Young authors at The Mad Hatters Bookshop with copies of Wondrous Tales. Photos: Supplied.
The Mad Hatters Bookshop in Manly has released its third anthology, Wondrous Tales, featuring 17 stories and poems written by young authors aged eight to 14 from the local area and beyond. Centred on the theme of Wonder, it features a range of genres from fantasy and historical tales to mystery. It also includes two poems and a creative retelling of Alfred Noyes’ The Highwayman.
“We’re in the age of ChatGPT and dwindling attention spans, so it was lovely to see how many kids were happy to sit down and write a story,” said Laura from The Mad Hatters Bookshop.
“I was really impressed with the hard work and creativity of the authors and with how widely they interpreted the theme – there are traditional heroes’ quest stories, time travel, portal fantasies, and more. I hope this book will be a stepping stone for their future writing journeys.”
Jonathan Chesterman’s story was inspired by Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda. The Dragon on Death Mountain is about a young hero who climbs a nearby mountain to defend his town, but faces challenges along the way. Jonathan was excited to see his writing published, describing it as giving him “bragging rights”.
Olive Bergan’s inspiration was her cat, Kierra, who features as the main character of her story. In The Secret Life of Kierra, Kierra discovers a Secret Cat Society functioning in the wardrobe of her family home. Olive’s story was well received at school, where classmates “wanted the book so [she] could sign it”.
Wondrous Tales: Stories from The Mad Hatters Bookshop (RRP $14.99) is available to purchase at The Mad Hatters Bookshop in Manly Harbour Village.
