“The best scholars, reviewers, authors and critics write for Books for Keeps,” says editor Rosemary Stones, “We hold a mirror up to the children’s book world and reflects back its output, issues and preoccupations with intelligence, scholarship and wit.”
Book of the week
Slated (10-14 Middle/Secondary)
Teri Terry
16-year-old Kyla has been ‘slated’ – given a clean slate, a fresh start to redeem a past which has been wiped from her memory.
Latest Reviews
Penguin’s Hidden Talent (5-8 Infant/Junior)
Alex Latimer
(Picture Corgi)
As the annual talent contest draws near, Fox, Bear, Penguin and Rabbit are all busy practising their acts.
Digging in the Dark (8-10 Junior/Middle)
Hilda Offen
(Catnip Publishing Ltd)
This funny story is ideal for newly independent readers. Offen presents recognisable school life, from friendships and bullies to school outings.
Drive By (10-14 Middle/Secondary)
Jim Carrington
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
Readers who enjoy wrestling with the complexities of moral responsibility will respond enthusiastically to this novel and to the intriguing dilemma at its centre.



Maurice Sendak, who has died at the age of 83 was one of the most important illustrators of the twentieth century. Joanna Carey assesses his career for Books for Keeps
The shortlists have been announced for the 2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the oldest and most prestigious of all the UK’s children’s book awards.