BBC 500 Words 2018 Finalists Part 2 (Age 7-9)

Dr Simon Reads… 500 Words 2018

The final 50 stories are now up for the 2018 run of the BBC 500 Words Competition.

For more information on the 500 Words competition see my post on the 2017 awards; but in brief it’s a creative writing competition run by the BBC for children aged 5-13, who can any kind of story they like, as long as it is within 500 words. Three winners from each of the two age categories (5-9 and 10-13) get their stories read out by a famous actor in a live final, plus win a big stack of books. Since its inception in 2011 it’s grown massively with tens of thousands of entries each year.

In each of these ruminations I look at the winning stories, and the celebrity reading, but I encourage you to also check out the other 48 finalists for each year; the writing on display is often breath-takingly good. (http://bbc.in/2pWJLrW).

This year I’m going to do something slightly different – give a brief description and discussion of each of the finalists, but by bit, and at the end make my predictions for winning stories, who are announced on the 8th of June. After, I’ll probably do something similar to the previous years and discuss the winners and their celebrity readers in a little more depth, plus I’ll be able to see how good (or more likely not) my predictions were.

Ages 5-9 (Part 2)

The Day My Homework Ate My Dog by Nathan Thompson – A comic caper about a boy looking for his dog, with some great fun scatological bits at the start; I also like that the main character is called Jonny Loch-Ness, for no apparent reason. Great title.

The dinosaurs who loved trampolining – by Thomas Campbell. Does what is says in the title, although the dinosaurs live on another planet, which is why they like trampolining. The story is very well written in a conversational style, and addresses the reader that it may help to suspend their disbelief. Some very sophisticated language in this story, on a suitably whimsical topic.

The Great Diamond Heist – by Ayla Fahie. I’m noticing a common theme this year – some really wacky ideas and lots of toilet humour. This one starts with an exploding toilet, which we learn belongs to an Italian bear and a watermelon that fight crime, committed by a gang of cutlery. Because, you know …. It’s a fun heist story, and I love how these bonkers ideas are carried off totally straight-faced. Of course an Italian bear and a watermelon are detective partners, we say no more and just get on with the story. Fun twist, by the way.

The Jewel Tribe by Matilda Bradley – A change of tone, with this beautifully crafted little folk tale set in Indonesia, with an eco-friendly message, concerning the girl Rani and her tiger friend. Replete with lovely atmospheric touches.

The Little Messenger – by Fionn Mcann. So far I don’t think there’s been one of the 500 Words classic tales of mortality, but here we get a delightful and heartwarming story about a dying grandmother about to go on her “trip to the Great Unknown”, and the symbolism of the robin. Simple, bittersweet and lovely.

The Poo Fairy by Evan Boxall. Now that’s a title to drag you in! I think it was inspired by signs telling people to clean up after their dogs because “the poo fairy doesn’t work here”. Annabel the Poo Fairy dresses in willies, jeans and a hi-vis, disliked by the other fairies in pink sparkly dresses, but her job in marking out dog poo, cleaning it up at night and recycling into fairy dust, is a very important one. A tale by turns funny and touching about being true to yourself.

The Strain by Esther Clifford – A superb story, with a great powerful opening line, told from the point of view of one who is hunted for being different. Like Fight for Life a couple of years ago, as the story goes on we learn that the narrator is not what we think. Of all the stories so far, this one has the best use of language.

The Voice Catcher by Marcie Jean Thorpe – A great concept here, of a shadowy figure stealing the voices of singers, famous and otherwise (we start at a TV talent show). But who could it be? The first of our stories to feature the Queen (spoilers…)

The World’s Most Clever Boy by James McGourty. Mohammed (Mo) is a child genius inventor who builds things that even he isn’t sure what they do. This story describes one such invention, a flying doodlelliser. I’ll leave it to you to discover what it does, along with Mo, but suffice to say this is another fable inspired by plastic in the world’s oceans.

This Girl Can by Zara Hayworth. From eco-awareness to a feminist theme (I can see the heads of some people exploding already!). We follow the thoughts of a woman in the England team waiting in the dressing room before the World Cup Final, of her passion for the game, the inspiration of her coach and her determination to find her own way despite doubters. Another well-written story about being true to oneself, full of passion.

Agent Ramsbottom and the Mysterious Fish and Chips by Francesca Wade. This is the first of three “wildcard entries” that they’ve added to each age categories. I’m not sure how they were selected, but it’s a nice touch. In a comic future dystopia, babies are in charge and fatty foods are banned for the good of the adults. Agent Ramsbottom discovers a nefarious scheme to convert a fat-burg into fish and chips (I don’t even want to think about it…). A fun satire with nice detail touches.

Mrs Biggin-Bottom by Isabelle Williams. A comic tale about a fun teacher with a large bottom who uses her .. ahem … assets to save the day. Humourously written, if seeming slightly cruel to poor Mrs Biggin-Bottom!

The First Ever Feminist by Lola-Mae O’Leary. Uh-oh, more evidence of the wicked liberal agenda brainwashing our kids (heh!). Olga is a prehistoric Irish girl whose useless brother Gob is allowed to do more than her, even though she’s more willing and capable. Comic anachronisms, a nice turn of phrase and a smart denouement.


Oh my, it’s tough to pick the winners this year, there are quite a few of really good quality. From this batch, the stand-outs for me are The Strain, for it’s excellent language and idea, The Poo Fairy and Agent Ramsbottom for their fun ideas with a message attached, and The Little Messenger as a heartfelt touching tale. I can see The Diamond Heist and This Girl Can doing well potentially as well.

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