Stories

Welcome to our Library of Stories. Please click on the story title to read Chapter 1.
These are collaborative story openings created by school groups and community groups.
Each participant writes their own Chapter 2.

When You Name a Skunk


Illustration: Emma Tomlinson

Dominican College, Fortwilliam, Y8 & Y9
6th December 2023

“I’ve repeatedly been told that I need to work on the farm, but I’ve always been interested in getting an education,” wrote Theo in his journal in bed one night. This is what his mother had wanted. She had disappeared less than a year ago, and everyone proclaimed her dead. 

Theo had woken up from a recurring nightmare. Every time this happened, he wrote in his journal. 

His mother had unexpectedly disappeared the previous year, on Tuesday, 7th of December 1923...

Sophia and the Powerful, Winged, 50-year-old Snake

Young authors from Stranmillis University College Literacy Intervention ProgrammeA young girl with brown hair wearing a pink dress and a yellow and orange winged snake on a green background
5th December, 2023

One afternoon, Sophia was coming out of her school. It was a hot and sunny day and she was thinking about getting a snake as a pet. When she got home, she waited excitedly for her mum and dad to get home from work.

She asked her mum, “Can I get a snake please? I PROMISE that I will take care of it!”...

Ollie to the Rescue

Carr Primary School, P7
28th November 2023

When Ollie was born he had a huge head three times the size of its body. He had an alien mum and an alien dad by his side. He had a big sister called Ellie. 

He was born in the Marsian Royal hospital on Mars. They didn’t use medicine, only alien magic.

One day Pugsley ran away. He was chasing an alien bird and he chased it all the way up to the highest point on Mars. Pugsley jumped to grab the bird but because gravity was weak there, he started flying away...

Flying to the Rescue

Harding Memorial Integrated Primary School, GLSC 
23rd November 2023

It was the end of a good day, a fantastic day. Jumbo Bird was playing hide-and-seek with Cheese and Quackers in the grassy hills while Jumbo Bird was fetching broccoli for her wonderful children and friends. Cheese and Quackers was swimming on the water with their wings. They had spiky wings, and you could see the bones because they were very skinny...

Mazie the Dinosaur

St Moninna's PS, P5
21st November 2023Two dinosaurs making houses appear by stomping their feet

One day when Mazie was young she didn’t have a family and then another dinosaur family adopted her because they saw her abandoned in the forest. 

When the family adopted Mazie they realised that she was allergic to cake, and it was her so-called sister’s birthday...

The Adventures of the Ninja Winja and Milly Willy

HEdNI group
16th November 2023

Rebecca was Winja’s fiance. She had blonde hair and brown eyes and magic powers that let her speak to toys. Winja was dangerous and not scared of much. He was half ninja and half wizard. He had lots of cool weapons to fight with: a sword, a bamboo ninja stick, an axe, and a churican. His best friend was his pet dragon, Striker who was a big black dragon with three heads who could breathe lightning, fire, and ice...

Michael and the Ghost

Nettlefield Primary School, P5
15th November 2023A gorilla standing on a mountain hugging a girl

One day Michael was alone at his house. Michael was scared to be in his house on his own because there was a frightening ghost. He was scared because he lost his pet gorilla Scott, when his gorilla was at his house and his gorilla escaped. 

Jimmy vs the Pickles

St Bride's Primary School, P5
8th November 2023

Once, a skinny little boy named Jimmy grew up in a foul, smelly barn but he didn’t have any friends until one day he met a chicken-ogre called Jeff. Jeff the chicken-ogre liked to get into mischief, so Jimmy and Jeff did a lot of wretched things to all the animals. For example, they put pasta in the horses’ feeding bowls instead of straw and they put medicine in the water box instead of water...

Mac n Cheese

St Bride's Primary School, P5
7th November 2023A living macaroni and a living blob of cream cheese look startled at an exploding potion

Once, Mr Macaroni was an ordinary person working in a lab. He was working on an experiment and his friend accidentally put in a potion that wasn’t meant to go in and made it explode! Then Mr Macaroni turned into a macaroni and Mr Macaroni’s friend turned into a blob of cream cheese on the floor...

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