FROM MAD HATTERS BOOKSHOP, MANLY
Siblings Charlise and Reece Davies with copies of Whimsical Tales. Photo: Supplied.
Whimsical Tales from The Mad Hatters Bookshop – celebrating our young writing community.
What do you get when a group of young aspiring writers are asked to write their best magical, fantastical short stories?
Local literacy advocate and bookshop owner Laura Norris invited members of the Wynnum Manly community aged between 7-14 to submit stories or poems for the chance to be published in the second official anthology from The Mad Hatters Bookshop. Whimsical Tales from The Mad Hatters Bookshop is the result, a collection of 17 stories and poems written by young local authors.
“Being able to provide an opportunity for young folks in the community to explore the avenue of fiction and find their writing voice in such an uncertain time has been such a privilege,” said Laura.
“I was extremely impressed with the calibre of writing and I hope readers are hooked by the stories written by our local authors—their unique interests, diverse viewpoints and the immense joy that shines through the writing.”
Some of the young authors published in the collection agreed to share their experiences of finding the unexpected wonder in words.
Siblings Charlise and Reece Davies (pictured) were both featured in the anthology, and while they wrote their stories independently, they often exchanged ideas during the writing process.
Charlise’s story, The Dragon Temple, was inspired by the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland, which inspired her love of dragons. Incorporated into Reece’s story, The Gem Bees, is his interest in elements and minerals of the world.
The concept and imagery in Rosella Taylor’s story, Apocalypt, was inspired by a visual prompt in an English class – images of castles, hot air balloons against a dusky sky, and horses caught mid-run pieced together the scene of a tiny figure, dwarfed but confident in front of an enormous castle.
Charlise said that having her story published in Whimsical Tales was “one of the biggest accomplishments of [her] life so far” and that both she and her brother were excited that both their stories were accepted into the book. Rosella said she was “super happy” to be published in the book, and hopes to see her writing featured in other publications one day.
Whimsical Tales from The Mad Hatters Bookshop (RRP $12.99) is
now available to purchase at The Mad Hatters Bookshop in Manly Harbour Village.
