Page 40 - Ziptales Program Manual - AU

Advanced Library (Extending
Literacy 3-6)

Comedy

Fractured Fairy Tales: Grandpa is begged by his granddaughter to tell a story.
Reluctantly he starts off, and almost immediately gets the stories hopelessly mixed up.
Cinderella meets the Billy Goats Gruff and Snow White, with snatches of Greek myth thrown
into the ramshackle potpourri of mismatched narrative details. Funny and clever. (1435 words)
(Zip Stage 9)

The Blog Monster: George’s Dad is trying to be helpful by putting postings on a family blog.
But it’s more embarrassing than he can imagine. How to stop Dad wrecking George’s life?
(1925 words) (Zip Stage 9)

Get Away!: A simple retelling of Henry Lawson’s famous yarn ‘The Loaded Dog’ (but without
the nasty end). Three gold diggers make a ‘bomb’ to use in their mining operations. But their
lovable mutt accidentally sets it alight in the camp fire. As the men scramble to get out of his
way, the dog runs from one to the other to offer it as a gift. (2567 words) (Zip Stage 9)

Getting Even: Simon is bored and dangerously creative. To get back at his overbearing
Maths teacher, he works up a spectacular act of revenge. It succeeds so well that he soon
goes into business as ‘The Avengers’ (a one man vigilante operation). However, his skill draws
the attention of the bully boys. Soon Simon finds himself pushed into acts of vengeance that
are not so innocent. (3780 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Mystery

The Missing Angel: A fabulously expensive golden angel carved by Renaissance artist
Donatello is being exhibited in the museum. Security is extraordinarily tight, with closed
circuit TV and laser alarm systems. However, incredibly, the statue vanishes. This is the story
of how the criminal and his accomplices are uncovered. (3350 words) (Zip Stage 10)

The Case of the Deadly Orchid: A group of people gather at a country mansion to hear about
what a very wealthy but disliked man will leave his dependents. But he never appears. He is
soon discovered dead. Who and why? A classic whodunit with multiple suspects and a secret
motive. (3500 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Cell 13: A brilliant Professor accepts the ‘impossible’ task of escaping from a locked cell inside
a maximum security prison. In the process he amply demonstrates the power of deduction and
improvisation. This is a famous ‘closed room’ mystery. (4955 words) (Zip Stage 10)

The Dancing Men: A retelling of a Sherlock Holmes story. A distraught husband turns up
to see Holmes, bringing with him pieces of paper bearing an odd, and indecipherable, code.
The man knows his wife is under threat. Holmes works on the puzzle, until he realises that
the man is himself in the most terrible danger. Holmes and Watson go to try and save the day,
and to unmask the culprit. (5992 words) (Zip Stage 10)

At the end of every story are two interactive
comprehension tests, for immediate feedback.

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