The Ten Penners ‘Backyard Beasts and Curious Capers’ Review Highlights Blog Tour & More

The Ten Penners have created an anthology of magical creatures and mysterious moments. Young humans took me on their humorous and enlightening adventures involving broomstick riding, crystal balls, a backyard concert, a magic mirror, intrepid Pixie P.I. Dandelia Oakleaf, frogs, friendships and more—read on!

The Ten Penners latest anthology Backyard Beasts and Curious Capers contains imaginative reading for that age group of children who love a good giggle at preposterous things. Or are they preposterous?

✨ BOOK LAUNCH ✨

Book launch at BOOKS ETC, Paradise Centre, Surfers Paradise
Saturday 21st October 2023 – 11.00am to 2.00pm
“Come and have your book signed by a Witch called Floriece, a Pixie, and Jeremy the Spaceman.”
https://thetenpenners.wixsite.com/the-ten-penners

BLOG TOUR & BOGGLE COLOUR-IN COMPETITION
DETAILS BELOW

Perhaps making a rocket is not such a strange idea?

‘Jeremy Albatross’ by Marion Martineer highlights the delight and disaster of making a backyard 🚀 rocket. This story is both funny and a health and safety warning during an action-packed BBQ for Dad’s birthday.

‘The Trees are Alive!’ by Jill Smith (of Poo Boom Cat fame) is a tale about Maggie and Caleb who get ‘a cubby house and a living garden’ during the school holidays when they rejuvenate an old tree 🌳 and receive benefits in return. Part awareness, part ecological, a story of nurturing and working with nature.

‘Wizardo’s Spell’ by Jennifer Scicluna involves Simon digging in the backyard with his father. Or not digging in the backyard with his father “Who wants to plant boring 🌸 begonias?” Simon relents and with a whack of his spade he falls through the earth into Muderoon where he meets irascible Agrim Kateus.

Only a quick glimpse at three Ten Penner author tales but you can discover a brave cat, a sensitive tree, a blue Quoggle and a fright night sleepover. In fact, twenty inventive short stories for young readers. Here’s the list:

Ten Penners, twenty stories! Always imaginative and highly readable, their newest anthology Backyard Beasts and Curious Capers contains fantasy and fun with cool character illustrations, kooky critters and silly stuff which appealed to me. Apologies if I’ve left out your favourite. There’s much more including a wakeboarding octopus and an old fairytale reimagined. Ideal for 8-12 year old readers and group reading. Story length would also suit reading before bedtime, or reading in your favourite tree. Just don’t laugh too hard!

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

The Ten Penners – Saturday 14th October 2023
https://thetenpenners.wixsite.com/the-ten-penners/blog
Tour dates and launch details announced.
Sunday 15th October – Jill Smith
https://authorjillsmith.wordpress.com
Jill on her role as coordinator, what it involves, and a bit
about our happy writing group.
Monday 16th October – Romi Sharp
https://www.justkidslit.com/blog/
Romi interviews Jill Smith, Ten Penners’ coordinator.
Tuesday 17th October – Marion Martineer
https://marionmartineer.wordpress.com/
Marion on being the former coordinator of The Ten
Penners, and a long-term member of the group.
Wednesday 18th October – Gretchen Bernet-Ward
https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/
Gretchen is a blogger and reviewer.
Thursday 19th October – Katharine R. Pepper
https://katharinerpepperauthor.wordpress.com
Katharine on putting the book together, her other published novels and works in progress.
Friday 20th October – Jennifer Scicluna
https://jenniferscicluna.wixsite.com/artscape/jennifers-blog
Jennifer on her experience illustrating the book and cover.
Book Launch!
Saturday 21st October 2023
https://thetenpenners.wixsite.com/the-ten-penners/blog
Books Etc, Paradise Centre, Surfers Paradise, Queensland
11.00am to 2.00pm and Colour-In competition.

BOOK LAUNCH & QUOGGLE COLOUR-IN

Saturday 21st October—BOOKS ETC.
Paradise Centre Surfers Paradise 11 am to 2 pm.
Saturday 28th October—Big B Books 10 am to 12 noon outside the shop.
Saturday 4th November—The Ten Penners monthly meeting (near Melbourne Cup)
Saturday 18th November—Gold Coast Writers book launch/promotion 15 mins confirmed.
Saturday 2nd December—Upper Coomera Library 1 hour 10 am to 11 am (then their Christmas Party lunch at the café)
Saturday 9th December-—Bookness, Mudgeeraba (to be confirmed) Draw the Quoggle colour-in competition winner!
NOTE:
The Prize Activity Pack will include more of their characters to colour-in. A badge. A Word Search. A copy of Backyard Beasts & Curious Capers, signed by the authors, and more.
Please send your entry via email to thetenpenners@gmail.com
Or hand them to The Ten Penners at their presentation.
CONTACT:
The Ten Penners look forward to your feedback on their new book so please visit their WIX site, become a member and make a comment: https://thetenpenners.wixsite.com/the-ten-penners/blog

📚 HAPPY READING 📘

North Wales Folk Tales for Children

For anyone, young or old, who know dragons do exist and not just in their dreams…

The Opinionated Reader

31297500 Title: North Wales Folk Tales For Children

Writer: Fiona Collins

Publishing House: The History Press

Date of Publication: May 2nd 2016

Rating: 4 stars

”…under the stone, two dragons are curled up, fast asleep. All day, they sleep, but at night they wake, and then they fight. Their battle destroys your tower each night.”

Wales, lovely, mysterious, mythical Wales… A land of heroes and gods, a place where myth and history walk hand-in-hand only to be lost in times unrecorded, misty and shadowy. This beautiful little book is dedicated to the Northern part of Cymru, home to the legendary area of Snowdonia and Ynys Môn and to three World Heritage sites.

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(Porth Dafarch Cove, Anglesey)

Known once as the Kingdom of Gwynedd, North Wales has an endless wealth of traditions and folklore. We will meet a giant and a giantess who fight over a hammer. A clever boy named Gareth (…Wales…

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Hobgoblins Hate Books

Reading Takes You Places 03

Julia spun around and saw a tiny green blur scurry across the bookcase.
A scrabble of feet, a tiny sneeze, something squeezed out of sight.
A book of fairytales flew off the shelf and hit the floor with a thud.
“Who’s there?” Julia imagined a spiky grasshopper.
Carefully, so carefully, she put the book back where it belonged.
A tiny hand, a papery scrape, a puff of dust and the book whizzed off the shelf again.
“Ouch!” It hit Julia right on the nose. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Zing, clunk, thump! She heard a chuckle as more books pinged off the shelf.
“Stop that.” Julia rapped on the bookcase. “Don’t you like books?”
“No!” a tiny voice squeaked. “Hobgoblins hate books!”
And out of hiding came a tiny green hobgoblin.
He had a gold buckle on his pointy hat and gold buckles on his pointy shoes.
She replied firmly. “Then please leave my books alone and go away.”
“Was planning to make a pile of books up to your window,” he grumbled.
Julia thought for a moment. “Use a chair.”
“Can’t move a chair all by myself,” he mumbled.
The hobgoblin watched as Julia pushed the chair under the open window.
“Difficult for me to get way over there,” he huffed, arms folded.
Quickly Julia gathered the books and stacked them like a staircase.
It wobbled but the hobgoblin skipped down as light as a feather.
He tapped his foot while she built another staircase up to the seat of the chair.
He scrambled onto the leather seat and stopped. “Can’t grab the window ledge.”
With a voice like her mother’s, Julia said “Try.”
Bounce, bounce! The tiny hobgoblin tried kangaroo hops.
Several books shook, but it didn’t work.
He changed his frowny face into a crooked smile.
He raised his tiny green arms. “Would be most grateful if you’d pick me up.”
Julia felt uncomfortable, she wondered if he might bite.
“Miaow.” Julia’s cat prowled into the room.
With a squeal, the hobgoblin jumped high in the air and flew out the window.
In a flash, the cat raced after him.
Julia ran to the window and saw the cat jump down as the hobgoblin flew up.
The hobgoblin’s tiny, shiny wings caught the breeze and he flew over the fence.
Julia looked down at her wide-eyed cat. “Well, that was a mystery.”
The window stayed open as Julia heaped her books higher and higher and higher.
She placed her favourite book of fairytales on top.
Meanwhile her cat sniffed at a speck of green on the window ledge.
It was a tiny pointy hobgoblin hat.
Julia snatched it up and something fell out.
A teeny tiny book with a gold cover.
She laughed. “He does like books after all!”
Something tiny and green hovered just outside her window.