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Books for Keeps 145 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 145 - March 2004

Cover Story
This issue's cover illustration is from Satoshi Kitamura's Once Upon an Ordinary School Day. Satoshi Kitamura is interviewed by Martin Salisbury. Thanks to Andersen Press for their help with this March cover.

BfK No. 145 Articles

Editorial - March 2004

News and comment from the Editor.
The Dog That Kept Barking and the other top titles of 2003

Children's books experts look back at the previous year's publishing.
Authorgraph No.145: Satoshi Kitamura

Satoshi Kitamura interviewed by Martin Salisbury.
BfK Profile: Marcus Sedgwick

Nicholas Tucker on the novels of Marcus Sedgwick.
Responding to Young Adult Fiction

Julie Bertagna on controversial subjects for teens.
Pullman's Daemons

Margaret Rustin on daemons in Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials'.
Maple Ridge School Book Trail

Liz Taylor on setting up a book trail in a day special school
BfK Briefing - March 2004

News * Awards * Obituaries * Letter to the Editor
Useful Organisations No.32: Talk to Your Baby

The National Literacy Trust's Early Language Campaign.
Hal's Reading Diary - March 2004

Roger Mills on how Hal no longer depends on pictures in books.
I Wish I'd Written... Mortal Engines

Anthony Horowitz chooses Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines.
Good Reads: Lanesborough School, Guildford, Surrey

Reviews from pupils of Lanesborough School, Guildford, Surrey.
Classics in Short No.44: Father Christmas

Brian Alderson on Raymond Briggs' s Father Christmas.

Editor's Choice

All Kinds of Beliefs
Emma Damon
(Mantra Lingua)
5

The republication of this charming introduction for young readers to the major religions in a dual language edition appears timely. Even-handedly reflecting difference both within particular religious communities ('Some Sikh boys wear a patka...

read more

New Talent

Millions
Frank Cottrell Boyce
(Macmillan Children's Books)
5

Cottrell Boyce is an accomplished screenwriter (Welcome to Sarajevo, Hilary and Jackie etc as well as a stint on Coronation Street) so the confidence, vitality and wit of this ambitiously structured first novel astonish the reader...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 145

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

Under 5s

  • Woolly Jumper: The Story of Wool
    Meredith Hooper
    5

  • Frog is Sad
    Max Velthuijs
    4

  • Winnie's New Computer
    Valerie Thomas
    4

  • Little Yellow Dog Says Look at Me; Little Yellow Dog Gets a Shock
    Francesca Simon
    4

  • Precious Water: A Book of Thanks; Little Apple: A Book of Thanks; Good Bread: A Book of Thanks
    Brigitte Weninger
    3

  • Milet Mini Picture Dictionary
    Sedat Turhan
    3

  • Rastamouse and the Crucial Plan
    Michael De Souza
    3

  • Jingle Jangle Jungle
    3

  • The Alphabet Room
    Sara Pinto
    3

  • Blue Rabbit
    Angela McAllister
    2

  • Cluck, Cluck Who's There?
    James Mayhew
    2

Ages 5-8

  • I Hate School
    Jeanne Willis
    5

  • Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales
    Geraldine McCaughrean
    5

  • All Kinds of Beliefs
    Emma Damon
    5

  • Who is Mrs Green?
    David McKee
    4

  • The Blue Whale
    Christine Corning Malloy
    4

  • Jason and the Golden Fleece
    James Riordan
    3

  • The Bogey Man
    Shoo Rayner
    3

  • Cinderlily: A Floral Fairy Tale
    Christine Tagg
    3

  • The Orchard Book of Swords, Sorcerers and Superheroes
    Tony Bradman
    3

  • Rocky; Chicken in a Basket
    Rebecca Lisle
    3

  • The Bee-man of Orn
    Frank R Stockton
    2

  • Lemmy was a Diver
    Colin McNaughton
    2

Ages 8-10

  • Seriously Weird
    Gene Kemp
    5

  • Millions
    Frank Cottrell Boyce
    5

  • The Jesse Tree
    Geraldine McCaughrean
    5

  • Ancient Rome; Dinosaur
    Peter Chrisp
    4

  • Cat and the Stinkwater War
    Kate Saunders
    4

  • The Tempest: A Shakespeare Story; Hamlet: A Shakespeare Story
    4

  • When Mum Threw out the Telly
    E F Smith
    3

  • Running Wilde; Wilde Child
    Jenny Oldfield
    3

  • Free Lance and the Lake of Skulls
    Paul Stewart
    3

  • Dog Days
    Geraldine McCaughrean
    3

  • The Legend of the Fish
    Gita Wolf
    Sirish Rao
    Emanuele Scanziani
    3

  • Erika's Story
    Ruth Vander Zee
    3

  • Survivor's Science in the Desert; Survivor's Science on an Island; Survivor's Science in the Rainforest; Survivor's Science at Sea
    Peter D Riley
    1

Ages 10-14

  • Encyclopedia of People; The Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia
    4

  • The Rough Guide to Books for Teenagers
    Nicholas Tucker
    Julia Eccleshare
    4

  • The Cup of the World
    John Dickinson
    4

  • The Amulet of Samarkand
    Jonathan Stroud
    4

  • August '44
    Carlo Gébler
    4

  • The Lastling
    Philip Gross
    4

  • Saskia's Journey
    Theresa Breslin
    4

  • Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ancient Rome
    Mike Corbishley
    3

  • Eureka! Great Inventors and their Brilliant Brainwaves
    Richard Platt
    3

  • Fundamentalism; Nationalism
    Alex Woolf
    3

  • Tales of the Dead: Ancient Egypt
    Stewart Ross
    3

  • Inkheart
    Cornelia Funke
    3

  • Hello H2O
    John Agard
    3

  • Blood Red Horse
    K M Grant
    3

  • Deep Secret
    Berlie Doherty
    3

  • The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
    Caroline Lawrence
    3

  • Hope was Here
    Joan Bauer
    3

  • The Last Resort
    J Patrick Lewis
    3

  • The Good Child's Guide to Rock'n' Roll
    Carol Ann Duffy
    2

  • Dead Teachers Don't Talk
    David Belbin
    2

Ages 14+

  • Looking for JJ
    Anne Cassidy
    5

  • Milkweed
    Jerry Spinelli
    5

  • Boy 2 Girl
    Terence Blacker
    4

  • Star
    John Singleton
    4

  • Knife Edge
    Malorie Blackman
    3

  • Yoss
    Odo Hirsch
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • You're a Brick, Angela!
    Mary Cadogan
    Patricia Craig
    4

BfK News

JESSICA LOVE NAMED WINNER OF THE KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE 2019 FOR JULIAN IS A MERMAID

Jessica Love

read more...
LOLLIES 2020 SHORTLIST THE YEAR’S FUNNIEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies), the awards that celebrate the funniest children’s books.

Lollies logo

read more...
HOOD, RUNDELL AND REYNOLDS UKLA BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2019

Morag Hood, Katherine Rundell and Jason Reynolds have been announced as the winners of the UKLA Book Awards 2019 for I Am Bat, The Explorer and Long Way Down respectively.

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CATHERINE JOHNSON WINS LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) is delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Radical Fiction is Catherine Johnson for her book, Freedom (Scholastic 2018).

Catherine Johnsonn photo Andy Donohoe

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CRESSIDA COWELL ANNOUNCED AS NEW WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S LAUREATE

‘Books are transformative because of their unique ability to develop three key magical powers: intelligence, creativity and, most important of all, empathy. Words are power; let’s take magic seriously.’ Cressida Cowell, Waterstones Children’s Laureate

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STEVEN CAMDEN WINS CLiPPA 2019

Steven Camden photo by Ellie Kurttz

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SLA School Librarian of the Year 2019 Announced

Ros Harding School Librarian of the Year

Ros Harding of The King’s School Chester has been awarded the honour of the School Librarian of the Year 2019. 2019 YA Book Prize winner Sara Barnard presented Ros Harding with her award at a special ceremony at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London Kensington on 27 June.

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MUHAMMAD KHAN WINS 20TH BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

The winner of the 2019 Branford Boase Award for outstanding debut novel for children is Muhammad Khan for his YA novel I Am Thunder. Set up in memory of author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase who both died in 1999, the award also recognizes his editor Lucy Pearse of Macmillan Children’s Books.

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The Children's Book Award 2019

Earlier this month, Arree Chung was named overall winner of The Children’s Book Award 2019. His book Mixed, which he wrote and illustrated, also won the Books for Younger Children category before going on to win the overall prize.

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WINNERS OF THE 2019 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

The winners of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced at a ceremony at The British Library, hosted by broadcaster and writer Konnie Huq.

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