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

Books for Keeps 127 - the children's book magazine online

  • View
  • Rearrange

Digital version – browse, print or download

Books for Keeps is packed with articles, interviews comment and, of course, reviews.

You can read the whole issue online here, for free!

How to print the digital edition of Books for Keeps: click on this PDF file link - click on the printer icon in the top right of the screen to print.

BfK Newsletter

Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!

BfK No. 127 - March 2001

Cover Story
This issue’s cover is Sharon Creech’s The Wanderer. Sharon Creech is interviewed by Suzanne Manczuk. Our thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help in producing this March cover.

BfK No. 127 Articles

Editorial - March 2001

News and comment from the Editor.

A Sailboat in the Sky

Children's Laureate, Quentin Blake, describes an unusual picture book project.

Windows into Illustration: Sara Fanelli

Sara Fanelli on her picture book, Dear Diary.

Inspiring ‘Reluctant’ Readers

Gwynneth Bailey and David Bennett on books that have worked for them.

Authorgraph No.127: Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech interviewed by Suzanne Manczuk.

Doing a School Visit

Vivian French offers some practical suggestions.

Whose History? The Atlantic Slave Trade

Errol Lloyd examines Frances Mary Hendry's Chains.

BfK Briefing - March 2001

News * Events * Obituaries * Awards

Useful Organisations No.14: Young Writer

Triennial magazine or tape providing platform for young writers aged 18 and under.

I Wish I’d Written… Mossop’s Last Chance

Ann Jungman chooses Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner's Mossop's Last Chance.

Good Reads: Cwmtawe Comprehensive School

Reviews from pupils of Cwmtawe Comprehensive School, Swansea.

Classics in Short No.26: Songs of Innocence

Brian Alderson on William Blake's Songs of Innocence.

Editor's Choice

Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman
(Doubleday Childrens)
5

Fifteen-year-old Callum is a Nought, a member of a despised racial group which is also an underclass. Meggie, his mother, works as a servant for the Hadleys (rich Crosses who are members of the racial elite) so Callum has grown up knowing and...

read more

New Talent

The Road to Somewhere

Helen Armstrong
(Orion Children's Books)
3

When Cow tells Ratty that farmer is sending her to never-come-back, action is needed. Ratty is known to be a good thinker and he comes up with a plan to leave the farm and find Somewhere-else. As the two friends escape, they are joined by Woolly...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 127

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

Under 5s

  • Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!

    Malachy Doyle
    5
  • The Kingfisher Book of Fairy Tales

    5
  • Mei Ling's Hiccups

    David Mills
    5
  • Do Little Mermaids Wet Their Beds?

    Jeanne Willis
    5
  • What am I?

    Aurélie Lanchais
    Alain Crozon
    5
  • Splosh!

    Philippe Corentin
    Sarah Pakenham
    4
  • Ellie and the Butterfly Kitten

    Gill Lobel
    4
  • Good Night, Sleep Tight

    4
  • The Oxford Nursery Treasury

    Ian Beck
    4
  • Flora the Frog

    Shirley Isherwood
    3
  • The Selfish Giant

    Oscar Wilde
    3
  • Buri and the Marrow

    Henriette Barkow
    3
  • The Rabbit Who Couldn't Say No

    Elena Goldoni
    3
  • The Big White Book with <i>almost</i> nothing in it

    Mike Brownlow
    3
  • Ten Little Ladybirds

    Melanie Gerth
    Laura Huliska-Beith
    3

Ages 5-8

  • The Birdman

    Melvin Burgess
    5
  • Nanu, Penguin Chick

    Theresa Radcliffe
    4
  • Down the Dragon's Tongue

    Margaret Mahy
    4
  • Katie and the Sunflowers

    James Mayhew
    4
  • Inside Mary Elizabeth's House

    Pamela Allen
    4
  • Start Writing Adventure Stories; Start Writing About Things I Do; Start Writing Amazing Stories; Start Writing About People and Places; Teachers' Resource Book for Start Writing

    Penny King
    Ruth Thomson
    3
  • Zeus Conquers the Titans and other Greek Myths; Athena and the Olive Tree and other Greek Myths

    3
  • The Muddled Monsters; The Perfect Pizza; The Posh Party; The Potty Panto; Circle Magic; Crazy Magic; Magic Hotel; Mouse Magic

    Scoular Anderson
    3
  • Sitting Ducks

    Michael Bedard
    3
  • The Phantom Cat of the Opera

    David Wood
    3
  • The Lion Book of World Stories

    3
  • Why Be Bossy?; Why Be Unfriendly?; Why Fight?; Why Lose Your Temper?; Why Not Share?; Why Tease?

    Janine Amos
    Annabel Spenceley
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Ballet School: What it takes to make a dancer

    Camilla Jessel
    5
  • Firewords: A Book of Wordplay Poems

    5
  • The Orchard Book of Love and Friendship

    Geraldine McCaughrean
    5
  • The Names Upon the Harp

    Marie Heaney
    5
  • Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    5
  • Ice Trap! Shackleton's Incredible Expedition

    Meredith Hooper
    4
  • The Book About Books

    Chris Powling
    3
  • The Oldest Girl in the World; The Emperor's Watchmaker; Points of View with Professor Peekaboo

    Carol Ann Duffy
    3
  • The Road to Somewhere

    Helen Armstrong
    3
  • Dirty Rotten Tricks

    Simon Cheshire
    3
  • Ghost at the Window

    Margaret McAllister
    3
  • Aftershock!; Hurricane!

    Tony Bradman
    3
  • Slimy Science and Awesome Experiments

    Susan Martineau
    2

Ages 10-14

  • Noughts and Crosses

    Malorie Blackman
    5
  • In My Hands

    Irene Gut Opdyke
    Jennifer Taylor
    4
  • Causes; The Death Camps

    Pat Levy
    4
  • World War II

    Simon Adams
    4
  • The Hard Man of the Swings

    Jeanne Willis
    4
  • Missing

    Catherine MacPhail
    4
  • In Flame

    Gaye Hiçyilmaz
    4
  • The Perfect Journey: Winners of The Guardian/Piccadilly teenage writing competition

    Michael Palin
    4
  • The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia

    4
  • The Kingfisher illustrated Animal Encyclopedia

    David Burnie
    4
  • Year of the Griffin

    Diana Wynne Jones
    4
  • The Lady with Iron Bones

    Jan Mark
    4
  • The Right Moment; Final Victory; Blitz Boys; Blood and Ice

    David Belbin
    4
  • In and Out the Shadows

    Sandy Brownjohn
    4
  • And Baby Makes Two

    Dyan Sheldon
    3
  • The Drop

    Anthony Masters
    3
  • River Boy

    Tim Bowler
    3
  • Control-Shift

    Nick Manns
    3
  • When the Guns Fall Silent

    James Riordan
    3
  • The Unidentified Frying Omelette

    Andrew Fusek Peters
    3

Books About Children's Books

  • Picture Books Sans Frontières

    Penni Cotton
    5
  • Edward Ardizzone: Sketches for Friends

    5

BfK News

CRESSIDA COWELL LAUNCHES NEW LAUREATE INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CALLS ON PM TO ACT

‘How can a child become a reader for pleasure if their parents or carers cannot afford books, and their primary school has no library, or that library is woefully insufficient?’

Life-changing Libraries logo

read more...
SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2021 UKLA BOOK AWARDS

UKLA Book Awards logo

read more...
ALL STORIES, A NEW MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME FOR UNDERREPRESENTED CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS

A new mentorship scheme for underrepresented authors launches today, 30 March. All Stories offers fourteen mentorships delivered by expert children’s book editors.

All Stories logo

read more...
2021 SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

CKG Logo

The shortlists for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, 18 March. The awards are the UK’s oldest for children and young people.

This year’s judges praised their shortlists for ‘offering hope and escapism during lockdown’ through explorations of freedom, the great outdoors and journeys through the natural world.

read more...
INAUGURAL LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE JHALAK CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT PRIZE

The Jhalak Prize has announced the longlist for the inaugural Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize.

Jhalak Prize logo

read more...
ONJALI RAÚF BECOMES WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR BOOKTRUST

Award-winning author and activist, Onjali Raúf takes up the post as the new Writer in Residence for BookTrust, today, International Women’s Day. She takes over from Smriti Halls.

Onjali Q Raúf

read more...
LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

The longlist for the 2021 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced.

CKG Logo

read more...
LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

Klaus Flugge Prize logo

read more...
NOW OPEN: 2021 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION

Finish a story started by Branford Boase Award winner Liz Hyder

The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition, the annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the Branford Boase Award, is now open.

read more...
TWO UK ENTRIES ON IBBY LIST OF OUTSTANDING BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Every two years, IBBY invites nominations for its international List of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Nominations are made by IBBY national sections and the final list is selected from these by the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Young People with Disabilities, based in Toronto. Because of its international content, the list is unique in the children’s book world. It is a huge voluntary undertaking as every country is encouraged to submit up to twelve titles across the three categories.

read more...
more
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Help/FAQ
  • My Account