently. The snow covered the ship and me like a blanket and as if by magic, I fell asleep. When I woke up I felt warm. As I opened my eyes, I was blinded from the rays of the sun. The ship had floated and ended up on what looked to me like a desert island. I was hungry so I looked for food on the ship. I found some Jammie Dodgers and some Longlife milk. I ate the full packet of biscuits and drank the milk dry. ‘Yum.’ I said to myself, ‘A pirate’s life for me!’ by Lauren Hughes
What would you do if you were the only person on a pirate ship? Write a story or draw a picture in the space below.
&-.+/( :$$B, Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a room in Heywood Market Which is a magic place, And when you go inside it Enchantment fills its space. Imagine it with a bouncy floor, With twisted liquorice walls, With spiders dangling from the roof Or a beanstalk very tall. Imagine it with feathery seats Or a massive ice-cream lake. Imagine it as a rocket, What a journey you could make. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a room next to the Market, A special place to be. But you can only visit If Ken gives you the key. by Katie Haigh
C+#B-(61"(C+*6"2(D$-6 I’m Wilma the Winter Coat. I’m so warm and cosy. I’m like a shadow pinned to my owner all through the freezing cold winter. Whether it’s rain, sleet or snow I always keep her warm. I have my own hook in the hallway amongst all the other coats. I can hear them squealing, ‘Pick me, pick me,’ when my owner comes into the hallway, but no, she grabs me and wraps me around her. Ooh, I wonder where we are going today. I hope we’re going somewhere in the car, because I don’t like rain. I’m not waterproof, so I become very soggy in the rain. We may go to Morrisons, maybe Dunnes or even Bury Market. Right, we’re off now in the car. It’s not raining but it’s very windy. Well, I’ve never been to this place before. It’s called B & Q. It’s very big and cold in here. I hug my owner very tightly to keep her warm. Well, this is interesting; we’re looking at wallpaper. There are lots of different colours and patterns to choose from. We spend ages looking at them all and then finally we get 8 rolls in a big, bold, black and white pattern. Into the trolley they go, along with tins of paint and paintbrushes. Back in the car, I’m a bit worried as we drive back – I wish the paint pots weren’t so near to me. I wouldn’t look very nice with paint splashed all over me. I’d be thrown away and another coat would take my place. Phew! We’re back home at last. I get hung back up on my hook, right above the lovely warm radiator. Ah, I love it here. Time for a nap now. I’m so tired. by Donna Cullens
025"( >-B+#'(E6$2+", The Photograph We are having a day out in Heaton Park, I am three years old and eating an ice cream. I have two bobbles in my hair and a sailor dress on. I don’t look very happy but I don’t know why. With me are my brother and my Mam. My dad is taking the photo with an old Canon, And in the background there are people walking by. We are going to go on the boats, We will walk there and back. This is a nice day out. by Marie Elmes
Sea Rescue My Dad told us a story about when he and his sister, Aunty Gill, went to the beach at Perranporth in Cornwall. This was where they always went for their family holidays. One day they were on the beach when they spotted Grandpa Brian. He was a long way into the sea and he was waving at them. Of course, Dad, Aunty Gill and Grandma Susan all waved back, glad to see that he was having a good time. It took them a while to realise that he wasn’t waving to be friendly but that he was waving for help. Grandma Susan and some other adults went in to help to pull Grandpa Brian out of the water. He was fine, thankfully, not hurt at all. They still laugh about it today though. by Katie Haigh
Escape My story is about my sister and me. We were living in a big children’s home when one day she said, ‘I don’t like it here, shall we run away?’ I said we would get into a lot of trouble, but we did it anyway. We waited until after teatime and took some food out of the cupboards: cake, biscuits, chunks of jelly, and also some apples, seeing as the house was called Orchard End. We left after 8 o’clock, when they thought we had gone to bed. We started walking, but my sister began to cry because her feet hurt, so we sat in a bus shelter. The next minute, the police were there. They took us home, to that place, as we’d been missing for hours. We got into a lot of trouble for running away. My punishment was to clean one of the floors with a toothbrush, which gave me sore knees. My sister got off lightly because she was younger than I was and apparently I should have known better. Needless to say, we never ran away again. by Carol McGowan Why not ask the people you live with if they have any stories to tell you. Maybe you could write them down, make a book of true stories.
Turkey Dinner When I was young, about 7, Grandad Elmes had a turkey, some chickens and a goat. We used to play with the turkey all the time and it followed us everywhere. Then Christmas came and Grandad Elmes had to wring the turkey’s neck and pluck its feathers. On Christmas Day Grandma made us this Christmas dinner and we realised that the bird on the dinner table was our pet turkey. We all started crying and shouting, ‘We’re not eating our turkey.’ And we all sat there and refused to eat it. Only Grandad Elmes and Grandma ate it. This was in the late 1940’s in Limerick. by Marie Elmes
&'(?5*6+"(+,(-()$=(E6-2 My auntie is a pop star She’s won a talent show, Her fans think that she’s first class And they really ought to know. She sings songs in the shower And when she’s cooking dinner, She’s made a wicked demo And it’s bound to be a winner. My auntie is a pop star She’s got stars in her eyes. She sings like Lady Gaga And we all harmonise. Her hair’s like peacock feathers Her clothes are very chic, So check her out on YouTube She’ll be Number One next week. by Woodland Children’s Centre group
&'(F*/#"( +,(-(G-B=+2" My uncle is a vampire, He walks around the park, But never in the daytime, He goes there when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dark. My uncle is a vampire, His teeth are stained with blood. They glisten in the moonlight As he mooches through the wood. He never touches garlic, He says it makes him sick. But he gobbles cheesy pizza, Likes it luscious, deep pan, thick. My uncleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes are cold as ice, They have a wicked gleam. So when mum asks him round to tea We scream and scream and SCREAM! by Magic Room group
H-**'(-*8(61"(H2-.$* Danny’s class had performed well this year so Mr Wilson decided to take them on a visit to Dreamsville Castle. ‘Where is Dreamsville Castle, sir?’ asked Danny. ‘I’ve never heard of it.’ ‘You’ll see when we get there,’ said Mr Wilson. ‘It’s very different from your usual castle.’ On the coach journey some of the children were playing I Spy, some were singing songs, but Danny was bored. ‘Are we there yet?’ he asked. ‘Nearly, Danny,’ his teacher replied, with a glint in his eye. ‘Just be patient. It’ll be worth it.’ The castle looked just like any other, with four turrets, a courtyard in the centre, and a moat around the outside. Danny thought a Theme Park would have been better. However, this castle turned out to be very different. There were people walking around, dressed in old-fashioned clothes. There were stables with real, live horses in and a blacksmith fixing the horses’ shoes. In one of the great halls, there was a very long table set for a banquet and many chairs. Life seemed to be carrying on as if the children weren’t even there. ‘This is all put on for visitors, you know,’ said Danny knowingly. ‘Is that so, Danny?’ replied Mr Wilson, hiding a smile. The banquet started. People pulled at big chunks of meat and chewed on the bones. They swigged wine from big goblets and threw bones over their shoulders with great laughter. The children watched, awe-struck. But Danny was still bored.
He spotted a door at the end of a long corridor and wondered where it went. When he got to the door, though, he suddenly felt scared, but he bravely took hold of the handle and tugged until it swung open, Danny peered into blackness, walked through the door, and then disappeared. He felt himself falling through space. ‘Just like Alice in Wonderland,’ he thought. He came to a sudden stop and sat for a minute to get his bearings. This was a cold, dark place and it didn’t smell very good. It was dark and musty, and smelt something like the reptile house at the zoo. ‘This is obviously a dungeon,’ Danny thought. As his eyes became used to the darkness, he could just about make out a strange cave-like space. Then his heart lurched - he was moving. He seemed to be sitting on a creature that was breathing and moaning. Scared, he slid down to the floor and began to stare into the darkness. A great big face stared right back at him. It was a fierce face, with big, uneven teeth, and it didn’t look very happy. It opened its mouth wide as if it was going to eat Danny, but fortunately it was only yawning. ‘Who are you, and why have you come here?’ the creature asked. Danny froze to the spot. He couldn’t move his legs or arms, but he managed to mumble, ‘My name’s Danny and I’m on a school trip. I fell down here by accident.’
‘Don’t be afraid, Danny,’ the creature said. ‘I won’t hurt you. It’s just that nobody EVER comes down here to see me. I can often hear the children’s shouts and laughter, but they NEVER, EVER come to see me.’ ‘You won’t eat me then?’ said Danny. ‘No, of course I won’t eat you. I may be a dragon but I’m a vegetarian dragon. I can show you something magic, if you like.’ ‘Wow, cool,’ said Danny He got up onto the dragon’s back and in a minute or so they were outside in the daylight. The dragon lurched forward and suddenly they left the ground and were flying high above the castle. Danny could see all around him; the castle below, the roads they had travelled, the sun shining down onto the fields they had passed on the way. He and the dragon chatted and soon got to know each other well. Danny would be sorry to leave his new friend. Eventually, the dragon landed on one of the castle walls. ‘You’d better get off here,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t want to get stuck in my secret cave forever. Go and join your friends and thank you very much for your company.’ Danny found himself back in the banqueting hall and everyone was there just as he’d left them. It was as if no time had passed at all. And yet he’d been gone for hours, flying around the skies with the dragon. Was it all a dream, or the dragon’s magic? He moved towards Mr Wilson. ‘Thanks for this trip, sir. It’s certainly different.’ ‘I knew YOU’D enjoy it,’ said Mr Wilson, and gave Danny a big, knowing wink. by Carol Keys
E/1$$#(!$#+8-', I’m bored, I’m :( with nothing to do So tb soon and say wuu2 Tbh m8 school hols are not thrilling What am I doing? Nmjc Mum says do hwk, but I’m not 2 keen Wd rather chew worms iykwim Ur sal - my math’s in the bin Wd rather crunch frogs – e2eg We cd go for a bike ride – hhoj cwot - wd both get a soaking here’s lunch, omg, think it’s slugs and potato ROFL – t2ul8r by Woodland Children’s Centre group
tb: text back. wuu2: what you up to. tbh: to be honest. m8: mate. nmjc: not much just chilling. hwk: homework. wd: would. iykwim: if you know what I mean. ur sal: you’re such a laugh. e2eg: ear-to-ear grin. cd: could. hhoj: ha ha only joking. cwot: complete waste of time. omg: oh my god. rofl: roll on floor laughing. t2ul8r: talk to you later
73$6+/(A-*8 Would you believe it? I visited an exotic land and saw a sidewinder snake shifting, its silence bringing the golden sand-waves to life. I saw the sun set in shades of turquoise, indigo and marmalade, then rise again like a doughnut full of strawberry jam. I saw pampas grass explode like a firework fountain I saw a desert cactus whose tight buds were dreaming of rain. In an oasis, I saw a meadow of patchwork flowers, with bees the size of helicopters buzzing their noses into the blossoms, and flying over the oasis was a gigantic dragonfly, breathing fire and turning the water into blood ripples.
I saw butterfly ballerinas, leaping lizards and scarlet-spotted ladybirds all dancing to frantic music played by an orchestra of black-suited termites. I saw a fallen tree, its roots torn from the ground and dried in the sun, but its branches were brought back to life by wonderful birds. There were snowy white owls, inky black ravens and hooded crows, there were chattering parakeets and drumming humming birds, there were crimson rosellas and plumed, majestic cockatoos. And in the shadow of the fallen tree sat a lion in a zebraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coat, watching, watching. by Magic Room group
C1-6(I(J*$<%%% (After a poem by Joyce Woodward) I know that eating chocolate makes me happy That our Headmaster, Mr Bussy, always comes to our classroom to do times tables. Everybody is scared of Mr Bussy. That clowns juggle, walk on stilts, giggle and do silly things like Daddy That Mum doesn’t like maths but goes to Numeracy every Thursday That a home-made cake tastes nicer than one from the shop That I can build a good sandcastle That Mondays are the beginning of the week and I have to get up early That Mum hides the biscuits in the top cupboard That if you ignore the bullies they get bored – but not for quite a long time That Mrs Stoatley will always stand on the table in the dinner hall and shout, ‘There is far too much noise!’
That I feel sad when we’ve run out of ice-cream That we can’t play out at school when it’s raining That SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea That I hate doing PE in my knickers and vest That it makes me sad when I look up at the stars and think of Granddad. That grandmas sometimes cry. by Woodland Children’s Centre group
C1-6(8$('$5(K*$<L Write your own poem about the things you know.
&'(M-B"(+,(D1-2#+" Do you want to know what happened to me today? I got up early this morning. I hate getting up early, but it was a school day. Everything seemed the same as usual, but when I went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, guess what I saw? Sticking out of my head were curly robot wires - red, green and blue. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘I can’t go to school like this - what will my teacher say?’ I got some of dad’s hair gel and stuck my hair over the worst bits. ‘That’ll have to do,’ I said to myself and went downstairs. My sister and my mum were sitting at the kitchen table eating their breakfast and I sat down to eat mine. But guess what was in my dish? Floating around in semi-skimmed milk were zillions of wriggling centipedes and beetles. I sneaked a look at my sister’s dish and at my mum’s dish and they were eating the horrible wrigglers and didn’t seem to mind at all. I smuggled the disgusting mess into a napkin and decided to sort it out later. I set off for school. I walked down Summer Lane to the traffic lights and turned left along High Road. I was just going past the Post Office when - guess what I saw?
Everyone coming out of the Post Office was doing a cartwheel. I stood watching for a while. Mr Harrison from the garage in his oily overalls did a cartwheel. Miss Hollybush from the florists, dressed all in pink, did a cartwheel. And finally, old Mrs Johnston, who usually hobbled around with a walking stick, came hurtling out of the door doing a double back flip. Of course, I was late for school. Who wouldn’t be? I went to the Head Teacher’s office to apologise, but he wasn’t there. Guess who was there instead? Sitting in the big swivel chair was a fire-breathing dragon. I think it was a lady dragon because it had lipstick on its huge scaly mouth and nail varnish on its long, sharp claws. I don’t know a lot about dragons though, so I could be wrong. I explained why I was late and the dragon started to laugh. She laughed so much she burnt everything in the room; the curtains, the calendar, the exam papers and the dinner money. I mumbled an excuse and ran out of the room. In the afternoon it was PE, and when I went out onto the playground to join in, guess what I saw? Everyone was running around kicking a concrete football and then crying because their toes hurt. It wasn’t our usual teacher in charge, but a gazelle with a whistle, and the grass was so bouncy we all felt sick. I was very pleased when it was time to go home. It had been a long day. I raided the biscuit tin for a chocolate digestive and went to watch TV. However, as I walked into the lounge, guess what I saw?
All the characters of Horrid Henry were sitting on the settee. They turned and looked at me as I came in, and I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I felt around in my jacket pocket and at last found what I was looking for. I pulled out the napkin from breakfast, opened it up and said, ‘Anyone want a beetle?’ by Woodland Children’s Centre group “Hi! I’m Charlie. I’ve told you all about the crazy day I had today - but I’ve got a funny feeling that tomorrow will be even crazier! What do YOU think will happen to me tomorrow? Try and tell the story of my day, out loud. Or you could even write it down if you like, and draw some pictures!”
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In Hobblegroth Town, the streets were filled with children’s screams of laughter and shouts of “Tig”. Half term meant fun. Three children in particular, though, were about to start a scary adventure. Sarah, Lauren and Ben were heading for the old abandoned cinema. Sarah was the eldest, and it was her idea to sneak into the dismal building to prove how brave they were. As they got near, a musty rotten smell hit the air. They climbed through a gap in the broken door, breathing in the decay, dust and brick sand. Inside, a mass of debris and bedraggled chairs made a mess on what was once a red velvet carpet. At one end of the room was a large cinema screen, its canvas torn from corner to corner. And high on the wall at the back was a small window where the projector would have been. Their footsteps echoed loudly and Ben shivered reaching for Lauren’s small hand. Lauren was only five, the youngest of the three, and her eyes were wide with fear. Ben tried to look brave. Sarah marched ahead of them. “Come on you two fraidy cats!” Then suddenly from nowhere, there came a gush of cold air. The children stared in horror as a strange little girl appeared in their path. Her skin was white as snow yet she looked transparent, almost like a cloud of dust.
Only Sarah had the courage to speak. “What do you want?” she asked. The ghost spoke in a chilling whisper. “I want my doll Molly. The bad man locked her in the projector room. I need her to move on from here. Please find her.” Then she disappeared. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” said Sarah. Ben shook his head. “You wanted adventure; you wanted to show how brave you are – now’s your chance!” Sarah hesitated, looked at the door and then at the projector room. “Well I suppose this is a real adventure, how do we get up there?” Lauren pointed to a steel ladder fitted from the floor to the ceiling on brackets against the wall. The ladder seemed to go up and up, as if it went on forever. “So who’s going up?” Sarah asked. “I thought you were the brave one,” said Ben. “It was your idea to come here”. Sarah shook her head. ‘I’m not going up there, you’d have to be crazy.” Ben shook his head in disbelief. He knelt down and gave Lauren a little hug. “ I’m going up there to get the ghost girl’s doll. You wait here and stay with Sarah, you’ll be safe, I’ll be back soon.”
The ladder was sharp and rusty and felt cold to touch. Climbing up, Ben puffed for air focusing on getting to the top. Finally, he reached the hatch and forced open the stiff door. He climbed in and stood in a small pool of daylight that shone through broken roof tiles. The rest of the room was in shadow. His eyes searched the room. Under the projector was an old safe, its door slightly ajar. There on the shelf was a rag doll with a blue flowered dress and black wool hair fastened with frayed ribbons into plaits. She had button eyes and a stitched smile. He picked up the doll and put her safely in his pocket. Looking through the hatch door, the ground seemed miles away but as he nervously lowered himself down onto the ladder, Lauren’s little voice echoed up “You can do it Ben, you can do it.” Finally he reached the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. Lauren was standing on her own. “Where’s Sarah?” he asked. Lauren was tearful. “She left. She told me to go with her but I wouldn’t leave you.” Ben scowled and took Lauren’s hand. “You’re very brave to wait for me. Let’s finish this.” They walked towards the screen once more. “We have Molly,” Ben called and once more a cold gush of air filled the room. The ghost girl was there before them. Ben took Molly from his pocket and placed her on the ground. The ghost girl picked up the doll, and as she did so, it changed to a transparent white. “Thank you,” she said in her soft whisper. She leaned forward and kissed first Ben on the cheek and then Lauren. It felt like an icy tingle. Then both the ghost girl and the doll were gone. Ben and Lauren smiled to each other and walked out of the old abandoned cinema hand in hand. The daylight blinded them. As they walked home they felt happy that they had made a difference and that they were brave. They smiled. by Katie Haigh
I6(D$5#8(;"(?*'<1"2" It was a dark, cold night (you know the kind I mean) when Katie, Gemma, Karen and Ashleigh decided that it would be great fun to sneak into their school when no-one else was around. “Children in books do it all the time,” said Gemma. As they climbed in through an open window, they were horrified to see spiders’ webs and spiders scattered all over the long hallway. “The cleaners haven’t been in yet,” said Ashleigh, laughing nervously. The window banged closed behind them making the girls jump. They thumped it, trying to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. They were trapped. “We’ll find another way out,” Karen said, sounding more confident than she felt. Suddenly everything became dark and a clock struck midnight. “Whose idea was this?” said Karen as they ran down the corridor. They turned a corner and in front of them stood five teachers, grey-skinned, their eyes sunken, their limbs limp. Gemma whispered, “They’ve either just finished marking exam papers or they’re dead.” The girls screamed and ran away. The teachers followed calling, “Blood, blood, blood.” Hidden in a classroom they realised Ashleigh was gone. “That girl,” said Karen. “She never keeps up”. Opening the door a fraction they heard the teachers cackling and laughing. Through the crack Katie could see them writing out a giant punishment chart and their names were at the top. “We’ve got to get Ashleigh and get out of here NOW!!” she screamed. The girls ran from the room. Ashleigh was sitting in the middle of the hall, looking very scared. Gemma grabbed her arm and they all raced up the stairs to the roof. Jamming the door with a metal bin, the girls quickly shinned down the fire escape and ran home without looking back once. Next day everything seemed normal as they walked to school. Had it been a dream? “At least there’s no sign of the punishment chart,” said Gemma as they walked into the cloakroom. The girls made for their lockers and opened the doors. To their horror out crawled hundreds of spiders. The girls started to scream, especially when they saw that written on the backs of their lockers in red, were the words ‘Blood, blood, blood.’ by Ashleigh Haigh, aged 10
!$<(6$(<2+6"('$52($<*(,6$2' Did you enjoy reading the stories in this book? Well why not have a go at writing something yourself ? Here are a few ideas. Think of somewhere your story might take place. For example: in an enchanted wood, in a giant’s house or on the moon. Or somewhere that seems quite ordinary (to start with, that is): the park or at the bottom of your next-door neighbour’s garden? Who is the hero or heroine of the story? Maybe it’s you. What time of day is it and what is the weather like? Maybe it has been snowing and the snow is as high as the house, or it’s hot like in a jungle and the grass is as thick as ropes. Maybe it’s foggy or there’s a brilliant rainbow. You decide. Then something happens to make a problem. Maybe it’s so foggy on the moon that the light can’t reach earth any more or it’s so hot in the enchanted wood that the chocolate lake has dried up. Can you think of a problem for your story? Whatever the problem, there is always something or someone to help. Maybe an alien lands on the moon and eats the fog for its dinner. Or the wise owl in the enchanted wood has a solution to stop the chocolate lake from drying up. Who or what comes along to help in your story? So now, make your way to a happy ending. Decide how you would finish your story off. It feels great when you get to the end of a story and I’m sure you’ll want to write another one. This could be the start of a book full of stories. We’ve left some spare pages for you to write on - so set your magic pen to work...
Draw a picture for your story...
Finish writing your story over the page...