Will Hackett-Jones – bedtime stories and fiction
Tired of Bedtime Battles?
The Old Wooden House:
The book so boring, kids can’t stay awake.
✅ 4-minute audiobook sample | 📦 Ships worldwide | 💤 6-month sleep guarantee
"My kid got to sleep in minutes. Bliss!" - Danielle, UK
For ages 3-7
(though it works on adults, too!)
This tale was born from desperation on a Shanghai-to-Auckland flight.
Katie, my tosser-and-turner, kicked drinks over and woke my wife Sasha with every twist.
I knelt down, whispered this dull-as-dishwater story, and—miracle!—she slept.
It worked on Lucy, Tayla, and a car full of females from 5 to 40.
The secret?
It’s so boring, no kid stays awake to the end!
- Dull as Can Be: Repetitive, monotonous, no pictures (cover excepted), no plot, no baddies - just snooze fuel.
- Your Role: Follow [stage directions] to deliver the perfect sleepy drone. Teamwork makes the dream work!
- Goal: Put every excitable anklebiter to bed - guaranteed!
Want to know more? Visit our store for testimonials and a free audiobook sample!
Spread the yawn - tell a friend about this sleepy saga!
Frequently asked questions
What's a good bedtime story for a child who won't sleep?
A calm, predictable story with little action helps more than an exciting one. The Old Wooden House was written to be deliberately dull: a slow walk through a quiet house, with pauses built in. It is for ages 3–7 and comes as a paperback, a Kindle ebook and a 13-minute audiobook read by the author. BBC News called it a "delightfully dull bedtime story". Parents tell us it works best read slowly, in a low voice, after the lively book of the evening.
Who is Will Hackett-Jones?
Will Hackett-Jones is a British novelist and former BBC Radio Suffolk foreign correspondent who has lived in St Petersburg since 2003. He wrote The Old Wooden House, a deliberately dull bedtime story for ages 3–7, the comic spy series Igor's String Theory, and The Shugovka Yacht Club, a novel in progress.
How long does The Old Wooden House take to read?
The audiobook runs about 13 and a half minutes. Reading aloud takes about the same, depending on your pace. Many children are asleep before the end.
What age is The Old Wooden House for?
Ages 3 to 7. Older children and grown-ups have been known to nod off too.
Where can I buy it?
On Amazon as a Kindle ebook and paperback (ISBN 978-1-0682748-4-8), and as an audiobook on Audible. A Russian edition, «Старый деревянный дом», is on willhj.ru, Ridero and Litres.
What else has Will written?
Igor's String Theory, a comic spy series on Medium, and The Shugovka Yacht Club, a novel in progress set in a Russian village.
