Puffin Schools has been created by the children’s publisher Puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place.
Reading Robin Steven’s Murder Most Unladylike series can feel like trying to put a jigsaw together. In the video, Robin shares how she plans her books and breaks it down so young writers can try to. Every mystery story needs six key ingredients:
Use this video in your classroom to spark pupils’ imaginations. Time codes are included so you can pause and start the video as your class write down their ideas.
The first thing we need somewhere that I call a “closed setting.” A place that is very hard to get into and out of, and has people in it already who know each other very well. For example, a train, a theatre or a school . . .
Next you need to think about the crime and the victim, and this is really the heart of the story. What do you want to have happen in your mystery? For example, a theft, a murder or a kidnapping . . . in this video Robin uses the example that the victim is the school PE Teacher and the crime is a theft.
Every mystery and dective story needs suspects. Suspects are people who may have committed the crime. To write your own story you’ll need to think of a couple of people who could have done it. Think about who might have been around the crime scene and, very importantly, why they might have committed the crime. This is called a motive.
Clues are the objects that can help the detective track down the criminal. It should be something that could belong to one of the suspects. Perhaps there is a lipstick which matches the shade worn by the school science teacher. Look around the classroom and choose an object – can you think about who it might belong to? This might help you spark a story idea.
The final piece of the puzzle, is the resolution. This comes at the very end of the story and answers all the readers questions about the crime. For example in the
A good mystery story will leave your readers guessing until the very end and be filled with twists and turns so the reader don’t guess who committed the crime until the very end.
Puffin Schools has been created by the children’s publisher Puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place.
The books on this website will range from those for EYFS through to primary and up to lower secondary school. You can discover our full range of books at puffin.co.uk
Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. Through our world of stories, Puffin aims to open up the world to every child. Our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life.
Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old.
We publish a diverse and wide range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and children’s classics. Our list includes some of the world’s favourite authors, illustrators and licensed brands, such as Eric Carle, Helen Oxenbury, Nadia Shireen, The Snowman, Doctor Who, Roald Dahl, Tom Fletcher, Jeff Kinney, Rick Riordan, Robin Stevens, and Jacqueline Wilson to name but a few.
Ladybird, Puffin and Penguin are imprints of Penguin Random House UK. Across their extensive list, we believe there is a story for every child, everywhere.
You can find information about books for all ages at penguin.co.uk
All the books featured on this website can be purchased in the usual way: as well as being available on the high street and online, you can find lots of brilliant offers via school-specific suppliers and wholesale retailers.
Whether you’ve got a brilliant idea for a lesson, a photograph of something incredible you’ve done at your school or just have a question, please email [email protected] and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible .
The Story-Makers Show was known as Puffin Virtually Live up until March 2019. The content and ambition of the show remains the same: to give every pupil the opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators in their own classroom using the power of the internet.
We’ve re-named Puffin Virtually Live so that it’s easier for new teachers to discover it as part of Puffin Schools and to acknowledge that the show now premieres on show day, rather than being streamed live.
Your account for Puffin Virtually Live has been deactivated as it is no longer a feature of the Puffin Schools website.
If you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the Puffin Schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows.
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You can watch The Story-Makers Show on the Puffin Schools site. However, please be aware that it uses a YouTube player and that you should check your school’s permissions to ensure that YouTube isn’t blocked.