CHILDREN'S STORIES
When my first batch of children were four, six and eight I started writing a spooky story for them every Halloween, and sometimes at Christmas. Over the next twelve years I wrote nineteen stories and collectively called them As They Grow Older - Spooky Stories To Read Aloud. The idea is that the stories become a little more advanced in terms of style, plot and language as they march through the years in step with the children growing up.
Sparsile Books published eighteen of them in 2025 and designed a rather splendid cover to front the collection.
In 2008 I was lucky enough to find Sarah Thiel to create a frontspiece for each story, thumbnailed below. Clicking on one brings up a brief description of that story. I will not, of course, be putting copies of the stories here on the site, because naturally I assume you will all be buying copies of the published collection. Well, there is one exception, which you will hear about further down this page.
The House at the End of Witch Street
The Scariest Moment
Sunset
Wings
Trouble with Gus
Dr MacGregor
The Toyman
Nearly Nine
Christmas Wishes
The Grumpy Bowns
Wheelybins
Halloween Stories
Teddies
The Empty House
A Strange Place
That Year
Here be Giants
The Last and Longest Story
I have written four other children’s stories which, for one reason or another, do not appear in the As They Grow Older collection. You can find out why not by clicking the links below, and you will also find copies of the stories to read.