Mystery Contest for Halloween 2009

If you want to enter the mystery contest, just finish the mystery we’ve started below by entering your part of the story into a comment. We do not need any personal information about you. You can just enter your name or your online nickname. We don’t need an email address or anything else. The contest is open to all writers of any age and skill level.  Have fun and take the story in any direction you like. There’s no real prize other than getting some attention for your writing on this site.

We’ll post the winner in our blog sometime right near Halloween.

Good luck.

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Mystery Contest Winner

The winner of our April 2009 Mystery Contest is Pippa, age 10!

Congratulations to the winner!  Pippa has written an imaginative and interesting continuation of the story that is a pleasant surprise.

Riley’s Crypt

The trees of the forest bent over sideways in the howling wind. The white disk of the full moon shimmered behind the swaying branches. Southbay Forest was being battered by the storm. Rain began to pelt the ground. It was an altogether nasty evening.

Riley Hitchens made his way along the muddy path with dread. The lantern’s feeble light swung wildly back and forth across the narrow way as his fingers gripped its handle tightly.

It was just an old crypt. That’s all. Nothing but a pile of old stones with a rusty iron door. That door was clanging in the wind now. It had disturbed Riley’s sleep.

So now poor Riley staggered in his soaking nightclothes toward the crypt that was creating such a din.

A wolf howled.

Riley stopped in his soggy tracks and glanced behind him. A shape flashed between the trees. He lurched forward and bolted down the mud path toward the old stone crypt.

He burst through the half-open door and sucked the dank air into his lungs. His mud-caked slippers echoed in the stone chamber. The rain pounded the forest outside. Just ahead, Riley could make out the dim shape of the tunnel entrance.

He stopped and felt the cold sweat of terror at the back of his neck.

From far down the dark winding way of the tunnel, underneath the raging of the storm, came the delicate sound of… music.

The winner’s story continues from this point…

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The WotWots: Excellent Pre-School TV Show

Two fantastic, insane and rambunctious little alien characters travel around in a steampunk spaceship.  The WotWots is a children’s television show from Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop, the company that did the special effects for Lord of the Rings.  This introductory episode shows the two WotWots landing at the zoo to explore the various animals there.  The WotWots are very inquisitive and energetic little beings with a great joy for adventure.  I like it.  It looks really good and the characters are the best I’ve seen in years.

Thanks to Boing Boing for posting this.

Igraine the Brave: Children’s Book About Saving a Castle Full of Books

Here’s a marvelous children’s book for Children’s Book Week. Igraine the Brave is by Cornelia Funke. It’s published by The Chicken House Ltd. Reading ages are 9 – 12.

Princess Igraine dreams of becoming a famous knight just like her great grandfather, but the truth is, life at the family castle is rather boring. Until the nephew of the baroness-next-door shows up. He’s got a dastardly plan to capture the castle and claim as his own the wonderful singing spell books that belong to Igraine’s magician parents. To make matters worse, at the very moment of the siege, her mom and dad botch a spell, turning themselves into pigs! Aided by a Gentle Giant and a Sorrowful Knight, it’s up to Igraine to be brave and save the day–and the books!

The whole idea of defending a castle full of magic books is perfect for a week that celebrates children’s books.

Get Igraine The Brave