We are so happy to share the winning ghost story from our writing contest. But first, here’s what some of our judges had to say about it:
The writing was strong (descriptive and evocative), the tone was genuinely eerie, it “built” very nicely, and it had a crackerjack beginning and ending. I like that it’s the piano itself that seems to be the villain.
Dark Music was a very well-structured narrative packed a lot of chills into a concise story. I really got a sense of how alone Louise felt and the idea that the one thing that brought her comfort (the piano) was ultimately dangerous was satisfyingly creepy. Also that title was perfect!
And without further ado, here is the winning story:
Congratulations to Emilia! She will also receive a letter from author Linda Bailey, a copy of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein and $50 worth of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers books.
There were three other stories that we felt came very close – so we want to give a shout out to these aspiring writers and send them a copy of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Júlia Sardà :
- How Do You Know My Name? by Claire, age 11
- Ghost of Screams by Angus and Grace, both age 9
- The Shadow by Kaitlin, age 11