The Underground Library
Fantasy
The Underground Library is a free, NAPLAN-aligned fantasy writing resource for Australian primary students. It includes a story starter, complication, tiered vocabulary and scaffolds mapped to the Australian Curriculum (AC9).
Sam had always loved exploring her family’s old bookshop, but she never expected to find something like this. While cleaning out the basement one rainy afternoon, she stumbled upon a wooden trapdoor hidden behind old boxes of forgotten books. Curiosity bubbled inside her as she opened the creaky door, revealing a dark stairwell leading down to a hidden underground library. The shelves stretched up higher than she could see, and the faint flicker of candlelight revealed dusty old books stacked from floor to ceiling. But as she stepped inside, she heard something—a soft whisper coming from the books themselves.
The complication
- The books seem to be alive, whispering warnings to Sam that she should leave the library before it’s too late.
- Some shelves are completely empty, and Sam begins to wonder if something escaped from them—or if something is hiding there now.
- When Sam tries to leave, the trapdoor slams shut behind her, and she’s trapped in the library until she can solve its mystery.
What's in the full resource
- Complications
- Brainstorming Prompts
- Vocabulary Support
- Sentence Starters
- Dialogue Prompts
- Writing Challenges
- Sentence Variety
- Creative Twists
- Writing Checklist
- Reflective Questions
- Collaborative Writing Ideas
- Printable teacher and student PDFs
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