Stories from the Web blog

500 WORDS

2012-02-02T13:18:00.003Z

500 WORDS

New Writing competition for 13 year olds and under.

Radio 2 have launched a brilliant short story writing competition.

Submit a story or offer to volunteer to be a judge.

Check out the competition here!!

Some of the most famous authors are involved!!

The view from our office

2012-02-02T08:47:00.001Z

Taken at about 8am this morning. Directly in front of us is The Hall of Memory. To the right of that is the new Library of Birmingham which is still under construction. The funny curved shapes at the front of the image are actually letters which spell out the word 'Library.'

We're here....

2012-01-31T09:10:00.000Z

...yes we are! Sorry about the gap in blogging lately but we have been really busy doing, creating, planning and organising some wonderful things to bring you.

First of all we want to say hello to Young Readers Birmingham who are organising a brilliant year long celebration of children's reading. They have lined up some fantastic events throughout the year as well as an amazing two week festival in June featuring authors, illustrators, workshops and other events.

Also a big hello to Dorset Libraries who are running a fantastic young writers competition again this year. Stories from the Web worked with Dorset to provide the online resources for this project.

Xaos is currently working on our new half-term programme for libraries, the Crazy Comics Extravaganza. As well as all the usual games, activities and downloads that we always bring you, we are working with Phoenix Comics to bring you a great competition prize, more information on that coming soon.

At the end of December, Stories from the Web moved offices. We are still in the Central Library in the heart of Birmingham, but we have moved out of the ~~cupboard~~ office we had on the third floor down onto the second floor. This office has windows! So we can see daylight! It's all very exciting.

Phew! what a busy start to 2012....

The Phoenix Rises!

2012-01-03T14:02:00.000Z

The Phoenix, a brand new weekly Britishstory comic for children, boys and girls, is set to be released on January 7th2012 and will bring high quality story-strip entertainment that offersimagination, involvement and inspiration to its readers. It will featurestories that will cover a broad spectrum of interests.

Risingout of the ashes of the comic book culture of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, ThePhoenix will offer a strong emphasis on quality story content that focuses oninvolving and exciting entertainment that hasn’t been seen since the days ofBunty, The Eagle and Valiant.

“ThePhoenix will be bringing great stories to children every week. It will befunny, lively, scary, exciting - a feast of stories of all sorts every week.It’ll become part of a child’s life, a weekly treat!” said children's author, Michael Morpurgo

The Phoenix is the only weekly story comic of its kind in the UK. Made by the same creative team behind The DFC and founded by David Fickling, The Phoenix is an independent organisation and is funded by an independent parent backer, whose children loved to read The DFC.

ThePhoenix will retail at a cover price of £2.99, but will also be available viasubscription at www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/subscribe for thefollowing offers: £10 for the first 5 issues, £24 for 3 months, £54 for 6months and £99 for an annual subscription which will include a free story file,in which to store all of the comics.

We are hoping to run a Phoenix competition as part of SftW's February half-term treats, so watch this space!

The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe

2011-12-23T13:12:00.005Z

It wouldn't be Christmas without a Doctor Who special and this year is no exception. I remember the family being really excited a few years ago when the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was released in cinemas and luckily they weren't disappointed, sitting there aghast and open mouthed as the magic landscape beyond the wardrobe came to life, with all manner of creatures projected out of the screen, while Aslan's booming voice, majestic in its authority, blasted out surround sound style.

I'm hoping we'll be able to say the same about the Doctor's take on it in, 'The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe,' after it's aired on Christmas Day and judging by the trailers I've seen it's looking like it'll be a good one. I'll leave you by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and hope that you all have loads of fun and laughter during the festivities and enjoy this spectacle that has become a new Christmas tradition.

It's a Book!

2011-12-14T09:39:00.007Z

I recently saw a TV programme looking at the changes, due in part to the emergence of new technologies about what makes a book. In today's tech world your choices are much greater, you don't just get a hardback, a paperback, or a brilliantly illustrated picturebook, instead you can now choose to read a book electronically. It doesn't stop there of course as you can view it as an App, to play with, or simply read it on a device, specially built to display books in a digital format and with print on demand you can even get a book printed in the time taken to drink a coffee!

I'm thinking this is just the start, because as technology gets faster and slicker it could be that in the future you'll have even more choice in your digital books. Perhaps you'll be able to choose to have your story read out by a famous celebrity, decide whether you want the content to be from a first person, or third person viewpoint, change it into a graphic novel on the fly, or even change the ending to how you think it should finish!

Now don't get me wrong I love gadgets, I get excited by all the things they can do, even applaud all the whistles and bells that often come preinstalled on them, but sometimes all the pinging, dinging, ringing, button bushing and playing just gets in the way and I crave to be able to read a book and let my imagination do the work! Surely this can't be too much to ask, there's still plenty of fun to be had by just curling up with a good book and drifting so far into the story that everything around you just blurs into the background, now that's what I call a brilliant Christmas present!

Things that make a cold Monday Morning happy

2011-12-12T08:44:00.003Z

We got lots of lovely pieces of work sent into the website this weekend and here are two that particularly made my morning a happy one:

...a lovely drawing by Caitlin aged 6.

And then this lovely feedback comment from Mary-ann in Scotland: "This website is the most amazing website in the world. If I had to choose this website to be 1st 2nd or 3rd I would put as the 1st. I would definitely recommend it to friends and family. Anyone who doesn't know this website that well I will tell you some of the stuff you can do on it, you can read and write storyies, review a book, print things out, do really fun things on All About Me, you can do competitions,you can look at other peoples drawings and you can do one as well,y ou can choose a theme, and lots and lots of more stuff like that."

So how nice is that?

Big City Read for Brum

2011-12-09T12:32:00.001Z

I've just finished reading the Birmingham Big City Read 'Before I Go to Sleep' by S J Watson. Following an accident Christine wakes up every day with no memories of the last twenty years. Each day she has to rediscover her history with husband Ben. A new Dr who is helping her to regain and retain her memory sets the ball in motion for a fantastic denouement to this eerie thriller. A great feat for a new author, the book manages to remain convincing, despite the readers' prior knowledge of Christine's history and leads us buy the nose until it provides the requisite twist in the tale. Well worth reading.

Anne McCaffrey 1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011

2011-11-24T09:58:00.002Z

Between the ages of 13 to 18 I reckon I read Anne McCaffrey books more than any other author (except Douglas Adams - I read Hitchhikes Guide to the Galaxy about 50 times!). I can't remember now, but I probably started reading the Dragonrider books first, no doubt inspired to pick up the first one because of the beautiful covers. My books had cover art by Steve Watson (who died in February this year). I can remember spending nearly as long looking at the beautiful covers as I did reading the books!

Once I started reading though, I was hooked. I think I still have most of those ancient dog-eared and tatty paperbacks on my shelves.
Anne McCaffrey's books are sometimes considered to be fantasy, because of the Dragons in the Pern series perhaps, but in reality she was a science fiction writer. Her themes encompassed cyborgs, telepathy and telekinesis, interplanetary travel and the relationships between different species.
Her stories will take you to wonderful new worlds, spin you out into space, introduce you to a wide range of interesting and unforgettable characters, such as the feisty Sara in Restoree, the boy Jaxom who rides The White Dragon, Wise Harper Robinton of Pern, Helva, the cyborg spaceship in The Ship Who Sang and Killashandra Ree, the Crystal Singer.
Anne's stories were imaginative, enthralling and sexy and I am grateful that I had the chance to read so much of her work when I was young. Her characters became part of my own character as no doubt many avid young readers find with their favorite books. I mean, here we are, 34 years after I read my first Anne McCaffrey book and I'm even now using the alias Dragonrider!

Win a signed copy of Runelight

2011-11-22T08:12:00.003Z

I am so envious of whomever wins this prize - a signed copy of Joanne Harris' new book Runelight. And we don't just have one, but three of them to give away! Set in a post-apocalyptal world, where the old Norse Gods walk the Earth and Chaos, magic and mayhem are the (un)order of the day. Runelight is a fantastic read for anyone who loves fantasy, it it a book that straddles young adult and adult fiction.

To enter the competition you need to be aged between 11 and 16 and log onto Stories from the Web with a username and password obtainable from your local Library.
(For a list of Library Authority members click here)

Long time gone

2011-11-14T13:55:00.000Z

Well it has been a while since I wrote on the blog - being busy, busy and then being struck down by a mean little cold virus, which ended up becoming a nasty big cough. Anyway, everything has an upside, and the joy of being ill, once you are on the mend, is having plenty of time for reading. This week I have had a wonderful time (apart from the coughing) reading Katherine Langrish's books, Dark Angels and West of the Moon. Dark Angels is described on Amazon:
A gripping and wonderfully spooky standalone adventure from critically acclaimed author Katherine Langrish. When Wolf runs away from the monastery where he grew up, he finds himself lost on Devil's Edge -- a hill riddled with old mine shafts, said to be infested with ghosts, boggarts, elves, and perhaps even the Devil himself. Wolf meets a local knight out hunting, who offers him work and shelter in his castle -- a place inhabited by a host of unexpected characters -- a hearth hob, a ghostly white lady and a mysterious wandering juggler...Together Wolf and Nest, the knight's daughter, become embroiled in a mystery which leads Wolf into the very darkest depths of Devil's Edge...
It is a fantastic book filled with historical detail, myth, fantasy, wild weather, an evil monk, a brave but tortured knight, creatures from the Otherworld, hobs, wild wolves and youthful romance. Brilliant stuff! If you enjoyed reading Pat Walsh's Crowfield Curse, you'll love Dark Angels.

The second work of Katherine's that I read was the Troll Mill trilogy, West of the Moon. This is a great collection set in the Viking Norselands and featuring another fantastic cast of characters including lots of trolls. The books are sometimes funny, sometimes quite scary and always full of exciting adventure.
In Book One a young lad called Peer is orphaned and sent to live with his appalling Uncles, who own Troll Mill. They are really awful characters, cruel, stupid and greedy. Peer's life is made bearable by the companionship of his doughty little dog, Loki and his blossoming friendship with Hilde, who lives with her family on a neighbouring farm. In Books One and Two Peer learns to outwit the trolls and his Uncles and find some contentment and security in his life. In Book Three he and Hilde embark on an amazing and dangerous adventure, taking a Viking ship to Vinland where they meet a whole new cast of human and fantastical characters.
The Troll Fell books are really good. Some of the characters come straight out of the myths and legends of the North, such as the evil water sprite, Granny Greenteeth, the disgusting child-eating Lubbers and of course the magical, ugly and cunning trolls. My favourite character is the Nis a small sprite or hobgoblin, who helps around the house in return for a nightly bowl of porridge. The Nis is a very mischievous, nervous, dear little character, who eventually plays a big and dramatic part in saving Peer's life.
Alongside these characters is a wealth of historical information and speculation that gives the reader such an imaginative and interesting peek into what it might have been like to be a Viking, and what the daily experience and culture might have been like.
Perfect Wintertide reading, check out Dark Angels and West of the Moon from your local library and be prepared to curl up in the warm and take your imagination on a few wonderful adventures.

2011-10-28T14:32:00.006+01:00

Sir Terry Pratchett's new book Snuff was published this month, the 50th of the Discworld novels:

Check out this dream interview with Sir Terry and the wonderful Neil (should also be Sir) Gaiman on Boing Boing

The Independent newspaper wrote a good review of Snuff here

Firebrand by Gillian Philip

2011-10-25T09:11:00.003+01:00

I've just finished reading Firebrand and loved it so much I am going right out and buying the sequel, Bloodstone. This is definitely a YA title, it's sexy, violent and exciting and full of characters and places that you would long to meet and see for real.
The main character is a flawed hero, Seth. He is an angry, arrogant teenager who also happens to be a Sithe, an immortal (well very, very long lived if death by sword dosen't get him) who lives the other side of the Veil which separates our human world from the Sithe world. Seth is the bastard son of a Sithe nobleman and is rejected and unloved by both his mother and father. Seth only begins to find love when he is sent to live with his father and meets his older half-brother Conal. Seth and Conal become inseparable friends and when Conal is exiled by the mad Sithe Queen, Kate NicNiven, Seth follows him through the Veil and into desperate adventure.
Seth and Conal come through the Veil into sixteenth century Scotland; a time of great poverty, illiteracy and witch-burnings. They become unwittingly caught up in the drama and intolerance being played out around them and their story is one of desperate struggle for survival.
This is really good stuff, folks! The historical detailing is fantastic. I loved the world of the Sithe too, where women and men are truly equal and the mindset is very modern, and yet the sense of this being fairyland, with castles, swordfights, the mad Queen, magic, telepathy etc, is never lost.
What I liked about this book is that it is honest. Yes, this is a fantasy, yet the characters and their responses to situations feels very true. And Gillian Philip dosen't flinch from writing the hard stuff, the hero is sometimes a stupid arrogant idiot, life is sometimes about pain, misunderstandings, bad decisions. Along with that honesty about the difficulty of growing up is an honesty about the joys of life and love, the book celebrates the pleasures of life too.
Most of all, this is one of those fantasy novels that takes you into a world that you don't want to leave. And that is the highest praise any book can ask for. If you love fantasy I think you'll love Firebrand.

Review: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

2011-10-20T09:36:00.001+01:00

Blood Magic

"They always say "never judge a book by its cover" and I'm afraid to admit when Blood Magic arrived I did just that. The first impression the cover gives is that of yet another swilling teenage horror romance that is all too often regurgitated by publishers, ever since the massively popular Twilight Saga came to ahead several years ago. Many publishers are all too keen to recreate a look akin to this genre, and I have to say, I don't think they quite grasp that whilst it draws in an extremely large crowd of stereotypical readers, it leaves another very large audience no choice but assume the worst and move onto another bookshelf.

So, after much deliberation, I picked up Blood Magic and began to read....and then couldn't put it down! My first assumptions about the book couldn't have been more wrong. Whilst the element of romance is indeed strong in this book, the author has delivered it in such an original way that I just could not help but thoroughly enjoy it.

Blood Magic follows the tale of the mysterious Silla, who discovers in herself a past she could not possibly imagine to be real. Feeling herself alone in her voyage of discovery and self recognition, she receives a shock when she is stumbled upon by a young man with an equally dark past of his own. As their friendship develops, their bond awakens incredible powers within them.

Written in magnificent, rich prose not dissimilar to the bygone novels of the Victorian gothic movement, Blood Magic will come to you as a thorough surprise, which will absolutely not leave you disappointed.

I can ask only one thing of you, readers; NEVER judge a book by its cover......

Reviewed by Rhiannon

Scream Street Author Launches SftW Competition

2011-10-17T14:43:00.018+01:00

Tommy Donbavand, author of the spooky, scary, hilariously funny Scream Street series has set a challenge!

Stories from the Web's 3 sites for libraries, schools and families have linked to bring a fun competition with amazing prizes!

Here is Tommy to introduce it:

So..... video your 2 scary jokes for a chance to win.

You must be a member to enter, so log in to your library, school or family site, and follow the links through to Tommy's competition for full instructions and rules.

The prize is a full set of Scream Street books (all 13) signed by Tommy Donbavand.

You will also get your video on this blog, on the competition site and on Tommy's own websites.

You may also get your joke published in one of Tommy's books.

A great competition, a great prize..... and great fun!!!!!!!

PRESS HERE by Herve Tullet

2011-10-10T09:35:00.002+01:00

This is a really wonderful book, don't you think?

Ravenwood

2011-10-10T09:22:00.001+01:00

Andrew Peters' book, Ravenwood is our Featured Book for October on the Stories from the Web 11+ site.
The book is set in a world where most of the trees have been destroyed so that wood is now worth more than gold. On one last densely-wooded island exist huge trees a mile high. This is where the hero of the story lives: Ark the plumber's boy.
The book opens with a dramatic chase through the high treetops as Ark finds himself on the run for his life after overhearing a plot to destroy his forest home.
Andrew very kindly took some time out from his busy schedule to give us a really interesting interview about writing Ravenwood which you can listen to by clicking on our podcasts

Our Featured book for November will be Joanne Harris' Runelight.

A Monster Calls - Competition Winners

2011-10-03T14:34:00.003+01:00

Our competition, to continue a story started especially for us by Patrick Ness, has now been judged, and the winner is..........ta, da, da, daaaaaarrrrrr....
Emma, aged 16, from Derbyshire, who has won a signed copy of 'A Monster Calls'.
Well done indeed to Emma and to the two runners-up: Arianne, aged 14, from County Westmeath, Ireland and Flora, aged 12, from Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, who also get copies of the book.
The winning entries can be seen on our 11+ competition area.

There has also been a wonderful book trailer just released for 'A Monster Calls':

Lord of the Flies - Cover Competition

2011-09-29T08:39:00.012+01:00

Re-imagine a classic.

In association with The Guardian, Faber and Faber are inviting young artists to create a new, iconic cover image for one of the world's most widely-read books, William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

Entrants must be aged 13-16. The winning entry will be selected by a team of expert judges, and the artist will have the chance to watch as their work is transformed by the Faber Design team into a cover for the new educational edition of Lord of the Flies - for a new generation of readers in classrooms around the world!

The winning illustration will be unveiled at an exhibition showcasing the best of the entries at the Guardian Gallery in London in February 2012.

Find full competition details at http://www.lordofthefliescover.com/

Darke - Septimus Heap

2011-09-28T09:56:00.005+01:00

Angie Sage launches her 6th book in the Septimus Heap series - 'Darke', on 3rd October 2011.

"Septimus is on the threshold of his fourteenth birthday, which falls on the shortest day of the year. While everyone celebrates and the Castle is lit with the traditional candles, Septimus has greater concerns on his mind. He has finally reached the period in his Apprenticeship known as Darke Week. During this crucial time, he hopes to undertake the very dangerous mission of restoring Alther from Banishment, following the attempted invasion of the Castle of Syren. But while this preoccupies him, other Darke things are afoot in the Castle."

The Septimus Heap series started with 'Magyk' way back in 2006 and is due to be a 7 book series. Angie's writing is fast paced with short engaging chapters of wizardry and magic. Comparison to Harry Potter really stops there, this is a wonderful world of magical weirdness, try it out, but start with number 1 - 'Magyk'.

Septimus Heap Blog
Septimus Heap Web Site

Charlie Higson does it again

2011-09-21T11:16:00.001+01:00

What a fantastic trailer - The Fear by Charlie Higson!!!
Buy It!

Arrr Me Hearties - It Be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

2011-09-19T09:50:00.015+01:00

Shiver mee timbers, we love it when, 'talk like a pirate day' comes round because it means we can put on all sorts of weird and wonderful piratey (ish) voices and talk to each other as if we're Blackbeard, Long John Silver, Anne Bonny, or even Cap'n Jack Sparrow. And what's great about it is that Stories from the Web originally started all those long years ago as a web based project, with its first incarnation centred around a pirate adventure book, 'Treasure Island,' by Robert Louis Stephenson.

Over time it's evolved into a much broader website for young people, encouraging reading and creativity, but instead of focusing on just one book it now features a wide variety of children's books and authors to choose from. We even have a section on Pirates in our 7-11 area featuring two great adventures and lots of pirate themed activities to get involved in. Savvy!

Here's some pirate (ish ) sayings we sometimes try to start you off:

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Pieces of eight
It be off to Davy Jones' locker for ya
Walk the plank
Arrr ye landlubbers
Ahoy there mee hearties
I be going below decks
Parley

So what ye be doing ye scurvy bilge rats, get back to work and try out some phrases ye self ye lazy landlubbers before we feed ya to the Kracken! We're off to get some grog before all this pirating talk drys our mouths out, arrr!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-09-13T14:38:00.007+01:00

OH WOW, this is a strange book - teens & up, I'm half way through but can't wait to get back home and read more! The atmosphere created is great, the ways that the story can be interpreted are vast, what is happening? I'm not sure! Written by Ransom Riggs this is his first novel - he is known more for his filming and photography.

Watch the trailer:

I've added this as well because it is just fascinating and made me jump!:

Visit Ransom Riggs' Blog for more information and the promise of a follow up book!

Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire

2011-09-09T11:12:00.006+01:00

With the recent release of the 20th Horrid Henry title, 'Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire' it seems only fitting to reflect on the enormous success of the Horrid Henry books. The author, Francesca Simon was one of the top five most borrowed authors last year. Incredulously, 'Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend' was the most borrowed children's book in 2009, having been borrowed from libraries nearly 65000 times!

This new title even has Horrid Henry writing a story, so maybe he's secretly been on Stories from the Web for inspiration to try and outdo Perfect Peter's story, 'Butterfly Fairies Paint the Rainbow!' Francesca Simon came to speak at the Birmingham Young Reader's book festival a few years ago and was very chatty to all the visitors who came to get their books signed, talking at length about how she came to write Horrid Henry. If you want to find out more, we feature an extract from one of her Horrid Henry books, 'Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse,' as well as an interview with Francesca. Also we've had some great ideas sent in for what our visitors would like to see inside their, Curse of the Mummy Kits! An activity that accompanies the extract.

As a parent Horrid Henry stories are great to get your kids to listen to, or read out loud. With all the names of the characters being funny examples of alliteration, they're also easy to digest and short enough for younger readers to read in small chunks and still get plenty of enjoyment from each individual story. No doubt with their enduring appeal it won't be long before the 30th title comes round!

Errigal - Search for the Blue Stone

2011-09-07T09:28:00.004+01:00

Colleen Ringland's first novel 'Errigal - Search for the Blue Stone' has just been published. Colleen, a primary school teacher, was born in Belfast and the book is based on her childhood memories of holidaying in Donegal where she explored Mount Errigal.
'Errigal' is the story of Mel, a 12 year old who is chosen to do something that no-one else can do. Mel's perilous journey takes place in the fantasy world of the mountain as she ventures over to the dark side!

Colleen is working with libraries in Northern Ireland, inspiring the children to write and be creative.

Visit Colleen's website: Errigal the Book for more info on Colleen herself and on this fantastic, fast-paced and magical book.

Meet our new book reviewer

2011-09-06T09:01:00.000+01:00

Rhiannon is 20 years old and hails from the land of no vowels - Yorkshire. Her favourite things include beer, comic books, sunny weather, history, ancient mythology, growing things and eating them, music, cinema, art and of course books. She reads as much as is humanly possible and enjoys everything from reference through to childrens books. She particularly loves the Boudicca series by Manda Scott, anything by Phill Hoffman, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer and the Horrible History books by Terry Deary.
She is currently residing in a famous Yorkshire brewery town, works as a warehouse assistant and when she is not reading enjoys spending her free time with her nearest and dearest in the pub.

Louis Sachar: The Cardturner review

2011-09-05T11:07:00.002+01:00

We have a new book reviewer on the Stories from the Web blog. Rhiannon is a Yorkshire lass who reads like other people breathe. So it seemed like a good idea to get her to help us out by reading and writing about some of the many wonderful books we are sent for review. Rhiannon's first review is Louis Sachar's The Cardturner:

I haven’t written a book review since secondary school. And even then, it wasn’t a real book review. The only person who read it was the teacher. So truth be told, I was a little bit nervous writing for Stories from the Web. Ah, if only you could have seen that nervousness transform to sheer excitement when I unwrapped the parcel from Stories from the Web to find Louis Sachar’s new book The Cardturner. You may remember him for his award winning book Holes which let’s face it is so marvelous it was made into a film, and rightly so, it’s a very good book and should have mass recognition. Hardcore Sachar fans may be quite excited about this new release, and so you should be. Because it’s brilliant.

The first thing that always strikes me about Sachar is his entirely unique writing style. With The Cardturner I can only assume he has taken into consideration the readers who have grown up with his books. It’s certainly aimed at an older audience than his previous books, but it’s still written in Sachar’s punchy, pleasant-to-read prose. And the story? It’s just marvelous.

The Cardturner follows the tale of 17 year old Alton, who having been dumped by his girlfriend for his best friend, is facing a pretty rubbish summer. To his great dismay he receives a phone call from a distant uncle who is both very rich, and blind, asking him to attend his Bridge club with him and perform card turner duties. At first Alton is appalled – let’s face it, can you possibly think of anything more boring than bridge, apart from say, golf? Yet slowly but surely, Alton becomes intrigued, and suddenly Bridge becomes a new obsession as he desperately tries to learn the rules without really letting on that he is doing so.

A colorful and addictive plot unravels laced with rich and relatable characters and scenarios, which twists and turns and leaves you staring at the back cover with a grin from ear to ear and an astounding accidental knowledge of bridge! Sachar has shone through again with his incredible ability to write characters that get right under your skin, and once they’re there, I can assure you, you’re going to find it very difficult to put this book down.

Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

2011-09-01T15:05:00.006+01:00

Oh the power a book review can have. One of our reviewers, Becky, aged 12 from Leicestershire has raved about R J Anderson's new book, 'Ultraviolet' and I have to admit after reading this excellent review I really want to get hold of a copy and read it. It sounds absolutely enthralling!!

Becky enthuses, 'The idea of someone having the condition of Synesthia, where they are able to feel colours, see music and taste emotions, without realising what they have is amazing. This is a thouroughly good read and I would recommend it to twelve plus year olds of both genders.'

Alyxandra Harvey - Bleeding Hearts

2011-08-31T13:11:00.016+01:00

3rd October sees the publication of 'Bleeding Hearts' by Alyxandra Harvey. This is the fourth book in the Drake Chronicles series. This time we see a welcome return from Lucy as one of the three narrators, along with Drake brother Connor and Lucy's cousin Christabel. Christabel has come to live with Lucy, but she has no idea how dangerous a seemingly sleepy little town like Violet Hill can be . . .

As a taster you may download a
pdf version of the prologue

Here is Alyxandra talking about her new book:

To read more about 'My Bleeding Heart' become a fan on the Facebook page, where you will find some great competitions and the latest news.

SftW also has a virtual extract of 'Out For Blood' and an interview with Alyxandra!! Visit Stories from the Web for libraries.

Maggie Stiefvater - Tips on writing

2011-08-30T13:50:00.017+01:00

Maggie Stiefvater, author of 'Shiver' and 'Linger' has been busy promoting 'Forever' - the third in the 'Wolves of Mercy Falls' series which came out in July.

Her new book 'Scorpio Races' will be launched in October:
"It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

Here is a book trailer to 'Scorpio Races' that Maggie has animated herself:

We are lucky enough to have a new interview with Maggie in our 11+ area and she has given some brilliant writing tips especially to SftW to help you with your stories.
Check them out on Stories from the Web for libraries.

Visit Maggie's website for great information on her books and ideas. Also try 'The Merry Sisters of Fate' for great short stories from Maggie, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff - three amazing writers of Young Adult Fiction.

LOVE WHAT YOU DO & DO WHAT YOU LOVE

2011-08-24T09:43:00.000+01:00

Imagination and Libraries running wild!
I just have to share this with you all as it is the most full of wonderment interview ever. What an amazing author/poet/lover of books -Ray Bradbury
"Imagination should be the centre of your life."
WOW!!!

Have You Ever Ever Ever

2011-08-24T09:23:00.000+01:00

A real LIBRARY book.
September sees the publication of - Have You Ever Ever Ever by Colin McNaughton and Emma Chichester Clark (Walker books).
This is a wonderful book full of characters you will all know and love.
Colin states that "This book is dedicated to libraries and librarians everywhere and to the power of books to enrich and exercise that most important of human faculties - the imagination."

Runemarks

2011-08-23T10:38:00.000+01:00

72 days till Runelight is published and I have a proof copy! Oh yeah.
It feels like an Age passed as I and all Joanne's Runemarks fans waited with baited anticipation for the second novel. For most the wait continues and the countdown creeps forward. For me, R day has already arrived and I have on my desk at this very moment a proof copy of Runelight.

It is so great to be back in the World with Maddy, Loki, Sugar and the others. This is a tale of opposites, of reversals of back-to-backnesses. Of what happens when the chequer-board is hurled into the air and all the pieces fall back down into Chaos...
Only 72 days to go, folks.

Our brilliant members.

2011-08-22T12:56:00.005+01:00

Stories from the Web exists to inspire kids to write (and read). And, boy! Can they write!
Sometimes I am just amazed by the quality of the writing that comes in. A lot of these kids are really talented.
So here is a round-up of some of the recent gems sent in:

Story by Arianne aged 14

(Dedicated to Rose, Leoniie, Daisy, Kat and everyone else - you know who you are!)

A tale

Of two halves

Of three

Of four

Of plots

And plans

And butterfly touches

Of danger

And toil

And careful watches

Of sweetness

And light

And rising shadows

Of sun

And shade

And vanishing lines

Of night

And day

And thinking thoughts

Of loss

And love

And discovering treasures

Of hands

And faces

And wayfaring strangers

Of beauty

And peace

And rioting rebels

Of tears

And trials

And secrets and lies

Of a world

Extract from Ouija Board by Khadijah aged 17

...I am not an overly sensitive person. I don’t curl up into a ball and cry over a person or a few persons saying mean things to me, but with the whole school jeering and mocking me – I started to get a little angry. I wanted to do something to make them shut up. I wanted to turn the tables on my worst tormentors – give ‘em a scare worth remembering. So I began plotting and planning. I jotted lots of ideas for suitable get-backs in my notebook, but most of them were more funny than frightening. And others were borderline criminal. So I dashed all of those ideas out. I kept on racking my brains but nothing terrific popped up… Until I was on the verge of giving up, but thanks to a bunch of kids talking about a Halloween party; a brilliant idea struck me… I would throw a Halloween party!

Okay, I know that was a slightly disappointing revelation after all that build-up. But trust me; it wasn’t an ordinary Halloween party. It was to be a Halloween party to DIE FOR!

My Dog Alfie by Sophie aged 9

My dog Alfie comes over to my door and he plays with me in the kitchen. I’ve got a big mat and I put it on him and he sleeps. He puts his wee head down and goes grrr. He’s a wee black dog, I don’t know what kind. Charley will know what it is. It's Francis’ dog. Alfie barks when anyone comes. I think it might be a guard dog. He would bark to warn me. When he barks he seems like he’s going to bite. Last night he was sleeping but growling too. He went grrrr. I trained him to sit and put his paw out. He’s all black with white at the bottom. His whiskeries are ginger. When you pat him he puts his ears down. Some dogs don’t like you stroking them. Charley does tricks with her dog. He gives her a high five. I’m training Alfie to do that.

Charley’s dog’s called Gizmo because it’s got a bashed in face like in the Gremlins. Her gran kidded on his got hit in the face by a frying pan when he was a wee dog. Alfie lies back and moves his paws. He likes to get scratched.

And how about this for a wonderful start to a story....

The Miracle by Abbas aged 9

Once there lived a strong man and he was very evil. Then there was a weak man and he was very good. Both of the men were enemies...

David Almond

2011-08-18T09:22:00.000+01:00

David Almond is the writer of Skellig, Kit's Wilderness, Heaven Eyes, My Name is Mina and Jackdaw Summer.
Skellig is an extraordinary book, which I read back when I was a children's bookseller. I think it was one of the very first books I read just after getting my job and I thought, woah! If this is children's fiction I'm gonna love this work. I soon realised that David was one of a very small, and very precious band of truly gifted children's writers. I've never read Skellig again because I want to keep in my memory the wonder of that first reading.
David Almond writes exciting books for young adults, full of interesting characters and interesting adventures. Yes, I know, lots of people do that, but his books are something extra special. They are very passionate books and very thoughtful books. In that way they mirror the teenagers they are written for; strong and dark and wilful, ardent and extreme, they rage and are magnificent, they embrace sorrow and difference.
It's the writing, more than the plot that expresses this passionate, adolescent soul. David writes with conviction and paints vivid, brilliant images with his words. He is just about to publish his first adult novel, The True Tale Of The Monster Billy Dean. In the following video I think you get a good idea of his beautiful, fervent writing.

Great Feedback

2011-08-16T09:38:00.001+01:00

"I think Stories from the Web is really good. I like the games and I like reading what other children have written in their stories. I was very excited to win the Wombles competition and everyone at the library was pleased. They put my story up! Thank you."
Ione 9

Thanks to Ione for the feedback. We are always pleased to receive comments, especially nice ones!!

Howl's Moving Castle

2011-08-12T11:48:00.005+01:00

Over the course of the last eleven years I've seen thousands of stories, poems and creative work sent into Stories from the Web, so it's great to find out that Howl's Moving Castle, written by Diana Wynne Jones and now a fantastic animated film from Studio Ghibli, was first inspired by a boy asking her to make a story about a moving castle.

I've recently reseen the film and that too is a great source of inspiration, one to dip into the book and see Sophie, Wizard Howl, Calcifier, the town of Ingary and all the magic and fantasy so vividly brought alive in the film take on a new lease of life in your own imagination, one that can layer these rich characters and scenery with your own experiences.

The hope is that the young writers on Stories from the Web can use the website as an opportunity to refine their craft and tell great stories. You may not find the story you're happy with immediately, but learning about books and great authors like Diana may inspire you to write and mould your own fantasy stories. Who knows, eventually these stories may become equally famous, as they're read and loved by future generations of children across the world!

Reading memories - Homeward Bounders

2011-08-11T12:19:00.000+01:00

Homeward Bounders was my first introduction to Diana Wynne Jones's work and I fell in love from the first chapter. Such a powerful and innovative story, written in an accessible and engaging style. A brief synopsis from Wikipedia:

Twelve-year-old Jamie discovers a strange place in his hometown in which mysterious and demonic entities, known only as Them, are playing a board game with the entire world. Upon his discovering Them, They are forced to make Jamie a Homeward Bounder; this means he must constantly travel from world to world until he finds his home again. Homeward Bounders cannot die, and must not interfere with Play. If he can reach his home he may stay, and re-enter play. No-one is allowed to interfere directly with the Homeward Bounders; for example, if someone were to attempt to hurt or steal from Jamie, that person would die mysteriously.

What affected me most about the story was the ending - can't tell you about it of course because that would spoil it for those of you haven't read the book so you'll just have to try it for yourself!

The Chrestomanci Series

2011-08-09T11:38:00.000+01:00

Well today I am going to write about Diana Wynne Jones' books in the Chrestomanci Series.

The stories take place on several Earth-like worlds. On some worlds magic is experienced by everyone, on others only some folks have the power. Chrestomanci is a powerful enchanter, the person with the strongest magic and his job is to monitor magical use across the worlds, like a kind of magical policeman. Chrestomanci itself is a title not the name of a particular person. In Diana's books we know of three Chrestomancis: Benjamin Allworthy is the earliest named Chrestomanci, followed by Gabriel de Witt and then Christopher Chant. In the books Charmed Life and The Pinhoe Egg we also meet Eric, 'Cat' Chant, who is training to become the next Chrestomanci after Christopher Chant.
In these stories people have a spiritual double somewhere on one of the other worlds, so every single person has a twin-self, all except Chrestomanci. There is always only one Chrestomanci, but he always has nine lives, like cats are reputed to have. Gabriel deWitt learned how to separate one of his nine lives and keep it safe somewhere away from himself and so all subsequent Chrestomancis do this. Christopher Chant keeps one of his nine lives in his wife's gold engagement ring, which is really rather sweet!
The Chrestomanci stories are full of foolery, adventure, weird and interesting characters. Diana could write funny, she could write slapstick and daft things, she could write wonder and scary and amazing. The Chrestomanci books contain all these elements; they are gripping, funny and wonder-full.

Charmed Life
"Cat and Gwendolen were orphans, and when an old friend of their father's, the mysterious Chrestomanci, came visiting and offered to adopt them, Gwendolen, who was already studying Advanced Magic, knew that she was destined for Great Things - for hadn't the Fortune-Teller predicted that one day she'd rule the world? Cat, who had never been able to manage turning brass buttons to gold, wasn't so sure he was going to enjoy his new life. But then what he thought didn't count for much. Ancient and turreted, Chrestomanci Castle was every bit as grand as Gwendolen had hoped. But there were disappointments. No butler opened the door to her, no lavish banquets were given in her honour. Instead, she and Cat had to do lessons in the schoolroom with Chrestomanci's two children, and worse of all she was forbidden to practice magic except under supervision. In fact, she wasn't being treated with the respect she deserved, and she very quickly decided to do something about that. It was difficult for Cat, who clung to his unpredictable sister as the only familiar person left in his life, especially when he guessed that Gwendolen was planning to go to far, and he didn't see how he could stop her. He didn't realise, though, quite how ambitious Gwendolen's ultimate plan was, nor how closely he himself was involved in it." (Fansite)

The Magicians of Caprona
"In the Italian Dukedom of Caprona, the houses of Montana and Petrocchi control everything magical, watched over by its magnificent guardian statue, the Angel. But the families have been feuding for years so when all the spells that are meant to vanquish the threat of war from other city-states all start going wrong--each predictably blames the other. It is only when the young Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchi suddenly disappear that rumours of a White Devil who threatens the Angel of Caprona are taken seriously. Family differences must be cast aside to save the day from an evil enchanter, and lives cannot be saved without the involvement of the magic man they call Chrestomanci." (Amazon)

Witch Week
"Someone in 6B is a witch. And, in the alternate reality described in Diana Wynne Jones's Witch Week, that's not at all a good thing to be. Jones plunks her readers directly into the life of Larwood House, a school in a present-day England that's a lot like the world we know, except for one major difference: witches are everywhere, and they are ruthlessly hunted by inquisitors." (Good Reads)

The Lives of Christopher Chant
"The novel tells the story of Christopher Chant's childhood. Although both of his parents are powerful practitioners of magic, the two are constantly at loggerheads; The only escape that Christopher has is through his dreams, in which he is able to escape to other worlds. While he is not the only person with this ability, seemingly no one is able to do it so easily as he. The fact that he can bring things back from these "spirit trips" makes him immensely valuable to his Uncle Ralph, a scheming silver-tongued businessman. He is soon caught up in a series of "experiments," supposedly to test his talents. In reality, they are to fetch a series of highly illegal goods (from mermaid meat to dragon's blood), for sale at the highest prices on a magical black market. He is accompanied on these trips by Tacroy, a guide arranged by his uncle." (wikipedia)

Conrad's Fate
"Unless you put right what you did wrong in your previous life -- and put it right now -- you are going to be horribly and painfully dead before the year's out."
"Someone at the mysterious Stallery Mansion is pulling the possibilities. At first only small details change -- the color of the mailboxes, the titles of books -- but the changes keep getting bigger and bigger. It's up to Conrad Tesdinic, a twelve-year-old with truly terrible karma, to find the person behind it all." (Google Books)

The Pinhoe Egg
"Set directly after the short story Carol O'Neir's Hundredth Dream, The Pinhoe Eggcentres on young Cat from Charmed Life. Chrestomanci himself (Christopher Chant) makes several telling appearances, whether in a beautiful suit or in one of many lovingly described dressing gowns. The one which seems to be made of peacock feathers particularly stands out.

Also appearing are the other occupants of Chrestomanci Castle, and some great new characters, including a griffin, a unicorn, and a young witch, Marianne.

For fans, this book is a wonderful return to old friends. It is full of resonance and reminders of other Chrestomanci books. At the same time, there is no reason why it should not be a glorious introduction for new readers to the worlds of Chrestomanci or the worlds of DWJ. It is funny, hugely enjoyable, and the necessary background bits are explained simply and unobtrusively. There's even an added bonus of a short introduction by DWJ." (Fansite)

Mixed Magics
"An anthology of four short stories, featuring Chrestomanci and many familiar friends and worlds from the novels. The titles are: Warlock at the Wheel, The Sage of Theare, Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream and Stealer of Souls. Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream has never been published in the UK before. Stealer of Souls is a long-awaited, completely new, never previously published story." (Amazon)

Diana Wynne Jones week

2011-08-08T14:37:00.002+01:00

This week is Diana Wynne Jones week at Stories from the Web

Photo: REX FEATURES

Diana wrote the most wonderful books for children and teenagers. Her books are exciting, scary, funny, fantastical, interesting, puzzling, full of amazing ideas and whole new worlds. Worlds of magic, worlds you want to climb into and visit, worlds you never want to leave, worlds you are glad only exist in a book. And the people! Diana's characters are some of the nicest, funniest, magical, marvellous, unusual characters you could ever wish to read about. I never met Diana Wynne Jones, but I think that she must have been a very wise person, like a female Gandalf and that wisdom somehow comes across in her books.

I don't think that I have ever read a book by Diana that I didn't love to read. She is the most perfect person to read over the summer holidays because she has written enough brilliant stories to keep even a really, really fast reader like me entertained for 6 weeks.

So this week I am going to write about Diana, write about some of her books, talk about the ones I have read recently and the ones that I have waiting to be read. I will try and bring you a round-up of Diana links from other places on the internet.

Diana Wynne Jones died on 26th March, 2011. Let's go and explore some of the worlds she left behind...

Runelight

2011-08-04T14:08:00.002+01:00

Only 91 days till Runelight publishes!

The Joanne Harris Website - Runelight: About the Book: "Runelight is the second book of what (with luck) may turn out to be the Runemarks series, a fantasy set in a world that bears some similarity to our own, assuming our civilization had been shaped, not by the Romans, but by the Viking invaders instead.
I started Runemarks as a bedtime story for my daughter. It’s different to my “other” books, and it was published as a children’s novel, though that’s not quite how I see it. I think of these books as tales for all ages, which is terrific, because Runemarks fans are an interesting lot, defying categorization. They are also quite a vocal lot (as I’ve found from my message board), and to them I offer my heartfelt apologies that the sequel to Runemarks has taken so long for me to finish. As some of you already know, I left a lot of loose ends untied. I left my heroes on the brink of disaster, having narrowly escaped the End of the Worlds, but homeless, mostly powerless, bereaved and bloody, but unbowed."

Oh! I cannot wait! And if you haven't read Runemarks, and you love reading...then what are you waiting for?!!

Forever Fixed in My Mind!

2011-08-03T10:58:00.007+01:00

I'm a great fan of stop motion animation, so it's been really exciting to see a new example of this art coming to life, as is the case of the visual treat that Maggie Stiefvater's new animated trailer for her latest and final book, 'Forever' in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy has to offer.

This is a beautiful, cleverley crafted stop motion animated book trailer using hundreds of cut outs, so that the wolves move seamlessly across a bookshelf, dancing and darting in perfect unison to a perfectly matched, musical, dreamlike accompaniment. The paper birds floating away from the shelf are just magical! It's a great video and a brilliant way to entice new readers of the series to get involved and check out her books!

Wayne's Musings

2011-08-02T09:45:00.001+01:00

Read this fascinating post by the Red Avenger about what digital books and the closing of school libraries might mean to children and authors...

Wayne's Musings: "Then it got me thinking – next term – our library won’t be there. How will we discover our writers if they have nothing to inspire them? Researching the Internet is useful, but we need physical books to stimulate us. I began to see the scenario that Andy was on about. There will be no writers, because there will be no school libraries. Sure there will be Kindles and digital books but will all these books just be forgotten about?. Like songs you have deleted off your iPod as there is no more room? Will the great authors of today be the last or will we evolve? I don’t know – perhaps I am painting a desperate picture but I cannot see how losing libraries in schools will benefit our kids in the long run. It will be a sad day when books themselves stop being printed – I’m sure it will happen as technology and our lives change but this is far too early to begin that process, surely?" Read more...

An interview with Julia Donaldson

2011-08-01T10:03:00.001+01:00

This is an interview with New Children's Laureate, Julia Donaldson from Stories from the Web.

Who are your favourite children's authors/poets/illustrators?

"Authors (in alphabetical order): Alan Ahlberg, Laurence Anholt, Raymond Briggs (who is also an illustrator), Eleanor Farjeon, Eva Ibbotson, Dick King Smith, Arnold Lobel, Geraldine McCaughrean, A.A. Milne, E. Nesbit, Mary Norton.
Illustrators: My favourite is the wonderful Axel Scheffler. Others, in alphabetical order are: Patrick Benson, Quentin Blake, Anna Currey, Lydia Monks, Tony Ross, Nick Sharratt, Joel Stewart, Charlotte Voakes."

What is the most unusual place you have read a book in?

A tree.
Why did you decide to write children's books?
I didn't exactly decide. It was decided for me, when one of my songs, "A Squash and a Squeeze" was made into a book. After that I got the bug.

If you weren't a writer, what else would you be?

A teacher or an actress.
To read the rest of the interview and read an extract of The Giants and the Joneses, log in to Stories from the Web.

image of Julia's book on Stories from the Web

To find out more about becoming a member of Stories from the Web click here.

A Conversation with Toby Frost | The Solitary Bee

2011-07-29T12:06:00.001+01:00

I adore Philip Reeve. I love his books and I enjoy reading his various blogs, websites and Facebook stuff. Anyway, he has a great little internet 'newspaper' called The Solitary Bee which has all sorts of interesting posts. And today I came across this:
A Conversation with Toby Frost | The Solitary Bee
Which is fantastic because I think that I am really going to enjoy Toby's books - it is so great when the internet hands you a new author to check out!

And talking of new authors, this book from Phil Earle called Being Billy looks as if it is going to be a good one, I'll try and get a copy to review....

The Greatest Show on Earth!

2011-07-26T14:22:00.000+01:00

Our Greatest Show on Earth site has been getting lots of hits and lots of children sending in reviews playing the games or entering the competition.
If you love the Circus get along to The Eden Project in Cornwall because over the summer they are hosting nofitstate Circus in a beautiful new show called Labyrinth. As well as some amazing performers for you to watch, there are also some exciting circus skills workshops, including stilt-walking, juggling, clowning and tightwire walking!
Anyway, to give you a taster of what is in store check out this video of trapeeze artist Lyndall Merry, who is one of the amazing and talented circus stars who will be appearing in Labyrinth in the summer...

Deliberating Dinosaurs

2011-07-22T15:07:00.010+01:00

Nicole's drawing Dinosaurs! Why you ask? Well, we need to revamp the graphics and game play in a Dino game we've already got on our websites as an add on to Dinosaur Pox by Jeremy Strong. So it got us thinking, how many Dinosaurs can we name. I realised I'm pretty rubbish at this, so I've had to dig deep and cast my mind back to the only reference I can think help me, the film. 'Jurassic Park.' Some of you may remember that memorable scene where a giant T-Rex swoops down on a unsuspecting visitor to the toilet cubicle and eats him, whole, in the pouring rain! I can even remember some of the audience in the cinema cowering behind chairs at that point.

Anyway that aside here goes, here's my measly contribution:
T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontasaurus, Velociraptor and that lesser known one, the one in the films they always had to hide from, DoYouThinkHeSaurus!! (the team are shouting terrible as I write that one!)

Yup that's pathetic, even Harry from Ian Whybrow's, 'Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs' would be able to do better than that, so I'm sure you can all send in your list of Dinosaur names and beat me hands down. Go on you know you can!!

2011-07-21T14:20:00.003+01:00

This is a really beautiful app from Moonbot Studios. This is the first think I have come across that makes me think I would like to own an iPad device.

The story was authored by Willian Joyce who is an accomplished illustrator and animator.

Cake!

2011-07-19T10:38:00.001+01:00

Very excited about this cupcake collection! Made by Nicole, who came all the way from Germany to work with us and now, after 6 months and is just about to leave again! So to thank US (we should be thanking her!) she made cup-cakes for is all! With flags and chocolate chips! Woohoo!

Scream Street 12 - Tommy Donbavand

2011-07-18T10:43:00.007+01:00

Again ..... a brilliant video trailer by Tommy Donbavand:

Stories from the Web will be working with Tommy later in the year - heading towards halloween and the launch of Tommy's Scream Street 13 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Stories from the Web - The Movie!

2011-07-15T13:10:00.001+01:00

This is a short film demonstrating the new SftW schools website. It mostly has the same great content as the libraries site, but looks pretty radically different!

I would love to read your thoughts about it....

A Drop of Digital Ink Inspires Thousands of Children to Create Stories

2011-07-14T13:15:00.003+01:00

"Words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think." Lord Byron

Out of the tsunami of closures and crises facing UK libraries, a new company, Digital Ink Drop, is providing a lifeline designed to generate fervour for reading and writing amongst children and young people.

For over ten years, Stories from the Web, part of the digital offer for UK libraries has, through its website, inspired thousands of children to be passionate readers and creative writers. The financial crisis in UK libraries has led to the creation of two new subscription based Stories from the Web sites, for families and schools, managed by Digital Ink Drop (www.digitalinkdrop.org), a not for profit company.

Digital Ink Drop works with scores of children’s authors, illustrators, poets and publishers to provide digital book extracts, interactive games and writing activities on its websites. The ethos of the sites is to use technology and online resources as a tool to get children reading. Research has shown that children who read for pleasure are more likely to achieve academically¹; and for reluctant readers engaging with words through digital technology can be inspirational.

“I think it’s a beautiful website, I could live in it I like it that much.” Laura, young user of the website

“What a treasure trove! So many wonderful things to look at, read and explore at Stories from the Web. I was so excited when I saw other people had written more Morris the Mankiest Monster poems. What a treat!” Sarah McIntyre, Award Winning author and illustrator

“Inspiring ideas for writing and learning new skills as well as encouraging more reading” UK librarian

The Stories from the Web site was developed by Birmingham Library Service and partners in the late 1990s to engage children in online reading and writing activities and to develop their ICT skills. The site has undergone content review and development incorporating new initiatives, such as a yearly supplementary site for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge; an early years project to develop a site for under sevens; and a creative workshop programme for Looked After Children with special needs.

The Incredible Book Spinner!

2011-07-13T14:07:00.006+01:00

When I was younger I went to see The Harlem Globetrotters live. They were amazingly skillful, doing all sorts if acrobatic tricks with basketballs, ranging from spinning one, or several balls at the same time on the tips of their fingers and then effortlessly throwing them to each from opposite ends of the arena, catching them mid air on their other fingers while they span!

So when we happened upon Michael from Erdington Library, spinning not basketballs, but books (Wow!!) inbetween ushering families into the Peely Wally Stories from the Web session at the recent Birmingham Young Readers Book Bash event, we seized upon the chance to capture his fantastic skills and give you the chance to try bookspinning for yourselves.

You won't be able to stop yourself trying to balance and spin your book of choice after watching Michael's brilliant demonstration of how to spin books using Morris the Mankiest Monster by Giles Andreae and Sarah McIntyre as an example. We'll be posting more videos of Michael's bookspinning skills in the near future so watch this space. All I can say is good luck, it's trickier than you think!

Shaun Tan mural | The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

2011-07-07T08:09:00.001+01:00

I was hanging around on the The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log when I came across a post about this amazing Shaun Tan mural

Shaun Tan Mural

Forbidden writes: "I was trying to think on something insightful and amazingly cultured to say about this amazing public artwork by Shaun, but I think I am simply going to have to settle for a succinct but heartfelt ‘wow’… Imagine being a kid in the library and seeing this across your wall, wouldn’t that spark off all sorts of wonderful ideas in your young mind?"

Well yes, I think it would. Shaun Tan is just the most amazingly talented and thoughtful artist. Check out his website here.

Patrick Ness - A Monster Calls

2011-07-04T11:17:00.013+01:00

We are very pleased to announce that Patrick Ness is our new featured author on Stories from the Web (Library Site) in the 11+ area.
We have the first chapter of 'A Monster Calls', written by Patrick and illustrated by the brilliant Jim Kay. The story was the idea of Siobhan Dowd who unfortunately died of breast cancer before the book was penned.

Patrick has also written a new Story Start specially for Stories from the Web, to be used in a competition to win a signed copy of 'A Monster Calls'. So get your brain in gear and enter our 'A Monster Calls' competition.

There is also a brilliant interview with Patrick and his editor Denise all about 'A Monster Calls' in Publisher's Weekly.

Grahame Baker-Smith Wins Kate Greenaway Medal 2011

2011-06-28T13:52:00.007+01:00

Wonderful news that Grahame Baker-Smith has won the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Grahame was our featured author recently with an extract from FArTHER.
We are very pleased for Grahame.

Grahame says " Thank you very much for your congratulations and all the support you have given FArTHER on Stories from the Web, a fab site!"

Patrick Ness Loves Libraries

2011-06-23T17:09:00.001+01:00

Patrick Ness is going to be our featured author in July with his brand new book, A Monster Calls. Very exciting.
He also has just been announced as the winner of the Carnegie Prize! Well done to Patrick.
On top of all that, he has just featured in a really interesting article in The Guardian that is really worth reading.

Trailer for Monsters of Men

Nnedi Okorafor

2011-06-21T15:32:00.005+01:00

Matt, over at books and adventures has written a really interesting post about Nnedi Okorafor, a wonderful African/American writer who won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in 2008 for her novel, Zahrah the Windseeker.

If you love reading fantasy fiction then I highly recommend the The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi, which by coincidence I just finished reading at the weekend. The book starts in a future Africa which is part of an Earth that is reeling after something called the Great Change, when science and magic became merged, and portals have opened to other planets and dimensions. Fantasy is about imagination of course, but most of the fantasy I (and most probably, you) have read has been written with inspiration from a western mythological background. Even where the story might have used other cultural inspirations, (Neil Gaiman's Anancy Boys comes to mind) there is a strong element of western culture infusing the work. So it is really interesting and exciting to read a fantasy novel that takes it's inspiration from a wholly different culture to my own.

Nnedi's The Shadow Speaker is a wonderful book, full of amazing characters, strange landscapes and adventures and a wholly absorbing storyline. I am going to read all her other works now and recommend that you try Shadow Speaker for yourselves. You will be enthralled.

Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

2011-06-20T12:10:00.003+01:00

There are some books that are like time-travel machines. Just opening the book and reading the first line or paragraph is all it takes to be transported to another time and place. With books like these, you don't want to leave either. Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne is one of those books.

" Cerys is dead. Her hot head lies in my lap, but already her skin cools in the damp air. We lie, her corpse and I, with the other slaves in the cold, dark curve of the roundhouse wall.

She was my only friend.

She won't be the last to die this night. I know that death is coming for us all, riding in on the snow-wind that howls louder than the wolves. I know it where it counts: in my bones and guts; death will be here soon."

from Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

Set in Britain, in the 1st century CE, Wolf Blood follows the fortunes of Trista, a Brigantian warrior turned slave, who escapes her captives and falls in with a part Roman, part British legionary called Morcant. Through a series of adventures Morcant and Trista travel together across a war-bound ancient Britain, trying to evade the Romans who are hunting them both, and trying to find sanctuary with friendly Kelts. Their troubles are compounded because Trista is a seeress as well as a warrior; her visions of a bloody future increasingly cripple her. Meanwhile, Morcant discovers that he is a shape-shifter, part man, part wolf. Both of them must come to terms with their dangerous talents during the course of the journey.

I wish I could tell you the whole story because it is a thrilling one, but I would not want to spoil one tiny bit of this fantastic book. Some of the characters in the book are actual people from Britain's early history. Some, like the druids, are more characters from legend, although they too have a basis in historical fact. What is so lovely about this book is that it blends historical fact with deep imagination so well that the characters of Morcant the shape-shifter and Trista the visionary seem very believable. Perhaps in the dark days of Britain's ancient past such things could have happened.
I loved the character of Trista. A young woman who could hold her own in most situations, battle-trained and tough she is a very modern character in many ways. Morcant too, essentially a gentle soul when he is a man, perhaps even a little weak, when he teams up with his wolf-self he becomes a strong, if emotional ally to Trista. Both characters, male and female, can fight and defend themselves, both characters can feel love and concern for another, both struggle with their deeper, more emotional or spiritual natures, Morcant with his wolf-self, Trista with her visions.

This book was written by an author who thinks. An author who has done some really good research to evoke a strong picture of the ancient world. And most of all, an author who is a gifted storyteller, taking the reader back in time to a place of great danger, mystery and wonder. I am now going to have to go off and get every book she has ever written. Thankfully there are quite a few:
Warriors of Ethandun
Shadow Web
Basilisk
Warriors of Alavna
Hunted
Warriors of Camlann
The Story of Stone

Wolf Blood is published in July 2011 by Bloomsbury.

New 'Egg Stories' Revealed!!!!!!!!

2011-06-15T11:34:00.009+01:00

Hi all,
This has just gone live!!

6 mad stories from the Book Bash Activities which
Stories from the Web ran at Aston Hall, Birmingham.

The sessions were a real hit with everyone, we all made a section of the story and these were then hung on a washing line and the full story created!

WOW! Some amazingly inventive ideas!! Well done everyone who took part!!

Thanks to Kali Stileman, Red Fox & Random House for permissions.

Mortlock

2011-06-13T13:55:00.005+01:00

I have just finished reading Mortlock by Jon Mayhew, published by Bloomsbury.
It was really, really good!
Scary, exciting and really gothic. The book begins with three companians, Mortlock, Corvis and Chrimes, who go on an expedition to find a flower called the Amarant, which is reputed to bring power over life and death. When they find the plant they are overwhelmed by the sense of power emanating from it and decide to swear a blood oath not to dig it up or tell anyone where it is hidden. The book then flicks forward several years to tell the story of Josie, who works in a circus as a knife-thrower and magician's assistant and Alfie, who works for an undertaker. These two children find themselves caught up in the ongoing story of the Amarant, a horror story as it turns out.

This is a really delicious and scary book. There are murders, zombies, ghuls and ghosts. A circus of the Dead, a lonely mansion on the edge of a dangerous marsh, graveyards, mysteries and a secret journal. Each chapter is headed by a quote from various creepy, gruesome, or strange old folk ballads and some of the characters have the most fantastic names, like Scrabsnitch, Gimlet and Wiggins. There is a lot of humour in the book too. In fact I think this is one of the most enjoyable children's books I have read for ages. If you want really excellent, creepy, exciting bed-time reading... get reading this!

Birmingham Bookbash

2011-06-10T09:55:00.001+01:00

Stories from the Web was supporting the Birmingham Book Bash again this year with a series of workshops inspired by the book Peely Wally by Kali Stileman.

Over 80 children took part in the workshops, lead by Xaos who turned out to be a master-storyteller! The children created pages of drawings imagining the adventures of Peely Wally's egg. These drawings were all put together to make one enormous story that saw the egg take a train journey, avoid sharks, go into outer-space, travel to the future and many other remarkable exploits.

Each year Birmingham Libraries present two fantastic days of events at Aston Hall with an exciting line-up of top children's authors, poets and storytellers plus fun activities, entertainment and magic. This year comic artists the Etherington Brothers (The Dandy), numerical wizard Kjartan Poskitt (Murderous Maths), potty poet Chris White (Never Give a Duck a Pen!) and author and illustrator Paul Geraghty (Rotten and Rascal) were giving fantastic talks and shows.

New Children's Laureate

2011-06-07T15:01:00.003+01:00

Julia Donaldson is the new Children's Laureate. She is best known for her collaborations with illustrator Axel Scheffler; The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, Zog and The Snail and The Whale. You can read an interview with Julia on Stories from the Web and read an extract from The Giants and the Joneses. (Remember to sign in to Stories from the Web first)

Image copyright unknown.

She seems very keen to support the work of children's libraries as part of her Laureateship, and says,
"I'd love to do a libraries tour from Lands End to John O'Groats. Maybe I'll be able to talk to the minister of culture and persuade the government to have some kind of overall plan because at the moment I feel all the library cuts and closures are very piecemeal, so I'll do what I can."

Julia is the seventh Children's Laureate, following on from Anthony Browne. The first Laureate was Quentin Blake in 1999, followed by followed by Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-7), Michael Rosen (2007-2009) and Anthony Browne (2009-11).

Visit the Children's Laureate blog.

Lynne Chapman

2011-06-03T09:58:00.003+01:00

I have just spent a very happy half hour (when I was supposed to be working!) looking at the illustrations of Lynne Chapman. (Mermaid is on her way to pick Lynne up from the train as she has come into Birmingham to visit a school for the Birmingham Book Bash.)

Oo, those illustrations are lovely!

Check out her flickr sketchbooks.

David Calcutt Podcast

2011-06-02T14:44:00.004+01:00

Listen to an interview with David, writer of the very scary novel, Shadow Bringer. In the interview David talks about his interest in myth and legend, some of his favourite books and authors and gives some great advice on becoming a writer.

Stories from the Web Podcasts

2011-05-26T14:10:00.004+01:00

Stories from the Web are going to be posting a series of interviews with authors as part of our very own podcast!
We have been interviewing authors who have been visiting Birmingham as part of the Birmingham Young Readers festival.
One of our regular young contributers, Arianne, from Ireland, wrote in to ask if SftW members could ask questions for the authors too. So we said "yes."
To hear Arianne's question and listen to the reply, listen to an extract of our first audio interview with author Ali Sparkes, winner of the Blue Peter 'Book I Couldn't Put Down' Award.

Listen now.

Monthly Short Story Writing Competition

2011-05-25T15:52:00.003+01:00

OK - it's time to get writing (again)!
Bloomsbury Publishers run a monthly writing competition:
Loving fiction 24/7, creating stories in 247 words.
Each month there is a new theme and the winner will receive £75 of Bloomsbury books and a framed copy of their story.
This month's competition closes on the 30th May.
The theme is FLIGHT and Gennifer Choldenko is this month's guest author.
If you miss this month's, then June is just around the corner!!
247tales.com

World's Favourite Character from the Harry Potter Books

2011-05-24T11:52:00.008+01:00

Wizard? Muggle? Dementor? - Who would you choose??????
Bloomsbury have launched the first official global search to find the world's favourite character from the Harry Potter books.
Hop on over to their website and vote for yours:

(I think mine would have to be Mad-Eye Moody)

Young Readers Birmingham

2011-05-19T15:42:00.004+01:00

The 2011 Young Readers Birmingham event is nearly upon us. Birmingham Children's Libraries have rustled up a fantastic selection of events and author visits - as usual.

Next week they have several authors visiting schools in the area. It is great for us at Stories from the Web because we get to meet all these lovely people when they roll up to Central Library for lunch. We usually pounce on them and ask for interviews and bless them no-one has ever refused.

This year, and rather excitingly, we are interviewing 4 authors for a podcast that I HOPE will go live on this blog next week. I will be talking to Andrew Peters author of Ravenwood, David Calcutt author of Shadow Bringer and Juliet Clare Bell who wrote Don't Panic Annika while Mechanimate will be talking to award winning author Ali Sparkes.

Watch This Space .....

A Library is many things...

2011-05-16T09:01:00.004+01:00

There is a lovely website called Letters of Note, which is a catalogue of letters written by famous people. In 1971, a librarian in Troy, Michigan, USA, asked a selection of well-known people to write open letters to the youngsters in her town, to encourage them to visit the library. The letters she got back are displayed on the website.

My favourite is this one from Issac Asimov:

16 March 1971

Dear Boys and Girls,

Congratulations on the new library, because it isn't just a library. It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the Universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you---and most of all, a gateway, to a better and happier and more useful life.

(Signed, 'Isaac Asimov')

Visit Letters of Note here. You can also visit the Troy Library website and read all 97 letters that were sent in.

Interestingly, Troy Library is also battling potential closure.

Gaiman For Doctor Who!

2011-05-13T19:45:00.017+01:00

Well how excited am I. I'm like a kid in a candy shop! I've been a Doctor Who fan since I was knee high to a grasshopper back in the day when Jon Pertwee, with his fluffy velvet jacket, his beloved yellow Bessie and a flying Hover car was The Doctor. Now with Matt Smith firmly entrenched as the 21st century Doctor with his quirky, quick witted and inimitable style, we're in for a real treat with a mysterious and intriguing titled episode, 'The Doctor's Wife,' written none other than by Neil Gaiman. a classic sci-fi author. Neil's penned brilliant stories like, 'Stardust' and 'The Sandman' series of graphic novels. For younger readers he's written award winning, 'The Graveyard Book' and 'Coraline,' which was turned into a 3d stop motion animated film in 2009.

I've only seen the trailers so far, but it looks set to become a classic episode, one that that'll be revered in Whovian mythology for years to come. It's got a new Timelord, extra rooms we've never seen in the Tardis before and a story that's eagerly anticipated to be one of the best, so I'm sure Dr Who fans the world over will not be disappointed!

New Book on site!

2011-05-10T13:52:00.005+01:00

I have had a lot of fun putting up the first chapter of The King Herself, written by Tony North.

It is a fantastic story suitable for good readers of nine and above and chronicles the adventures of Danny and Kate who time-travel to ancient Egypt and to the kingdom of one of the Ancient World's greatest monarchs, Hatshepsut, King of Egypt, and a woman.
Hatshepsut was a real historical character, who eventually declared herself King after the death of her husband, Thutmose II.
Not only is this a fun story, but the book is crammed full of really interesting facts. Tony North, the author, is a member of the Manchester Ancient Egypt society, and his knowledge and passion for his subject sings out of every page.
It is an unusual book, but well worth a read, especially for historical fiction fans or anyone interested in Egypt of the past. Check out Tony's webpage which is also crammed with information about ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and the Romans in Britain.

Fee Comic Book Day

2011-04-28T08:44:00.008+01:00

It's nearly here!!!
Crazy for Comics, Mad for Manga - then FCBD is for you!!
Every year on the first Saturday in May comic books are given out free at many comic shops throughout the world. This year FCBD falls on Saturday 7th May.

Check to see if your local comic book shop is taking part.
There are some great comics being given away this year including:

For more information check out the FCBD website.

When Titus Took the Train

2011-04-27T15:52:00.009+01:00

Fantastic bit of animation
by Sarah McIntyre and Anne Cottringer
to advertise their new book
When Titus Took the Train

Download a free Titus Adventure Board game here
Also see how the video was made!!

Member's writing

2011-04-19T07:59:00.002+01:00

This is a lovely poem sent in to us yesterday from Chloe in Northern Ireland:
Up comes his tail,
from the glistening wave
Surfing and swimming in the crest
trying to behave

His mother had warned him
not to wander too far
that the ocean was filled
with many things that can scar

But he did not listen
he wanted to play
so he swam through the ocean
all the night and the day

He was unaware of the danger
that lay just ahead
until it was to late
he was filled with such dread

He was caught in a net
he didn't know what to do
He was scared for his life
and his mother's too

He screamed and he echoed
he tossed and he turned
The more that he moved
the more he was doomed

Then all of a sudden
he knew he was saved
His savior had arrived
and he knew to be brave

She was so beautiful
a creature that was so rare
It was a glorious mermaid
come to show him sweet care

She removed a large shell
from her gorgeous blonde hair
And started to cut and saw
at the net that was there

At last he was free
never to wander again
to remember his mother
and the words she had said

The dolphin was grateful
For the love she had shown
He knew he was lucky
And he would never be alone

The mermaid led the way
to the place he wanted to be
he knew he was safe
and would continue to be free

They swam away together
being careful not to roam
He knew where she was going
to his mother...his home.

Flipping good trailer

2011-04-14T15:34:00.004+01:00

Ooo, I like the look of this!

It is the new book from Martyn Bedford, published by Walker books. Great trailer and an interesting concept.

Artemis Fowl a Rolling Stone?

2011-04-11T12:02:00.010+01:00

There is a great interview with Eoin Colfer in the Independent in which he says:
"If J K (Rowling) was the Beatles, I was the Rolling Stones"
Nice.
Here is a trailer for Artemis Fowl book 7 - The Atlantis Complex

In fact the article was exploring the notion that Artemis Fowl is the Anti Hero to Harry Potter's Good Boy Hero. I agree. I've always said that if I was at Hogwarts then I'd want to be in Slytherin House. (And of course it's emblem is the snake, which is just a Dragon without wings....)
I love, love, love the Artemis Fowl books. My favourite character though has to be Butler. He is so cool!
Anyway, the very last Artemis Fowl Book is due to be published in 2012...boo. Still I guess all good things come to an end.

The Artemis Fowl website is really fun, but be warned, it does take ages to load if you have a slow bandwidth

competition news

2011-04-07T11:43:00.005+01:00

Stories from the Web have got together with Bloomsbury to bring you a great competition to win a whole load of Wombles books and a fantastic Wombles bag!
Log in to Stories from the Web and enter the competition here. The competition is open to all Stories from the Web members up to age 11 and closes on 30th June 2011.

Becca Fitzpatrick, the author of Hush, Hush is offering readers the chance to name a character in her upcoming book, Silence. Becca's romatic fantasy books tell the story of immortals, fallen angels and humans

Visit her blog and suggest a name, here before Midnight on Friday May 6th 2011.

Alyxandra in the UK

2011-04-04T10:38:00.007+01:00

Alyxandra Harvey will be visiting the UK in May to promote her forthcoming book - Haunting Violet. Alyxandra is best known for her 'Drake Chronicles - My Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Feud and Out for Blood'.

Her new book (pub 4th July 2011) is a stand-alone novel, a chilling ghost story set in Victorian England.

Check out Alyxandra's website.

Dates and times of UK Tour.

Diana Wynne-Jones

2011-03-29T10:02:00.005+01:00

16 August 1934 - 26 March 2011

Diana Wynne-Jones was one of the most wonderful and significant writers for children. She studied English at Oxford University and was fortunate to attend lectures by J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. She was a brilliant writer whose books of fantasy and magic enthralled children and adults for over 30 years and will no doubt continue to do so for many, many years to come.

The official Diana Wynne-Jones fansite

New Alex Rider Trailer!

2011-03-21T10:44:00.006Z

So, will this be the end of Alex Rider?

"Alex Rider wants his life back. But when you're the world's most successful spy, there's only one way out. Alex's final mission will be the deadliest of all. Check out a sneak glimpse of what's to come in Scorpia Rising. "

Become an Alex Rider Insider at alexrider.com or on facebook

Henrietta Branford Writing Competition

2011-03-15T09:13:00.003Z

Okay, this is a competition that our brilliant young writers at Stories from the Web should have a great chance of winning! (You know who you are....)

(From the Website)
The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition is an annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the prestigious Branford Boase Award for debut children’s fiction which was set up in memory of the outstanding children’s writer Henrietta Branford and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books...Henrietta Branford felt that a children’s writing competition was an important way to find and encourage the writers of the future. Last year, there were hundreds of entries from all over the country, often thanks to the encouragement of teachers and school librarians. Kate Jones of Young Writer magazine judged the stories, based on a starter paragraph from the previous year’s Branford Boase Award winner, B R Collins. Sadly, Kate passed away in December 2010 but we wanted the writing competition to continue, so Nikki Gamble from Writeaway and the new ‘Just Imagine’ Story Centre in Chelmsford has stepped in to be the new judge for the competition for 2011, with a new starter paragraph from last year’s winner, Lucy Christopher.

You need to be under 19 years of age and resident in the UK (sorry Arianne) to enter the competition. All the pertinent details are here.

2011-03-14T10:23:00.003Z

Well, the folks at Stories from the Web are feeling just as exhausted as that owl after six months of development work on the new website, Stories from the Web Schools. It is a really great website though, and worth all the hard work I think. We will be at the Education Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Thursay, Friday and Saturday of this week, so if you are going, come along and visit us on stand P51 in Hall 6.

World Book Day

2011-03-02T09:33:00.002Z

World Book day is here again!

Below is a list of the £1 books. The Dr Seuss book is a single book but the others are all flip books - two books in one.

Dr Seuss on the Loose
Dr Seuss
HarperCollins

Age 5+ flip book
Gargoylz Make Some Noise Burchett & Vogler Random House Children’s Books		S.W.I.T.C.H Bug Battle Ali Sparkes Oxford University Press



Age 5+ flip book
Humphrey’s Tiny Tales: My TreasureHunt Trouble Betty Birney Faber & Faber		Winnie-the-Pooh World Book Day Special Edition A. A. Milne, illus. E H Shepard Egmont



Age 7+ flip book
The Great Pet Shop Panic Katie Davies Simon & Schuster		Spy Dog’s Got Talent Andrew Cope Puffin



Age 9+ flip book
Do Bugs Have Bottoms: and other important questions (and answers) from the Science Museum for World Book Day Glenn Murphy Macmillan Children’s Books		Evilution: The Troof – A Jiggy McCue story Michael Lawrence Orchard



Age 11+ flip book
Traction City Philip Reeve Scholastic Children’s Books		A Tale of Terror: A World Book Day Story Chris Priestley Bloomsbury

There will also be a bilingual book available only in Ireland for €1.50:

Fiacla Mhamó/Danny's Smelly Toothbrush
O’Brien Press

Hope you enjoy your books, remember you can review them at Stories from the Web.

Supporting Libraries

2011-02-24T08:10:00.007Z

We love Libraries - we love that you can go into a library and read the paper, an academic text, maps, a novel, discover your family history, share books with your children, surf the web, join a book group, borrow a film or music, read all the local notices about clubs and theatre and social events and more...

Arianne, age 12, from Ireland wrote this beautiful poem that expresses why we love libraries even better....

My natural habitat
Is between the shelves
Book upon book
Like tropical flowers
And wild creatures, waiting
To be discovered

I would rather have
My library cards
In my pocket
Than money
Like V.I.P passes
To an exclusive party

Not with people, but words
Lyrical stories,
Works of typed art
At my disposal
Free for me to peruse
At my leisure

As I walk the rows
I might spy a new title
Something amiss
In the well-worn pattern
And I am like a big cat
Pouncing on prey

There is nothing better
Than feeling the smooth roughness
Of new paper
Or the thumbed edges
Of an old favourite
Who would take that simple thing away?

I, for one, could not survive
Without the comfort
Of my home-away-from-home
Or without the smile
As you take out this week's treasures
From that place of wonder.

Children's Authors: Library Lending Statistics Stars

2011-02-18T14:06:00.004Z

Public Lending Right figures released today have shown that 7 out of the Top Ten Most Borrowed Authors in the UK are regular writers of children's books. Top of the list with more than 2 million loans is James Patterson, and although not classified as a children's author, is the author of the Maximum Ride series, previously featured on our 11+ area.
Narinder Dhami, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman and Sue Mongredien take up 2nd place under their pseudonym Daisy Meadows. Jacqueline Wilson came in at 4th place and was closely followed by Francesca Simon, Mick Inkpen and Julia Donaldson, whose book The Gruffalo was the Most Borrowed Children's Title. Finally in 9th and 10th respectively were Lauren Child and Terry Deary. All 8 appear on the SFTW bookshelf pages so be sure to log in and review your favourite titles of theirs, or read the extracts from Jacqueline Wilson, Francesca Simon or Julia Donaldson on the 7-11 area.

The PLR report also claims that almost 80% of children between the ages of 5 and 10 are making use of the UK's public libraries. A statement by Julia Donaldson within the report highlights that these statistics demonstrate how important libraries and the services they provide are for children.

Cool stuff... keep reading!

2011-01-21T13:50:00.000Z

Book Awards round-up

2011-01-18T08:03:00.006Z

Well with all the excitement and hard work launching the Stories from the Web Schools site, I have gotten a bit behind on my reading. This was brought home to me when I took a look at the Waterstones Children's Prize and realise that I haven't read any of the shortlisted books! Horrors!
I am working my way through the Carnegie Prize longlist at the moment though - 12 down, 48 to go!!! The problem is that I keep on getting distracted by fantastic books that are not on the list. However, three of my favourite books are on the longlist, Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes, which won the Teenage Bookprize this year, The Crowfield Curse by Pat Moon which was shortlisted for the Times and the Waterstones Children's Book Prizes and Lob by Linda Newbery. Both Unhooking the Moon and The Crowfield Curse were Featured Books on our 11+ website this year. Each one of these books sticks in my mind; each one contains wonderful characters and a gripping storyline. I recommend each of them very highly.

Jason Wallace's Out of Shadows is also on the Carnegie longlist and won the Costa 2010 award for Children's Fiction. I wouldn't be at all suprised if it won. It is the story of a young boy who moves from England to Africa, where he is sent to an awful boarding school. Boy! this is a tough book. The children are reaping the bitter rewards of the stupidity of the adults around them - racism, snobbery, and a kind of casual disregard for the emotional care of the children that leads to a casual cruelty amongst the pupils and teachers alike.

The book is brilliantly well written and is probably a very important novel for those who have the strength for it. For me, I must confess to cowardice, the book was too tough to read all the way through. I could see the horrors that were beginning to build for the boys quite early on in the book and I have to confess that I backed away and put the book down about halfway through. If you don't mind harrowing novels (I couldn't finish Morris Glietzman's Once either) then I recommend this book very highly. But, you have been warned!

All quiet on the Stories front....

2011-01-14T15:29:00.003Z

I hope you all had a splendid Christmas and New Year and got lots of presents and ate too much chocolate. I know I did!
Apologies for it being so very quiet on this blog over the holidays, we were working flat out on our sister website Stories from the Web Schools. Phew! We have just spent the week at the BETT show in Olympia launching the new site to the world - it has gone very well, everyone loves the site, but we are so tired!
So I am off to catch up on all my sleep now and will post again as normal from Monday. Until then I'd like to introduce you to our new mascot for Stories from the Web schools...

Isn't he great? (Or she, what do you think? And any suggestions for a name would be gratefully received)

Leaf Book!

2010-12-09T09:24:00.007Z

How cool is this...

I get to work this morning to find a satisfyingly fat package on my desk from the publisher Chicken House. I open it up and inside is ...
A book wrapped in a banana leaf!

Wow! It was so beautiful; the photo does not really do it justice. The banana leaf feels really silky but is incredibaly tough too. I loved the string and the label. I almost didn't want to open it up it was so nice, but then I thought, if the wrapping is this good, what is the book going to be like?

And here it is...

Well the cover looks good too. Still they say that you should'nt judge a book by it's cover so I am going to read it and let you know what I think.

Before I do, here is a synopsis from the publisher's blurb:

"Ark lives in a breath-taking world, carved out of the giant branches of a vast canopy of trees. A poor plumber's boy, he overhears a plot by a ruthless superpower to strip his forest island of it's precious wood, no rarer than gold. Ark is plunged into terrible danger; he must race from the highest treetops to the darkest, deepest roots of Ravenwood, to save his home and people."

The book is written by Andrew Peter's, who is a performance poet. So hopefully the writing with be very creative. I'll let you know...

2010-12-06T13:19:00.004Z

Today we had an interesting email from Lorraine Watchorn, an e-learning facilitator in New Zealand who is working with a couple of 9 year olds to write and publish 'pick a path' stories...

"Hello, I have been working alongside two 9 year old students who have written a pick a path story to the web. They would dearly love an audience and to receive feedback. They are keen to have their work published online so others can enjoy the fruits of their labour. This has been a project they have been working on since April."

Well, I was intrigued and had a look at the story - and it is really good!

A pick a path story is one where you choose from one of several chapter endings, each choice you make leads you down a different path of the story. They first became popular in the 1980's and 90's (I know, I was a fan!) with the Fighting Fantasy series of books written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.

Writing a story like this, with multiple endings, is quite an undertaking so it is all the more impressive that these two young people are not only having a go, but writing what is an interesting story. I started reading it and found myself several pages into the plot before I realised.

Go and have a read of their story yourself, but if you suffer from Hexakoasioihexekontahexaphobia, Necrophobia, Aquaphobia, or Climacophobia - Beware!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-22T14:38:00.013Z

Now don't get me wrong I'm a great fan of the Harry Potter books and movies so I had a certain level of expectation before going to see HP 7 Part 1 this weekend, but after two and three quarter hours I came away puzzled as to why I thought it was a good film, but not a great film! It's probably because I felt much the same when I first read the final Harry Potter book after a long build up, so my expectations were that seeing it onscreen might make me feel differently about it.

Sure enough, the opening with the now familiar music didn't disappoint. It was dramatic, with spectacular sky battles, cloning humour and special effects full of wispy Deatheaters, a slithering snake and Hagrid going full pelt on a motorbike with a sidecar, doing stunts in tunnels and along congested roads that acrobats in Cirque Du Soleil would have been proud of!

It wasn't that the film felt long because it didn't. It wasn't that there weren't any action sequences, there were plenty. It wasn't because it's not a good story, it is and it wasn't because it lacked humour as comedy was dished out in droves between major and minor characters. It wasn't even that acting heavyweights such as Alan Rickman, playing the role of Severus Snape didn't perform brilliantly, because for the little time he had onscreen he captivated you with his slow, but evil considered responses to 'he who must not be named' questions.

There was even heavy duty sadness mixed in to wrench at the heart strings plus it was good to see the action play out in locations other than Hogwarts, but even with all these ingredients thrown in the film felt somehow sluggish, even a little stilted and disjointed at times. Stunning as the locations were there's only so many helicopter panned camera shots you can stomach to try and bring alive tent scenes that don't really serve any purpose apart from padding the main story. They get you chomping at the bit because you feel cheated as the lightning pace had been set from the outset. It wasn't meant to be a slow, dawdling buddy road movie, instead you'd been treated to a momentous rollercoaster ride that was fast, to the point, cutting to the chase in what seemed like nanoseconds.

So to have these long laboured drawn out scenes of what was essentially glorified Horcrux map reading and mock soul searching between Harry, Ron and Hermione means you almost stop caring what their outcomes will be, which is a shame because the final showdown between Harry Potter, his supporters and Voldemort is worth waiting for, but one that should have kicked in during this film, rather than now having to wait until next Summer for the drama to really unfold!

Ghost stories

2010-11-16T13:00:00.003Z

This time of year, after Halloween and before the winter solstice is my favorite time of year for reading ghost stories. You can't beat the classics, anything by Wilkie Collins is good, very Victorian, very gothic.

Recently, I read 'light beneath ferns' by Anne Spollen. It is a young adult fiction novel, set in upstate New York, present day. The narrator, 14 year old Elizah has recently moved to a new town. She lives with her Mother on the edge of a graveyard, her Father, a gambler, has stolen money and abandoned them.
Elizah is not a mute, but she is very silent; disinclined to converse with school friends, her Mother or her school counsellor.
The book plays with your expectations a lot. I kept trying to second guess the story and hints given by the narrator suggest that Elizah and her Mother are not 'normal,' or that the townsfolk are strange. I began to think that everyone would turn out to be vampires, or werewolves or that the strangely nice and welcoming people in the town would turn out to be evil in some way. What actually happens is really surprising I think. As you read the story you begin to question Elizah's version of the world she sees around her.
The atmosphere in the book is brilliant. It starts in September and goes up to Christmas. As the world turns towards the dark and the cold so does the story's mystery unfold. It is the perfect story to read at this time of the year, curl up with a hot cocoa on a wild winter day and loose yourself in this wonderful ghost story.

Do you have a favorite ghost story? Leave a comment below, and I will add it to the Stories from the Web winter ghost stories list....

Halloween Hoopla

2010-11-09T13:11:00.006Z

The Halloween Hoopla! ends tomorrow.

Halloween Hoopla! was a fantastic Halloween styled web-event we ran over the half-term, with loads of activities for children from toddlers to teens. We also ran a couple of competitions, Draw a Spooky Dinner and Write a Spooky poem. We had over 60 Dinner drawings sent in and over 80 Spooky poems!
The competitions end tomorrow, so if you have had a go or run an activity during half-term, please get your entries in to us by the end of the week. Winners to be announced soon...

Written in the Stars!

2010-11-04T15:35:00.035Z

Funny the hold a great song about achieving your ambition can have over you. Tinie Tempah's, 'Written in the Stars' was playing on the radio recently and as I was miming the lyrics to it in my head I heard the line, "I'm just a writer from the ghetto like Malorie Blackman." The way this lyric is quoted doesn't do the song justice, because Tinie emphasises the end of the line as he raps it, cleverly singing 'black,' slight pause, then 'man', which works perfectly in the context of the song.

Apparently Tinie got his inspiration for that line from:

hearing that Malorie Blackman was also from Peckham like him and
from his sister who'd read and subsequently wowed about the concept in 'Noughts and Crosses,' a great book I read a few years ago, featuring the two main characters, Sephy and Callum who really hook you into the story.

Malorie said on Twitter she thought it was a great song and was thrilled to get a name check! Having read 'Hacker' as well and then hearing that song reminded me how good a writer Malorie Blackman is, so I had to check to see if she'd brought out any new books and I wasn't disappointed.

Her new book for older readers, 'Boys Don't Cry,' published at the end of last month is a powerful, intense and emotionally charged story that left me with a large lump in my throat at the end of the book. Malorie gets the voices and the intensity spot on so much so that I couldn't put it down. Even now I'm reeling from the story as it was so engaging and tangible I felt like I was in the house with Dante, Adam and their Dad, witnessing the events from a secret room as they unfolded. I second Tinie Tempah's sister's response. Wow!!

Unhooking the Moon wins!

2010-11-02T07:54:00.003Z

Greg Hughes won the Booktrust Teen Prize for Unhooking the Moon! Yee hay!

This was a book I loved so much, so I am extremely pleased to see that he won. The characters of the brother and sister, Bob and The Rat were just brilliant, Bob was brave and scared and stoical and kind to and in awe of his little sister, The Rat. And the Rat was just a wonderful, manic, damaged, funny, brilliant and memorable character. Possibly two of the most memorable child characters I have read in children's fiction.
Unhooking the Moon is Gregory Hughes' first novel. We featured it on the website back in May and we have an extract of it on the website along with an interview with Greg.
So, very happy here at Stories from the Web today.

Competition Winner

2010-11-01T11:40:00.006Z

Diedre Breen from Lurgan Library sent us this clipping from her local paper showing young Tiarnan being awarded his Stories from the Web certificate and prize by the Head of St Francis primary School, Mr McMorrow.

Tiarnan won our Morris the Mankiest Monster Competition with his poem called Max the Manky Monster

"Max the Manky Monster is famous
For swearing oaths
As well as that he loved to eat gigantic loaves
HE was funny he was clumsy
And had a big hairy bumsy
One day he went out to eat a baby
Instead he ate a little old lady
The next day he felt so bad
He was always known as "SAD"
And that was the end."

(I think the "hairy bumsy" clinched it! - dragonrider)

Sarah McIntyre, the illustrator of Morris the Mankiest monster has also blogged about the Stories from the Web competition here including a shout out to our very own Mr Barry Griffiths, A.K.A 'Xaos' who organised the whole shebang (chose the book, created the competition, designed the webpages, promoted the competition, chaired the choosing of the winner, sent out the prizes...).

Doctor Who Live!

2010-10-28T11:28:00.030+01:00

Recently I took my family to the Doctor Who live show at the NIA in Birmingham. It was a spectacular event, full of the scariest monsters from the TV series invading the audience, plus great music and stunning effects, including pyrotechnics with a new storytelling compere, Vorgenson and a video feed from The Doctor! It seems that some of our Stories from the Web visitors also loved it too.

Nicole, aged 12 from Dudley wrote:
'We went to see the Doctor Who Live Show in Birmingham - it was brilliant! There were Vampires, Scarecrows, Weeping Angels, Daleks, Cybermen, Clockwork Droids, Judoon and Silurians. There were loads of people there even though some seats were empty and it was SCARY with a capital S.'

With this in mind I've just read a brilliant new Doctor Who graphic novel, 'Doctor Who: The Only Good Dalek' by Justin Richards, featuring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, aka The Doctor and Amy Pond from the current series. It's got a clever, interesting story, told with dialogue and vivid illustrations that really bring the story alive. We've listed it on the 11-14 area of the website, definitely a new graphic novel worth checking out!

Justin Richards was one of the authors who came along to the Young Readers Birmingham Festival earlier this year. We managed to catch up with him there and get him to answer questions about his writing, which we now feature as an 11-14 author interview. He's also written a new full length Doctor Who book, 'Apollo 23,' which is also definitely worth checking out, along with his other books like, 'The Parliament of Blood.' Fantastic, as the ninth Doctor would say.

Website Up!

2010-10-26T10:18:00.002+01:00

Hey, we're back! So get those Halloween Hoopla pictures and competitions coming in!

Website down!

2010-10-25T14:42:00.003+01:00

Arrggghhh!

Our website hosting company seems to be having some problems today, so our website is crashing from time to time. And it is the start of our Halloween Half term Hoopla!
Don't give up, keep trying and I'm sure we will be back online soon....perhaps it's those Halloween gremlins, ghosts and witches at work!