BBC 500 Words Finalists 2018 Part 3 (Age 10-13)
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
10-13 (Part 1)
“Hey Botty, STOP” by Edward Holt – A
comic tale about an old lady who is sent an Alexa-type device by her busy, and
absent, son. Because she doesn’t know what to do with it, the bored machine
gradually orders more automated devices that take over the house. An amusing
satire.
“The Forgotten Soldiers” by Amanjoyt Kaur Bhakar – I guessed
from the title that this could be about a non-white regiment in some war, and
it is, a Sikh regiment in the First World War, narrated by a Captain Singh.
Powerful musings about war and identity.
A God Vacancy by Aoife Maddock –
God writes a resignation letter to Gods and Deities Inc, laying out His
grievances with humanity and how rubbish and irrational they are. Sharp and
entertaining.
A Weather Coder’s Journal by Parul
Sinha – the narrator is a weather coder, writing the weather for Britain like a
computer program, and his, or her, or its, attempts to give an early summer to
the British people. A smart bit of imagination.
Alone by Alexander Tonkin – The lone survivor
of a war with biological weapons walks the streets of a ruined London and muses
on his existence. A powerful and melancholy piece of atmospheric writing.
Dancing in the Streets by Sadhbh Inman – A
day in the life of Sita, a seven year old girl selling tissues on the street,
scrabbling to make money to save for a dream. Touching and atmospheric.
Empty Space by Alastair Preston –
A slightly Doctor Who-esque tale of mysterious disappearances due to a build up
of dark matter from evil behaviour. Surprisingly, there’s a happy ending.
Everyone Deserves a
Home
by Katie Jennings – A touching story about the tribulations of stray dogs and
refugee children, one of those lovely heartfelt tales popular in 500 Words.
Just Another by Nathan Bell – A
story that starts with a planet exploding, and continues with a series of mass
extinctions, computer simulations, dimensional travel and all sorts of
weirdness reminiscent of Philip K Dick or Kurt Vonnegut (or Dave Langford).
Clever and utterly barmy at the same time.
Memories by Edie Behr – Another
story of refugees. Yara, a Syrian girl, tells us her thoughts and inner fears
when her adoptive family take her to the beach and the sight of the sea brings
back painful memories. Another powerful emotional piece of writing.
Of A Mouse And A Man by Holly Brooks – A
comic tale of a meticulously tidy mouse forced to share a house with a messy
man, and of the various foiled attempts by the man to catch the mouse. A
delightful little comedy.
Partners in Grime by Lily Millward – The
narrator takes us through what sounds at first like a jewellery heist,
orchestrated by an old-lag friend. But things aren’t what they seem, and
there’s a fun twist at the end.
Pluto by Ellen Morton – The
planet Pluto narrates how it feels to be demoted to a dwarf planet. An
inventive tale of acceptance and belonging.
Polaris by Iris Rawsthorne –
Another story of Syrian refugees – clearly something strongly in the minds of
this years children. Ana narrates her story, of being caught in bombing, of
landing in Greece with her little brother. Of the three so far, possibly the
best one.
Rose by Olivia Sellers – An
old man tends to his rose bush, his only role left to him following the death of his wife, Rose. A tender story of
loneliness and mortality.
Some
good stories so far, hard to choose between the different ones on refugees, and
lots of stories covering different national identities as well, which makes a
nice change. The Forgotten Soldiers is good, as is Dancing in the Street. Of
the refugee tales I think Polaris has the edge, being the most immediate. Of a
Mouse and a Man and Partners in Grime are good for a lighter touch, I also like
Just Another for its sheer mind-bending craziness. Tough choices.
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