Books with author Paul Weightman

Jack's steps echoed down the locker-lined hallway. Doors whisked shut as he passed. He caught snippets as the doors closed: Welcome back for a new school year; hope everyone had a nice summer; please turn to page whatever. He had been in one of those classrooms, bored out of his mind and doodling pentagrams onto the front of his spiral notebook.... He wished he still were.When he shoved the door to the guidance counsellors’ suite of offices, it bounced off the door stop and startled the attendance secretary Mrs. Young. Jack marched past the scowling secretary to Mr. Barnes’s office. He raised his hand to knock, but it opened before his fist could fall. Mr. Barnes greeted him with an already weary smile. "Welcome back, Jack."Jack put his fist on his hip. “Who gets called to the guidance office on the first day of freaking school?”Mr. Barnes’s smile didn’t falter as he held the door open for him. He rolled his eyes and ducked by him.From behind the desk, a disembodied female voice said, “I’m so sorry, Jack. I tried to stop him from summoning you. I hid his pass pad. I made all of his pens leak... I even banged his knees with the desk drawers. I can’t believe he had the office secretary call you over the P.A. system. Whatever happened to student confidentiality?”

Both men watched as cracks started to appear in the ball. Suddenly! The ball fell apart, what was left behind was a funny looking creature, with a pointed hat on its head. Both the wizard and looked at the creature in total amazement! The creature looked at the two men, and then Smiled! The silence was broken by the creature. “I am Yanshew, and who do I owe a debt of gratitude to, for freeing me from my prison? - ‘it was I that released you, but it was my friend here, that cared for you these past weeks”, the wizard told the creature.

This is a children's fictional fantasy adventure. Set in the county of North Yorkshire, England, and renowned for its panoramic views of natural beauty and surrounding landscapes, Brimham Rocks has always been a draw for local visitors, and from around the world. Located north-west of the historical town of Harrogate. this ancient landmark holds many myths and secrets. It was on a warm sunny day in August, whilst on a day out from their home in sleepy hamlet of Low Laithe, Gareth and Danny Metcalf, were exploring the boulder formations in and around Brimham Rocks, they stumble upon an Ogre. Unbeknown to the two boys, this somewhat unsightly, but very pleasant creature; who had been blessed with certain powers by his queen, to enable it to infiltrate and learn whether the human inhabitants would be once again ready to coexist with the various magical folk and creatures of the Mystical-World. This little Ogre becomes an arrogate member to the Metcalf family, and would soon discover what it means and is expected to interact with human beings.During their time spent with the Ogre, Gareth realizes that someone from a completely different way of life and cultural background, can become almost like a brother. However, when the time came for Breerok to return to his Ogre family, thereby securing the return of Gareth’s brother, they face a serious threat from the Dark-Dwarves of the high peaks of the Upper-Dales. With the help of family and friends from the small town of Pateley-Bridge, the two brothers make their way back to the Ogre city and reunite both families.

News item from the Kingston Upon Hull Times, Thursday, 22 March 2005:What happened to the children? Book closes on the Bransholme disappearances on the evening of 18th September 2004, three children from the Bransholme area of Kingston upon Hull were reported missing to the police: David Sewell, Gavin Knight and Mandy Wallace. Aged between 12 and 14, all were pupils belonging to nearby Low Fields High School. Attendance records show that the children were present in school on the day in question, but also reveal a very strange occurrence common to all three: Martin attended only his initial three classes, Raymond was present for just the first four, and Kirsty failed to attend her final class of the day. Was this a case of three troubled children making a strange pact to collectively run away from home, or something more sinister? Were they abducted—taken out of school against their will, in broad daylight, with no shortage of people on the premises to witness such an act? The police questioned teachers, supporting staff and pupils, but found no evidence of any suspicious persons entering or leaving the building. All three children had been getting consistently good results in school exams, and were well liked among peers and staff; all three came from stable families who are respected in the community. Perhaps the strangest aspect of this affair is that, although the three children went missing on the same date, they each disappeared at a different time of day. Did a stranger visit the school and kidnap the children, or did they walk away of their own accord? The mystery remains, and to this day no satisfactory explanation for the tragic incident has been put forward. Six months have passed since this chilling event, and police are finally ceasing their investigative efforts. Detective Sergeant Roger Womack, at Kingston upon Hull Police commented, “In cases of this nature, it is extremely unlikely that a child will be found after two months, let alone six. I believe it is now time for the parents to allow themselves to grieve for their children.” A special memorial service is being held in Low Fields High School on Friday evening. This may provide some sort of closure, but it looks as if the question of what happened to Martin, Raymond and Kirsty is one that will haunt the lives of their parents forever.