My Quest: Ava's Time Machine

What happens when you're just minding your own business, have a brilliant idea to build a time machine, and your cat speaks English? In this episode, Ava's story "My Quest" proves that when children are given complete creative freedom, they tackle big ideas, like whether AI will take over the world, and how a brave girl and her sneaky, fast, really smart cat named Mimi might just save the future. Ava is smart, brave, and super fast. Her cat Mimi can speak English (obviously). One morning Ava has an idea: build a time machine. It takes two whole days to gather everything and make it work. Mimi says, "I think we should go and save the future." They hop in. They travel to 2099. It's all AI. Ava is shocked (this is her face: 😮). But enough about the facts, they're going to save the world from AI by persuading the government to stop making over a thousand AI products. And they do. Fast-paced, funny, ambitious, and featuring a cat who speaks English and makes strategic suggestions, this is a story about seeing problems, building solutions, and the eternal truth that when you have a really smart cat, you should probably listen to her advice about time travel. This story proves what one student told us: "The only superpower you need is imagination." ABOUT THE STORY Story Type: Science fiction time travel adventure with social commentary Themes: Innovation (building time machines), partnership (girl and cat), foresight (saving the future before it happens), persuasion over force, taking responsibility for technology Setting: Ava's home (early one morning), 2099 (all AI), government offices (persuasion happens) WHY THIS STORY MATTERS This author has created something brilliantly structured: a time travel story that acknowledges the reader directly, introduces characters with specific traits, builds tension through discovery, and resolves through negotiation rather than violence. Notice the opening: "This story begins with, well, me, myself." That casual "well, me, myself" is conversational brilliance. Ava's talking TO us, not AT us. She's inviting us into her world like we're sitting across from her. And that character introduction? Listen to how she describes Mimi: "She is sneaky, fast and really smart. Trust me." That "Trust me" is doing serious work. It's anticipating scepticism. It's saying: I know you might doubt that a cat is really smart, but I'm the expert here. Believe me. That's audience awareness. Then she describes herself: "I am also smart, brave, and super fast." Notice the "also." She's putting herself in the same category as her cat. They're a matched set. This is partnership. This is mutual respect between species. And this line: "I was just minding my own business when suddenly I had an idea to build a time machine." The juxtaposition is perfect. "Minding my own business" (ordinary) immediately followed by "build a time machine" (extraordinary). That's comic timing. That's understanding that the humour lives in the gap between mundane and magnificent. Listen to the pacing here: "It took me two whole days. And this is what it looked like at the end." She doesn't describe the time machine in detail. She doesn't tell us every wire and circuit. She just shows us (in her original version, presumably with a drawing). That's visual storytelling. That's trusting the reader to imagine. And then this reveal: "Oh yeah. Did I tell you that my cat Mimi can speak English?" That "Oh yeah" is magnificent. It's casual. It's an afterthought. As if having a bilingual cat is the LEAST interesting thing about this story. The time machine? That needed explanation. The talking cat? Obviously. Doesn't everyone's cat speak English? That's confidence. That's world-building without apology. And Mimi's dialogue: "I think we should go and save the future." Not "let's have an adventure." Not "let's see what happens." But "save the future." Mimi has a mission. Mimi sees the stakes. Mimi is strategic. And Ava's response? "Really?" That single word carries so much. Surprise, yes. But also respect. She's checking: are you sure? Is this the mission? And when Mimi confirms, they go. The description of 2099: "It was all AI. I was so shocked. This is my face. 😮" That meta-moment "This is my face" is brilliant. She's breaking the fourth wall. She's showing us her emotional response. She's making us feel her shock. And then: "Enough about the facts, me and my cat are going to save the world from AI." That transition "Enough about the facts" is narratively sophisticated. She's saying: we could spend forever describing this AI dystopia, but that's not what this story is about. This story is about ACTION. About SAVING THE WORLD. She's controlling her own pacing. She's making editorial choices. And the resolution: "We persuade the government to stop making over a thousand AI products." Not "we destroy the AI." Not "we fight the robots." But "we persuade the government." That's diplomatic thinking. That's understanding that systemic problems require systemic solutions. You don't defeat AI with force. You change policy. You negotiate. You use words. And they succeed. "And we do." Matter-of-fact. Confident. Of course they did. Because when you're smart, brave, super fast, and you have a really smart English-speaking cat, you get things done. WHEN CHILDREN ARE GIVEN COMPLETE CREATIVE AUTONOMY, THEY WRITE STORIES WITH: Direct audience address - "Did I tell you..." / "Trust me" / "This is my face" - breaking fourth wall naturally Character introductions that show relationship dynamics - Ava and Mimi described with parallel traits (both smart, both fast) Comic timing - "Minding my own business" → "build a time machine" Casual world-building - "Oh yeah. Did I tell you my cat speaks English?" (as if this is normal) Meta-narrative awareness - "Enough about the facts" (controlling pacing) Strategic problem-solving - Persuasion over violence Confidence in resolution - "And we do." (matter-of-fact success) Social commentary - AI dystopia, government responsibility, tech ethics Partnership at the core - Girl and cat working together as equals When we evaluated 318 children using Classic Grounded Theory methodology, we discovered seven transformations that occur when children are given complete creative autonomy. Ava's story contains every single one: Joyful engagement - The playfulness throughout ("This is my face") Creative freedom - Time travel, talking cat, AI dystopia—all her choices Immersive storytelling - She's IN this world, experiencing shock Overcoming challenges - Built time machine, travelled to future, changed policy Pride and achievement - "My Quest" (epic title, personal ownership) Dreams of authorship - Meta-narrative control ("Enough about the facts") Social connection - Partnership between Ava and Mimi drives everything That detail about taking "two whole days" to build the time machine? That's realistic stakes. She didn't snap her fingers. She didn't have magic. She gathered materials. She worked. She spent time. That's showing effort matters. And Mimi isn't just comic relief. She's the one who identifies the mission: "save the future." Without Mimi's strategic thinking, this would just be a joy ride to 2099. Mimi gives the story purpose. The fact that they don't describe HOW they persuaded the government shows narrative sophistication. Ava knows: the persuasion isn't the interesting part. The interesting part is that they DID it. That they succeeded. Show the outcome, not every detail of the process. ABOUT STORYQUEST™ StoryQuest™ is a methodology that achieves 100% engagement across all learners, including reluctant writers, boys, and students with SEND. The approach is simple but profound: give children complete creative autonomy over something that truly matters to them. 465 children across 9 schools. Zero behavioural incidents. Every child published. Teachers building it into curriculum permanently. Featured by BBC News, accepted by UK Parliament, presented to the British Psychological Society. When we stop correcting and start trusting, transformation happens. Every single time. RESOURCES & LINKS Try This Tonight: Ask your child: "What story do YOU want to tell?" Then listen. Really listen. Write what they say, exactly as they say it. Don't correct. Don't improve. Just honour their voice. Download the Golden Question Guide (FREE): theadventuresofgabriel.com/golden-question Everything you need to start Friday night storytelling at home. Bring StoryQuest™ to Your School: my-storyquest.com/bradford-proof See how 9 schools achieved 100% engagement (including every SEND and EAL learner). Read Gabriel's Adventures: The international bestselling series that started it all, co-authored by Kate Markland and her son Gabriel. Available at theadventuresofgabriel.com Connect with Kate: Website: katemarkland.com Email: [email protected] SHARE THIS EPISODE Know a teacher struggling with reluctant writers? A parent whose child says "writing is boring"? A school leader looking for proven literacy solutions? Share this episode with them. Because every child has a story. And when we give them the freedom to tell it, extraordinary things happen. KEYWORDS Child authors, creative writing for children, literacy education, reluctant writers, StoryQuest, student engagement, children's storytelling, authentic writing, educational innovation, child-led learning, time travel, AI dystopia, talking cat, science fiction for kids, future technology, government persuasion, creative freedom, UK education, December Story Celebration NEXT EPISODE Subscribe to hear more incredible stories from children around the world who discovered their voices through StoryQuest™. Tomorrow: Another story from our December Story Celebration. 31 stories over 31 days. PRODUCTION StoryQuest™ "When given complete creative control, children don't just create great stories—they discover their voice. And that voice deserves to be heard." — Kate Markland