A DENBIGHSHIRE pupil is looking to the future after winning a national writing competition.

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel Reed, from Denbigh, and a pupil at Myddelton College, has been selected as the Key Stage 3 winner in a national writing competition, and will see his futuristic story about Romeo and Juliet published in a brand-new book, which is being released as part of Pearson’s My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow competition.

In autumn 2021, learning company Pearson empowered children and young people between the ages of four and 19 to put pen to paper and write their own stories and poems of the future, compiling the winning entries in a brand-new book: My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow, alongside a collection of audio stories..

The My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow winners’ book and audio stories are being launched alongside new research, which suggests fluent reading skills top the list of skills that secondary school teachers feel will give students the best chance of accessing a wide range of careers (71 per cent), alongside adapting their writing skills for different audiences (59 per cent) and spelling, grammar and punctuation skills (56 per cent).

Scooping the award in the Key Stage 3 category, Nathaniel’s work, Romeo & Juliet: Space Edition, was chosen alongside 16 other fantastic stories and poems written by children across the country, including A Mother’s Plea by South West winner Sophia Papasouliotis, Into the Blue by Key Stage 2 winner Veer Khanna, and New Atlantis by Northern Ireland winner Emma-Louise White.

Nathaniel’s story transports the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet into the future, not in Verona but instead on the faraway planet of V3-N-1C3.

Two space stations, M.O.N.T.A.G.U.E and C.A.P.U.L.E.T have hated each other for the past 167 earth years.

The story starts with Romeo sneaking out of the hangar and diving into his pod; initiating the launch sequence and making his way to C.A.P.U.L.E.T. After he meets and talks to Juliet, an intruder alert blares out. Romeo quickly kisses her and escapes in his pod.

With an added twist on the original tale, Mercutio is shot, while Tybalt is sucked out into space and Romeo sent out to orbit in a pod.

Juliet takes a drug to fake her death and is dispatched in a funeral pod. Romeo, hearing alarms that a funeral pod is approaching and that he needs to pay his respects, hits the airlock button as soon as he sees Juliet.

As Juliet does the same, Romeo dies. Nathaniel’s version of this well-loved tale ends with both of their pods gently touching, sending them in different directions, never to meet again.

Nathaniel said: “I have enjoyed reading all of my life and I am absolutely delighted to be given this opportunity to share my ideas with others.”

Over 1,200 school, sixth-form and college students entered the competition, unleashing their fortune-telling skills.

A total of 17 winning entries were picked across categories including KS1 through to KS5, and all regions in the UK.

The resulting book, My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow, is available to download on Pearson’s website, with all budding authors receiving their very own hard copy as part of their prize. Audio versions of each story have been made available too!

Lindsay Nadin, director of primary at Pearson, said: "Nathaniel should be extremely proud of the story he has written.

"His creativity and writing skills make him a worthy winner, alongside the 16 other young authors whose stories and poems ranged from earthlings zipping around on hover-boards, to the need for new laws to keep people safe.

"At Pearson, we are committed to empowering schools to give their students different opportunities to excel, and develop essential skills needed for their futures.

"My Twist on a Tale allows us to encourage and excite young children with writing, motivating them to create work that represents their own perspectives of the world in which we live, and find joy in the written word. Everyone who submitted a story should be very proud of their creation."