Stone Circle Secret

Six children, hidden in time with their guardians, apart, yet linked together by Stelston Stone Circle. Ruth and Jude live close by the stone circle over 600 years ago. Ruth with Grandmother, who is teaching her to heal with herbs and wild plants. Jude, apprenticed to Will Thatcher. Yewla and Tomak live near the same stone circle, but over 4500 years ago. Grandfather teaches Yewla to heal, while Tomak learns to hunt. And YoYo and Euan also live beside the Circle in the modern housing estate built nearby.

None of them know the others exist.

None of them know how they are connected.

None of them know that they are all in danger.

They must stay concealed and have patience until the time is right, because there are shadows trying to locate them and Things, scary and disturbing, covet their latent talents and powers. They are searching.

How long will it be before these dark forces, sinister and threatening, discover them? Can they find each other in time and with their guardians, combine their powers to defeat the dark? They must understand their purpose, discover the secret of their birth, vanquish the forces ranged against them and grasp their collective destiny.

Together, they must solve the puzzle of the Stone Circle’s Secret.

The Secret in the Hills

This story, with twists and turns, a troll and a tunnel, ghosts and crystals and a summer of adventures, grows into a fascinating read, where a brother and sister have to face the ‘Malevolence’, hoping to lift a curse created generations before them. Having moved to a new home in a Yorkshire village, Gemma, 10, and Jason,9, had no idea what they were getting into. Without their dad around and their mum preoccupied, the siblings find themselves involved in a great mystery.

When Gemma and Jason move to the village in Yorkshire just before the start of the summer holidays, they didn’t know they’d be looking after Mabel the donkey.

‘Donkey for Sale’, said the sign in next door’s front garden and Mabel is such a lovely donkey, Gemma has to ask Gramps and Auntie B, their new neighbours, if they could buy her. Mum says yes, eventually. Auntie B explains the chores for looking after Mabel and then, mysteriously, she warns them they must never let Mabel escape, only she won’t say why.

But Mabel does escape and it’s all Jason’s fault. A visit to a church and a Neolithic Barrow compound the mystery. More strange events follow. A secret room, the cellar in their house and an encounter with the Lacy Lady help them with the mystery, but questions remain. How did the old mill burn down? What happened to the miller, what did he agree to and why is that agreement still important?

Clayton and Clare, who were enemies at school, turn out to be friends and help to solve the mystery. Together they find themselves in a situation they can’t turn away from. They must overcome their fears to right a great wrong. Can they defeat the ‘Malevolence’ which has spread its shadow across the land? Will they be able to accomplish all that must be done and solve ‘The Secret in the Hills’?

The Wishdosher

If you had three wishes what would you wish for? In the last days of the school summer term, Karen accidentally conjures up the Wishdosher. An ice cream and finding her lost toy are just what a five-year-old might ask for.

But then the Wishdosher’s wand is accidentally broken and he can’t grant Karen’s last wish and because she hasn’t, the Wishdosher has to go to school with her! Ominous grey shadows appear. Do the grey fairies know the Wishdosher’s wand is broken?

The children will need all their courage when they embark on a difficult and dangerous quest involving Aunt Maisy, their magical childminder, the wand tree, a kidnapping and a rescue.

Is Tia brave enough to let Aunt Maisy and the Wishdosher work their magic on her? Have they done enough to defeat the Big Grey Fairy and will Karen ever make her final wish so the Wishdosher can return home?

The Restaurant Bear

After Ian and Rachel’s parents buy The Bear restaurant, someone steals meat from the fridge. When Ian’s sweets go missing too, the children decide to investigate!

What is the secret of the stuffed bear’s head hanging on the wall in the restaurant? Why are their parents’ redecorating plans such a disaster?

Together with their new school friend Serafina, They must find a way to prevent the catastrophe that threatens The Restaurant Bear!

The Restaurant Bear Returns

At last! The sequel to The Restaurant Bear is here.

Oh no! Rosa’s in the zoo.

She didn’t return to Spain, after all.

How are Ian, Rachel and Serafina going to release her?

An unexpected class trip to the zoo for Ian and Serafina means they get to see Rosa.

She is so pleased to see them again and after they join the Zoo Wild Animal Club they can go and see Rosa every Saturday.

They make a plan to release Rosa, but it all goes wrong.

Jen becomes their friend. Only her brother Kevin is really horrid and if he finds out about Rosa it’ll wreck their new plan.

Then Rachel meets Blas, a special friend and he promises to help them.

A competition is announced. Who will win and where will it lead them?

When Serafina’s gran steps up to help, things are going their way at last, but can Ian, Rachel, Serafina and Blas release Rosa the Restaurant Bear and finally return her to her home in the Picos mountains in Spain?

The Sticker Monster

Debra does horrid things at her new school. She’s mean to the children and makes the teachers cross. She doesn’t get any reward stickers. She makes everyone feel sad. And she can’t find what she really, really wants? Then Debra finds something strange, green and amazing. It isn’t quite what she wanted. But it really needs her help. Can she stop being angry and try to be good?Will the teachers and the children ever really like her? Can she get her new friend, the Sticker Monster, what he wants? And will she find, in the end, what she really, really needs?

The Glitter Monster

All the glitter’s gone. Tommy’s class has used it all. The school has run out and there’s no time for Tommy to buy more. He can’t finish his Christmas card and enter the school Christmas card competition. Tommy feels left out and sad. Sometimes help comes from surprising places.

Can Tommy find a new friend to help with the glitter? And is he still in time to enter the Christmas card competition?

Charlotte and the Painted Pixies

Charlotte loves painting. But she’s spilt her paint and it’s there in a puddle all night. In the morning there are lots of footprints around the paint. Who has stepped in the paint puddle? Daddy thinks it’s a mouse and sets a trap that night. What will they find in the trap in the morning? Is it a mouse or something else? A something else that you can’t usually see.

What did Charlotte find in the morning?

Eden Once More

A future world is locked in perpetual winter. Survivors inhabit a coal pit, subject to a harsh, authoritarian regime. Finn, a young tech prodigy, is banished to the icy wastes. A mysterious purple crystal unlocks his memories and psychic gifts. He survives, guided by a benign force to sanctuary and Nisha, an empathic friend. Hunting supplies, Finn encounters Moot, whose psychic abilities echo his own. Together, they risk all to traverse a frozen ocean. Can they solve the enigma of the Earth’s past, set if free from its ice age and return to Eden.

Described as a dynamic and distinctive storyteller, Colin tells tales that children love. He uses the techniques and enthusiasm gained over 30 years of teaching, including eight years as a popular supply teacher.

Colin’s workshops encourage both oral and written storytelling, helping children use their imaginations to produce their own original stories. So if you want to put some imagination into your student’s stories, call Colin.

As well as drawing on the traditional repertoire, Colin tells stories he has written especially for children. Younger children love ‘The Sticker Monster’ and ‘The Squeaky Pen’, whilst ‘Big Green Walking Cloak’ is great for all ages. “The Pumpkin Tree’ is perfect for older juniors, as is ‘Two Brothers’ and ‘The Ogres Gold’.

Colin has tales for all occasions and can tell on many themes, such as Greece, India and Australia. Younger children like Annansi and Brer Rabbit. They love making up their own stories using the characters in the stories and adding their own.

Colin’s sessions are flexible and can be shaped to suit the needs of individual schools.