THIRD PLACE:SUMMER AT ROBO SPHEREBY GEMMA CALLAGHAN

CHAPTER 1

‘Finished! What do you think, May8?’ Summer turned around on her swirly chair and stuck out her hand to reveal her new pocket-sized robot to her best friend May8. May8 was her greatest robot design to date. It was the best friend she’d ever had, with two shiny yellow tyres instead of legs, and a large circular tummy with a computer screen. The bot rolled forwards; its silver eyes projected a red scanning light as it looked at Summer’s new robot.

‘It’s great,’ May8 said in a slow, tinny voice.

‘May8, meet the ‘UndoWhoopsy!’ Nothing like you, of course; it can’t talk or anything as cool as that. But this gadget can fix anything that’s broken!’ Summer touched the locket that hung around her neck; she popped it open and looked at the picture inside. ‘Well, almost anything,’ she sighed as she gazed at the photo of her as a baby with her mum on a beach.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS:A fun STEM story featuring an intriguing setting and an unusual character.

WHAT IS YOUR WRITING JOURNEY SO FAR?

I’ve loved writing since school, inspired by my amazing English teacher, who always encouraged me. I began writing chapter books seven years ago when my son was born, wanting a fresh challenge alongside motherhood. I’d always written women’s novels previously, but when I saw the competition, I thought I’d give it a go! And just like that, I fell in love with writing for children.

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION?

I’d been reading the Leonora Bolt books by Lucy Brandt and enjoyed the science elements and found it so inspiring that I wanted to write a story with science at its heart. The idea of a Robot Academy hit me and gripped me immediately. It was such fun thinking up all the different kinds of bots I could add into the story! Having the story set in such an exciting location gives me plenty ideas for a sequel.

HOW DID YOU WRITE IT?

Normally I have a vague idea of a story from start to finish before I start writing, but with Summer at Robo Sphere I plotted everything. I started asking myself what the character wanted and then plotted all the key moments throughout the book as well as drawing maps of Robo Sphere. I had vision boards of all the rooms and characters. I found this helped me to visualise every detail before I’d even written a single word.

TOP TIP FOR WRITERS ENTERING IN 2025?

Research what you’re writing and get to know the characters’ wants and needs before starting the story. It really helped me to get a clear idea of where I was going if I ever felt as though the story was veering off track.

X: @GemCallaghan; BlueSky: @writergem