The Commuting Book began as a humble homage to centuries of storytelling - something which we believe to be an essential fibre in the very fabric of what it means to be human. We present a diverse range of pieces to better represent our many different interests and beliefs ... a story meaning little to one may mean a lot to another. This is the wonderful wisdom of literature! We have some beautiful short stories and poetry written by Year 8 and Year 10 students. These will take but a minute to read. We also have essays, non-fiction pieces, book extracts, more poems, and short stories, by both published and unpublished writers. Most of these might take 5 -10 minutes to read. None of them will take more than 20 minutes, at most. Time well spent.
The time had come. In the warm darkness of his egg, the flamingo chick moved. Crack! His mother stood up. She fussed about, touching the egg gently ...More
September 21 ● 14 min read
“What do you intend to do about this disgraceful situation?” Alison Carrington seethed. Mayor Harper stared at the outraged, elderly woman, like a man ...More
February 24 ● 22 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Upo ...More
August 1 ● 11 min read
‘How’s Alex?’ Hope said. She and Molly were sitting in a café by the river in early spring drinking tea from the same pot. Molly sighed, l ...More
August 1 ● 19 min read
I ate my brother. I was always fond of him, looked up to him. He was older than me. I measured myself against him. We stood back to back. At first I ...More
September 20 ● 2 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko ...More
February 24 ● 3 min read
She lay in bed, eyes tight shut against the grey light, trying not to notice it as it becomes paler and paler through her eyelids. “Concentrate” sh ...More
September 22 ● 3 min read
It was a glimpse into Paradise. The sun caught the old town first, its jumble of faded pastels glowing like the gilded ceilings of the Vatican – yellow, ...More
August 1 ● 22 min read
When I pick her up she feels warm and frail. She’s like a giraffe sticking her neck high above the canopy searching for a decent snack. When she flie ...More
December 19 ● 1 min read
John paused and turned away from his screen to glance at the steaming cup of coffee. Something felt a little off but he couldn’t place his fing ...More
September 22 ● 18 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuat ...More
November 17 ● 18 min read
It’s morning. I know this because the clock says 7.23 and a finger of light is trying to pull back the curtains. My room faces east. So that makes it ...More
August 1 ● 22 min read
At my father’s funeral an old man in a crumpled black suit gets up to speak. He rises slowly on old man’s legs from among the dark suits and neat ...More
September 22 ● 18 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter F ...More
February 24 ● 3 min read
It’s what I could do to help Fleur out. Family is family. The last Friday each month, we’d drive into the city from opposite directions, and in ...More
September 22 ● 2 min read
The Strange Sagas of Sabrina Summers Saga 1: The Uncooperative Flying Carpet Prologue It was a terrible day for a wedding. The rain slanted down ...More
September 22 ● 21 min read
Jerry and his friend, Ross, were playing in Jerry’s sandpit. Charlie appeared. “What are you playing?” Charlie asked Jerry. “Planes.” Jerry held up h ...More
September 21 ● 5 min read
Today, my feelings are too big for my body They catch and hold fast in my throat They stream down my face And burn on my skin May they emerge as kindness As ...More
May 11 ● 1 min read
I remember the clock He liked to count down Whether we liked it or not, Whether we smiled or frowned He hung in my house On the nursery wall We sa ...More
September 22 ● min read
It’s been nearly 70 years since my children left home. That sounds ridiculous but I am 120 years old. When they left, my house felt empty. I be ...More
August 1 ● 12 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Cha ...More
August 1 ● 10 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories ...More
November 17 ● 13 min read
Once I was riding on a weekend group ride. We were strung out along a straight, flat stretch of road. It occurred to me that the cyclists ahead of m ...More
November 17 ● 1 min read
Feijoas roll down the roof to be pecked by the birds startling the rats which scurry above. A grimy workbench dusty with tools next to a soggy, wet lead che ...More
December 19 ● 1 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapt ...More
February 24 ● 14 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapt ...More
December 19 ● 14 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuawh ...More
December 19 ● 15 min read
Grayce huddled in the dark of her bedroom. The slithering sound came again, something scraping, knocking. Scrape-knock-knock-slide-slither. Some ...More
September 16 ● 3 min read
They’d been walking for about an hour. They’d started in Madras Street, at the office. William was down for the week, the presentation had gone ...More
September 21 ● 14 min read
I am lost in countless dizzying turns and endless corridors. A bare light bulb flickers as I pass beneath it. I flinch involuntarily. Ping! The ...More
September 22 ● 4 min read
“And the prize for the bravest pirate goes to …” Greybeard, the oldest of all the pirates, held up a piece of paper and waved it around dramat ...More
September 22 ● 5 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Sto ...More
February 24 ● 7 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories Up ...More
September 12 ● 15 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories ...More
February 24 ● 5 min read
She chewed her biro, and read the evaluation form. “On a scale of one to five, five being highest, how much did you enjoy this activity?” One. ...More
September 22 ● 3 min read
First, find a location. Find a shabby farm that keeps its neighbours at arm’s length. Find a house with a rusted roof, with guttering that dribbles down t ...More
September 22 ● 5 min read
If you are on the bus, go to QR Code 0007 to read this chapter in English or QR Code 0016 to read in Te Reo. To read previous chapters go to Stories ...More
September 12 ● 13 min read
His hatred of cordyline australis was spawned in his ancestry. When the council planted them along the coastal path he couldn’t sleep, so strong was his ...More
August 1 ● 2 min read
Meet her in the forest You’ll find her fascinating She may not welcome you but she has no choice in this The tree which she is forever linked to ...More
September 22 ● 1 min read
The dragonfly’s eyes are made up of multiple hexagons. Inside each hexagon is a black and white picture of my face. I’ve printed the photos from my f ...More
August 31 ● 2 min read
