Home
  • Home
  • Latest Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Authors & Artists
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Forums
  • Search

Books for Keeps 108 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!

BfK No. 108 - January 1998

Cover Story
This issue’s cover shows titles from Anthony Masters’ new ‘Weird World’ series aimed to grab reluctant readers. Anthony Masters is interviewed by George Hunt. Thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for their help in producing this January cover.

BfK No. 108 Articles

Editorial - January 1998

News and comment from the Editor.

Reading for Pleasure – Boys

Alison Smith recommends titles that boys enjoy reading.

Do Boys Read About Girls?

Jacqueline Wilson discusses.

BfK Briefing – January 1998

News * Obituary * Publications * Best Seller Chart * Awards * Events * Letters to the Editor

Good Reads: Hitchin Boys’ School

Reviews from pupils of Hitchin Boys' School, Hertfordshire.

The History of Children’s Books, No.5: The 'Second Golden Age'

John Rowe Townsend looks at the decades after World War II.

Authorgraph No.108: Anthony Masters

Anthony Masters interviewed by George Hunt.

Classics in Short No.7: Where the Wild Things Are

Helen Levene on Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.

Editor's Choice

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

Jamie Lee Curtis
(Scholastic Hippo)
5

When small children ask for the story of their birth again and again, what is often being looked for is confirmation and reassurance that they were indeed wanted and looked forward to and their arrival greeted with excitement and delight. Such...

read more

New Talent

The Edge

Ben Bo
(Bloomsbury)
3

Sliding between the razor-edged rocks, a double row of jagged teeth drooling diamond ice, then on down a gully-gullet so narrow and sheer there could be no mistake.

In this snowboarding drama, moodily insecure teen Declan, who...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 108

  • Under 5s
  • Ages 5-8
  • Ages 8-10
  • Ages 10-14
  • Books About Children's Books

Under 5s

  • The Pre-school Learning Alliance Book of Nursery Rhymes; Jack and Jill: A Book of Nursery Rhymes; Grace and Family; Two of Everything

    5
  • The Helen Oxenbury Nursery Story Book

    5
  • Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

    Jamie Lee Curtis
    5
  • Goal!

    Colin McNaughton
    5
  • Two Bears and Joe

    Penelope Lively
    4
  • The Glove Puppet Man

    John Yeoman
    4
  • Alfie and the Birthday Surprise; Rhymes for Annie Rose; The Nursery Collection

    Shirley Hughes
    4

Ages 5-8

  • Creation: Stories from Around the World

    5
  • Leon and Bob

    Simon James
    5
  • The Very Visible Mouse

    Anne Merrick
    5
  • Big Bad Raps; Royal Raps

    Tony Mitton
    4
  • Rollerblading Royals

    Karen Wallace
    4
  • A Book of Princesses; The Doubleday Book of Princess Stories

    Sally Gardner
    4
  • Bullysaurus the Gladiator

    Damon Burnard
    4
  • An Angel Just Like Me

    Mary Hoffman
    4
  • Big Red Fire Engine

    Ken Wilson-Max
    4
  • Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

    John Steptoe
    3
  • Monkey and the Water Dragon

    3
  • Here Come the Aliens!

    Colin McNaughton
    3
  • Ms Cliff the Climber

    Allan Ahlberg
    3
  • Where Babies Come From; Why is Mummy's tummy so big? Questions children ask about the Facts of Life

    Rosemary Stones
    2

Ages 8-10

  • Rocking and Rolling; Wild, Wet and Windy

    Philip Steele
    5
  • Where's Wally?; Where's Wally Now?; Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey; Where's Wally? In Hollywood; Where's Wally? The Wonder Book

    Martin Handford
    5
  • Disaster! Catastrophes that shook the world

    Richard Platt
    4
  • Bag of Bones

    Helen Cresswell
    4
  • Teaching the Parrot

    Richard Edwards
    4
  • Cowboys; Pirates

    Stewart Ross
    3

Ages 10-14

  • Breaking the Fall

    Michael Cadnum
    5
  • Tell No One Who You Are; The Final Journey

    Walter Buchignani
    5
  • The Sighting

    Jan Mark
    5
  • The Subtle Knife

    Philip Pullman
    5
  • Unbeliever

    Robert Swindells
    4
  • Fall-out

    Gudrun Pausewang
    4
  • Song of Be

    Lesley Beake
    4
  • Junior Chronicle of the Twentieth Century

    Simon Adams
    4
  • Playing a Dazzler

    James Berry
    4
  • Atlantis

    Frances Mary Hendry
    4
  • Coming to England

    Floella Benjamin
    4
  • Playing It Cool; A Daughter Like Me

    Jacqueline Roy
    4
  • The Earth Giant

    Melvin Burgess
    4
  • River Boy

    Tim Bowler
    4
  • Why is the Sky?; Thoughts Like an Ocean

    4
  • Forbidden Ground

    Elizabeth Laird
    Hamish Hamilton
    4
  • Rebel Rebel

    3
  • Get Down on the Internet

    Ian Lewis
    3
  • The Taj Mahal; The Houses of Parliament

    Christine Moorcroft
    3
  • What Do We know About Christianity?; Christian Church; Jesus - the Man Who Changed History; The Life of Jesus; Stories from the New Testament

    Carol Watson
    3
  • It's My Life

    Michael Harrison
    3
  • The Edge

    Ben Bo
    3
  • Beyond the Western Sea Vol 1. The Escape from Home; Beyond the Western Sea Vol 2. Lord Kirkle's Money

    Avi
    2
  • The Mysteries of Zigomar

    Allan Ahlberg
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • Children's Literature and the Politics of Equality

    Pat Pinsent
    4

BfK News

DANIEL MORDEN WINS 2013 TIR NA N-OG ENGLISH AWARD

The Welsh Books Council has announced Daniel Morden as winner of the 2013 Tir na n-Og English Award for his collection of stories Tree of Leaf and Flame (Pont Books).

Morden’s first book, Weird Tales from the  Storyteller, was shortlisted for the Tir
na n-Og English-language award in 2004 and he won the award in 2007 for Dark Tales from the Woods.

read more...
ROYAL SOCIETY YOUNG PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE 2013 SHORTLIST

The Royal Society has announced the shortlist for their 2013 Young People’s Book Prize, naming the six books the judges consider best communicate science to young people.

Professor John Goodby FRS, Chair of the judges described the shortlist as eclectic, but enthralling.

The six books shortlisted by the judges are:

Build the Human Body by Richard Walker (Templar Publishing)

In the judges’ words: ‘A hands on, fun kit to help learn about the human body, accompanied by a well-illustrated, concise, clear book.’

read more...
SARAH GARLAND WINS INAUGURAL LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Sarah Garland has won the first Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Azzi in Between, which tells the story of a family forced to fell their homeland and settle in a strange and unfamiliar country. The book is based on the author’s own experience of working among refugee families and is endorsed by Amnesty International.

read more...
2013 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD: THE SHORTLIST

‘Seven outstanding debuts, eight really interesting authors, doing really interesting things’

The shortlist for the 2013 Branford Boase Award has been announced. The Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.

read more...
2013 CLPE Poetry Award: Winner

CLPE AwardThe 2013 CLPE Poetry Award has been won by George Szirtes for  In the Land of the Giants, illustrated by Helen Szirtes (Salt Publishing). Szirtes was presented with the award by last year’s winner Rachel Rooney at a ceremony at CLPE on the evening of Tuesday 30 April.

read more...
THE 2013 CLPE POETRY AWARD SHORTLIST

Weight of WaterFour outstanding poetry books are shortlisted for the 2013 CLPE Poetry Award. Established in 2003, the annual Poetry Award encourages and celebrates outstanding new children’s poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

The four books on the shortlist are:

read more...
2013 ENGLISH 4 – 11 PICTURE BOOK AWARDS: THE WINNERS

The winners of the 2013 English 4 – 11 Picture Book Awards have been announced. Established in 1995, the awards are presented annually to the best picture books of the previous year, in four categories, Fiction 4 – 7 and 7 – 11 years, and Non-Fiction 4 – 7 and 7 – 11 years.

From a 15 strong shortlist, the winners are:

Fiction 4 – 7 years

Hippospotamus by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Tony Ross (Andersen Press)

Fiction 7 – 11 years

read more...
IBBY Announces the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award have been announced.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. Awarded every other year by IBBY, the award recognizes lifelong achievement and is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature.

For the 2014 Awards 29 authors and 31 illustrators have been nominated from 34 countries. They are:

read more...
New Little Rebels Children’s Book Award: Shortlist Announced

The shortlist has been announced for The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award, a new award for radical children’s fiction.

The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award recognises fiction for ages 0-12 which promotes or celebrates social justice and equality. It is awarded by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) and administered by Letterbox Library. Wendy Cooling, Bookstart co-founder & editor and author Elizabeth Laird are both judges.

The four books on the inaugural shortlist are:

read more...
School Library Association Information Book Award 2013 Short List Announcement

The School Library Association has announce the shortlist for the 2013 prize. The Information Book Award is an annual event, in its third year its aim is to reinforce the importance of non-fiction whilst highlighting the high standard of resources available.

The judges - a panel of experienced librarians, SLA board members and a member of Peters Bookselling Services - have produced what they describe as ‘a strong and very varied selection of titles for the shortlist’. These are

Under 7s

read more...
more
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Help/FAQ
  • My Account
website developed by purkiss