Inspired Tales: Stories for Kids by Kids
What do superhero stink bombs, pigeon poop jewels, mine-dwelling monsters and an ominous auditorium have in common? They are all ideas sprung from the minds of kids! ✍️
Inspired Tales: Volume 1 contains short stories by writers aged 8-13 who were the wonderful winners of our Inspired Tales writing competition in 2021.
What's 'Inspired Tales' all about?
Four young minds, four incredible stories.
In 2021 we launched Inspired Tales — our writing competition for kids, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and award-winning author Sophie Dahl.
Why?
To unleash the creativity of young people and find the best budding writers and storytellers out there! These stories are a celebration of kids’ creativity and craft and were hand picked by a panel of judges and turned into this one-of-a-kind Yoto Card.
We had two categories of winners - Under 9s and then 9-14 year olds. For each category, we chose one winner for the United States and one from the United Kingdom.
The kids won a phone call with Yoto Daily Host & Executive Producer Jake Harris and Yoto's Senior Audio Producer, Jenna Porteous to learn about audio production during which the kids were asked what they envisioned the narrator would sound like and what sound effects they'd want to hear in their story. Then, we recorded the stories exactly as they were written and added sound effects!
The first two stories are from our under 9s category – perfect for the whole family! The second two stories came from the 9-14s age category - and they might be a little spooky for younger listeners. So little ears, beware!
UK Winner: Under 9s
Inspired Tales ambassador and judge, Sophie Dahl, had this to say about The Crown Calamity:
“We were so impressed with the quality of the entries for the under 9s across the board. ‘The Crown Calamity’ was a story that delighted all the judges with its originality, humor and marvelous descriptions. I’m genuinely excited to hear the audio version of this story, and read what the author writes next.”
UK Winner: Over 9s
Inspired Tales judge, Lucy Starbuck Bradley from the National Literacy Trust, said:
“The writer of ‘The Mine’ did a great job of creating atmosphere through clever description throughout the story, they created a definite sense of suspense whilst leaving just the right amount of detail to the reader’s imagination!”
US & Canada Winner: Under 9s
Inspired Tales ambassador and judge, Erin Entrada Kelly, had this to say about Garbage Man:
“‘Garbage Man’ was funny, fast-paced and exciting to read. Perhaps it will become a full novel one day. If so, I’d happily read it.”
US & Canada Winner: Over 9s
Inspired Tales judge, Jess Tarrant, Content Director at Yoto, had this to say about Shadows on the Stage:
“The perfect story should always leave you wanting more, and this atmospheric entry in the Over 9s category did exactly that. The central character trod a delicate line between glamour and malevolence, and the writer managed to bring the whole scene vividly to life –leaving us on a brilliant cliff-hanger. I can’t wait to hear the audio version.”
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