Last week I slinked out of the caves for a couple of book events at the amazing “Weald School” in West Sussex (where I discovered traces of Ali Sparkes’ last visit there) and the incredibly enthusiastic Hounslow Manor School in Middlesex (with traces of Joe Craig still strewn around). Both events were great fun and the audience was particularly loud… so loud we almost blew the roof off the Hounslow Manor hall!

What is really inspirational about visiting schools, from my point of view, are the people who take the time to come and speak to you at the end of events. One such guy at The Weald School, Jordon Watson (year 8), did so, armed with a story he’d written. It took a lot of guts for him to show his work, and sometimes that kind of initiative can create its own rewards. So, with the monster’s permission, here is Jordon’s story: “The Runaway Dog”. This is Jordon’s first step in creative writing – I hope he finds this post encouraging enough to continue!

CLICK HERE FOR: The Runaway Dog (downloads as an RTF file)

If any school libraries have a section on their websites (as space is limited here) for pupils’ stories, then send us the links. It could be a new feature…