Dr Simon Reads... BBC 500 Words (2019 Winners) - Children's Writing Contest

Dr Simon Reads… 500 Words 2019 Final

Hopefully you know the drill by now, how 500 Words is a writing context for children aged 5-13 organised by the BBC, started by Breakfast Radio host Chris Evans (not the Captain America one) and now continued by his successor to the same slot, Zoe Ball, patronised by Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and offering a stack of books, tours of UK landmarks and a personalised illustration by a well-known children’s illustrator to the six winners.

If not, see my introductory post here. Check out this year’s fifty finalists here (http://bbc.in/2pWJLrW).

The winners have been announced, the finals were held at Windsor Castle in June 14^th and broadcast live. Some fun facts about the winners – it was an all-girl final this year; two thirds of the winning stories were comic tales, and I was two-thirds correct in my predictions for the winners. Which were:

Age 5-9 Bronze Winner

Fragile Freya by Rosa Moody
“Freya was a perfectly ordinary little girl, ordinary in every possible way. Except that is for one perfectly extraordinary little thing. You see, Freya believed that if she ever tried to do anything new, she'd fall apart. The fear had always been so strong she'd never actually tried. But she really, really believed she would, and that was enough..”

This one I’m pleased to say I predicted. It’s a heart-warming story about a girl called Freya whose fears that she will fall apart hold her back from doing what she wants in life. When she finally overcomes this for a while and attends a ballet class, she does, indeed, end up falling to pieces. However, another girl from the class picks up the pieces, and with the help of a magical velvet bag and some special glasses, puts Freya’s pieces together again and helps her see that everyone has the same fears, and everyone falls apart sometimes. What matters is that they have friends to help put them back together again.

It’s a lovely tale with a great metaphor for a simple but important message about the power of the support of friends in times of difficulty. This one was read by Konnie Huq, who some readers will remember as a Blue Peter presenter, others may know as Mrs Charlie “Black Mirror” Brooker. She does an okay job, but you can usually tell the readers that are actors and those that aren’t.

No video for this one, for some reason, but you can listen here https://bbc.in/2JZd46Q

Age 10-13 Bronze Winner

A Walk in the Park by Beth Halliwell

“The wind ripped at Charlie's clothes like icy daggers. As he walked home from school in the rain, his mother's words replayed through his head. 'Be careful in the park tonight, you know people have gone missing in there before.' With the stealth of a burglar, Charlie slid open the jagged gate and entered the park...”

A real chiller thriller story, and as one commentor on Twitter noted, has some similiarity to the Nic Roeg film Don’t Look Now (based on a Daphne du Maurier story). The protagonist Charlie is taking a short-cut home through the local park, despite disturbing rumours about people disappearing. He stumbles into a frightening situation involving a frail-looking girl stuck down a ditch, and a terrifying man with a neck tattoo and a baseball bat. But things may not be as they seem….

Beth conjures up some great imagery with her use of language – the wind “like icy daggers” and the “jagged gate”, for examples, evoking cold, sharp edges that play off in the climactic twist.

This one was read by broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, known best probably as the host of QI and Radio 4’s News Quiz (although I’ll always remember her from Saturday morning program Number 74…). I think she’s a children’s author herself as well. I wasn’t sure about her as a choice for this one, as I associate her with lighter fare, but actually she does a really good job at conveying the menace of the story. What’s also a musing is seeing a photo of the famously short Sandi stood next to Beth; they’re the same height.

Another one that's audio only; listen to it here https://bbc.in/2LL6pzE

Age 5-9 Silver Winner

PANTS! By Mya Dainty
“Have you ever thought about something that lives in such terrible conditions? Something that lives in horror and disgust? Well, pants are probably the most ill-treated product in the universe!

At house number two, Holly Branch Drive, lived Frilly. She was a beautiful and frilly pair of pants. Frilly hated being worn in such an utterly disgusting place…”

I missed this as a prediction, although I did enjoy it when I read it. You can generally count on something involving pants or poo to win something!

It centres on some anthropomorphic pants who decide that they want more from life than living next to people’s bottoms, and so plan a rebellion; first involving itching powder (which earns them a trip in the washing machine), and next by direct action.

I liked the various characters of the pants – Frilly, the leader, as well as Boxer, Granny and Long John. Somehow I missed poor Stinky Sam the toddler training pants the first time round. It’s a shame that they don’t get a bit more development as there is some fun characterising to be had, with booming-voiced Boxer and woebegone Stinky Sam.

This one was read by Hugh “Lord Grantham” Bonneville, and I think the producers had much fun in pairing him with such a silly story. You’d think he and Sandi would have been the other way around, but I think the choice of reader works well in the end.

Watch it here https://bbc.in/2LK5Ply

Age 10-13 Silver Winner

Tyrannos-oral hygiene by Millie Robinson

“Tyrone King to see Dr Rose Gummeridge please," called the receptionist over the dentist's intercom.

No response.

Tyrone King?" she repeated.

Rita the receptionist peered around the corner to find a 12-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to get into the dentist's office. In shock, Rita could do nothing but stare...”

Mr Tyrone King, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, visits the dentist for the first time in 65 million years. There’s some amusing interplay where the dinosaur can’t open the door to the dentist because of his tiny hands, and of course the initial surprise of a dinosaur at the dentist. Dr. Gummeridge, the dentist, soon take it in her stride and hatches an ambitious scheme to treat the T Rex, involving firemen, builders and gardeners.

This is the other one that I didn’t predict, partly because I was hoping for a gory tragic ending where the dinosaur eats everyone; but perhaps that’s best as well it’s not up to me! It was read by actor Michael Sheen, known for a while for playing Tony Blair a lot, but perhaps best known lately as Aziraphel in Good Omens. He’s a good actor, able to vanish into any number of characters, so needless to say he does a very good job of bringing the story to life.

Watch it here https://bbc.in/2OkKdhz

Age 5-9 Gold Winner

Snow Blood Window-Frame by Eve Molloy

“A queen pricked her finger while sewing and some blood dropped onto the cloth. She said to herself, if my baby is a girl, I want her skin to be as white as snow, with blood-red cheeks and hair as black as the window frame. I will call her Snow Blood Window Frame, or Snowy for short...”

Eve conjures up a clever re-telling of a classic fairy tale, chock full of references to computing and social media, with some knowing touches that break the fourth wall. Snow Blood Window-Frame is the Snow White character, despised by her wicked stepmother for getting more Instagram likes, finding a room online with some short miners and tricked into eating a poisoned apple (“Poisoned – what did you expect?”) when the Wicked Queen sets up a fake charity website for Keeping Doctors Away. Particularly entertaining is Snowy’s reaction to being awoken by a prince who kisses dead girls.

Read by Helen McRory, from Peaky Blinders and Harry Potter (Lucrezia Malfoy). She’s a bit disappointing, unfortunately, fluffing some lines. Shame, because it’s a great, clever, story.

Watch it here https://bbc.in/2JXAb1S

Age 10-13 Gold Winner

Why Did The Chicken… by Esme Harrison-Jones
“Chickens are daft creatures with no brain at all. They have absolutely NO sense whatsoever and this story confirms it.

There was once a group of chickens, who fitted the above description well, that arrived at a busy road. No they didn't fly across or anything like that, they simply tried to cross it. As is the norm with chickens, the smallest chicken went first..”

A truly laugh-out loud black comedy in which a group of chickens attempt to cross a busy road with a series of increasingly elaborate schemes and increasingly elaborate resultant demises. Very clever and funny authorial voice for this one, and I can’t say too much more about it without giving away the jokes.

Read by David Walliams, who by now is becoming a fixture of 500 Words, and he’s a good choice for this kind of story, imbuing it with good comic timing (except, what’s “croncrete” David?).

See David Walliams read the story here https://bbc.in/2ZemRLP

And that’s it for 2019, all done once again, and a good year for the comic stories. Roll on next year!