Christmas Message from David Melling
It’s that magical time of year again! Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope Santa brings you lots of books!
Three Christmas reading tips:
1. Always make sure you’re sitting comfortably – preferably with a snowflake woolly jumper and bobble hat!
2. Make sure you have plenty of time before ‘lights out’ to read a Christmassy story that will carry on in your dreams (just be careful of the goblins – they’ll spoil everything given half a chance!)
3. Finally, never forget just how magical books are – the places they take you and the adventures you have… they’re so much fun!
16 December 2012
J.L. Smith's Top Ten Tips for an ABOMINABLY Successful Christmas
1) Spend Christmas in your favourite pants. If required, wear clothes on top.
2) If you meet Santa, be sure to compliment him on his magnificent beard.
3) Do NOT compliment your Aunt Petunia on HER magnificent beard.
4) Christmas is about giving. So remember to actually buy presents for people.
5) DO NOT wear Christmas antlers near Great Uncle Peregrine. He is short sighted, and owns a shotgun.
6) Make an Abominable Snowman. It’s like a normal Snowman, but angrier.
7) It is polite to pass the roast potatoes, instead of eating them all yourself and burping loudly.
8) Say ‘Thank you very much, it’s just what I’ve always wanted ’ when you open each present. You can get your revenge next year.
9) Always look on the bright side. Have you just unwrapped a pair of musical, multicoloured socks which are three sizes too small for you? Hey presto! Ear warmers for your dog!
10) It’s a busy time of year, but don’t forget to find time to curl up in front of the fire with your favourite book. Some great Christmas story books which I love are: The Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree and McDuff’s Christmas. There are so many great Christmas reads for children of all ages to choose from. And don’t forget the classic ‘A Christmas Carol’!
16 December 2012
Merry Christmas from The 2 Steves
Ho! Ho! Ho!
12 December 2012
Finish The Story - Emily gets her prize!
During the summer we asked you to finish short stories started by six well-known authors in our Finish the Story (Share the Glory!) competition. Emily, aged 9 from Crewe was our overall winner and won a laptop! Emily finished the story Red Man Green Man, started by Julia Donaldson
This week, Paul Bayley, Cheshire East Council’s Customer Services and Libraries Manager presented her prize, on behalf of The Reading Agency, at a special ceremony at Crewe Library.
Emily said: “I feel very excited; it is a really great privilege to win a competition as big as this, and for Julia Donaldson to have read my story and think it is good.”
Julia Donaldson, Children’s Laureate and author of such bestselling children’s books as The Gruffalo, had this to say about Emily’s story:
“I really liked Emily’s story. It was inventive and original. I especially enjoyed the way the Red and Green man travelled ‘by traffic light’ to Blackpool, and I thought the ending – where they became part of the Blackpool illuminations – was a brilliant touch. Many congratulations to Emily.”
You can read Emily’s story and all the other winning entries here.
15 November 2012
Story Bandit Competition - WINNERS!!
Nearly 500 entries in the Story Bandit competition!
The 4 winners with the craziest and most inspired stories are……
Hadi (9) from London with ‘’Electric-Sports Insect’
Emma, Charlotte & Charlotte (all 11) from Broughton Astley with “Complete Carrot Failure”
Tom & Ben (both 8) from Seaham with “Killer Mutant Chocolate Biscuit”
Myles (9) from Manchester with “The Yeti’s Underpants”
4 fantastically weird stories win book prizes and a certificate.
Visit the
‘Story Bandit’ Gallery to see all the entries and read yourself silly!
14 November 2012