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Three Wishes: A retelling of the folk tale about the foolish things people wish for. A fairy appears to a man and his wife and grants them three wishes, but in the struggle to choose, they stupidly ruin the opportunity and end up back where they began. (529 words) Themes: Think before you speak, Be polite and caring, Consequences (Zip Stage 4) (Flesch grade 2.1) (Lexile 290) |
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Bubble Gum: A girl’s grandfather gives her “special” bubble gum. It allows her to float off the ground and up into the sky! She floats over the neighbourhood, having a lovely time. A cheery tale with a happy ending! (654 words) Themes: Trying new experiences, Looking at life from a different perspective, Safety (Zip Stage 5) (Flesch grade 2.2) (Lexile 310) |
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Mr Moogle is Missing: The monster in Kate’s wardrobe, Mr Moogle, is missing! Kate just wants him to come back, but no one seems to understand. She tries putting up signs, she tries asking for help, but still no sign. Then one day the secret is revealed. (606 words) Themes: Friendship, Problem solving (Zip Stage 4) (Flesch grade 2.3) (Lexile 600) |
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Chalk and Cheese: A little alien, Al, finds himself stranded on Earth. Dougie, the nice boy who befriends him, and Fletcher, the dog, need to help Al find the bizarre ingredients he needs to restart his spaceship. How will it all work out? A jokey fantasy with a happy ending. (836 words) Themes: Helping others, Tolerance of those who are different, Problem solving (Zip Stage ) (Flesch grade 2.9) (Lexile 310) |
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The Wizard’s Staff: Daniel is in real trouble when literally out of the sky appears a wizard’s staff. The staff has magical properties, which Daniel is happy to use. But the wizard suddenly appears to claim it back. There is a stand off, until they find a way to compromise. (585 words) Themes: Thinking of others, The need to negotiate and compromise, Sharing (Zip Stage 5) (Flesch grade 2.2) (Lexile 350) |
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Talent Quest: Granny is an eccentric inventor. She gives the heroine a special microphone for her birthday – it makes her sound like any singer she wishes. However there is a catch (as always). There is one thing the machine should not be asked to do, and guess what...? (771 words) Themes: Affirmative role models (Granny as an inventor), Disobeying the rules, Selfishness and its consequences (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch grade 2.6) (Lexile 400) |
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The Bravest Knight: Bren, the young knight, has been sent to rescue the princess’s necklace, which has been taken by a dragon. Off he goes to the dragon’s cave. But how is he to beat so fearsome a monster? The solution is surprising and amusing. (794 words) Themes: Courage, Helping others, Resourcefulness (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch grade 3.5) (Lexile 400) |
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Witch Upon a Star: Winkle the witch has lost her magic, and wants to get it back. She keeps getting the spells wrong, with hilarious consequences. Even her cat leaves her. But with the help of her magic mirror, and a kindly wizard, she finds a way to get back her magic. A charming tale. (930 words) Theme: Problem solving (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch grade 3.5) (Lexile 480) |
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Welcome to Fairyland: Sally finds a magic book, which whisks her off to Fairyland. With the help of an elf, she sets off to explore. There she sees unicorns, fairies and a dragon. This one features a lovely surprise ending. (746 words) Themes: Magic, Being sensitive to the needs of others (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch grade 4.4) (Lexile 400) |
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The Marble of All Seasons: Lily is at the carnival when she encounters an old lady who shows her a magical crystal ball. To Lily’s surprise, she offers the wonderful ball to her. A tale of real charm and mystery – with a delightful ending. (868 words) Themes: Friendship, Problem solving (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch grade 3.1) (Lexile 490) |
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One Wish: Rex discovers a bottle containing a genie. This is wonderful news, except that the genie turns out to have a hearing problem, so Rex and his friends find that all their wishes get muddled up. Can anyone sort this mess out? (1086 words) Themes: Helping others, Problem solving, Selfless acts (Zip Stage 7) (Flesch grade 3.7) (Lexile 680) |
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The Wonderful Wacky Walnut Trick: The only trick Alice Matilda wants to master is the Wonderful Wacky Walnut Trick, but no matter how hard she tries it just won’t work! Who can help her work out the problem? Lots of fun and a comic ending. (893 words) Themes: Perseverance, Problem solving, Asking for help when you need it (Zip Stage 8) (Flesch grade 6.4) (Lexile 790) This story has more complex language, but its age level is a little lower than the readability measure suggests. |