Books for Keeps 155 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 155 - November 2005

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration features Anthony Horowitz’s Raven’s Gate. Anthony Horowitz is interviewed by Nicholas Tucker. Thanks to Walker Books for their help with this November cover.

BfK No. 155 Articles

Editorial - November 2005

News and comment from the Editor.

Books as Gifts at Christmas

Rosemary Stones suggests books for giving.

Counting Books

Sheila Ebbutt on books that count.

The CLPE Poetry Prize 2005

Tony Mitton explains the judging process.

BfK Briefing - November 2005

Awards * News * Letter to the Editor * Obituary

Useful Organisations No.41: National Centre for Language & Literacy

Extensive collection of children's books and resources, plus conferences, courses, publications and membership scheme.

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

Andrew Bailey discusses Haf Davies' 'Beans, Babes?'

Good Reads: Ballyclare High School, County Antrim

Reviews from Ballyclare High School, County Antrim.

Authorgraph No.155: Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz interviewed by Nicholas Tucker.

I Wish I'd Written... Le Grand Meaulnes

Sally Gardner chooses Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes.

Hal's Reading Diary - November 2005

Roger Mills has more thoughts on the nature of humour.

Classics in Short No.54: Selected Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Brian Alderson on the Brothers Grimm's Selected Tales.

Editor's Choice

Killer Gorilla

Jeanne Willis

(Andersen Press)

When mouse loses her baby it seems that things couldn’t get any worse – that is until a huge, scary gorilla starts chasing after her. Mouse runs and runs – to China, to America, to Australia – with the gorilla in hot pursuit. Finally she reaches...

Elsewhere

Gabrielle Zevin

(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

15-year-old Liz is ‘just a girl who forgot to look both ways before she crossed the street’. It comes as a shock to her that she is in fact dead and that everyone else on the SS Nile cruising towards the land of Elsewhere is also dead. Liz is met...

Under 5s
Ages 5-8
Ages 8-10
Ages 10-14
Ages 14+

Under 5s

Piglet and Mama

Margaret Wild

5
Big Blue Engine ¦ Big Red Fire Engine ¦ Big Yellow Taxi ¦ Little Red Plane

Ken Wilson-Max

5
Killer Gorilla

Jeanne Willis

5
for sure! for sure! ¦ Winnie at the Seaside

Hans Christian Andersen

4
Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound, A

John Irving

4
Otter's First Swim, An

Adrienne Kennaway

4
Joe's Dog

Angela Joy

4
Bears

Ruth Krauss

4
Where's My Darling Daughter?

Mij Kelly

3
Princess and the Rainbow Coat, The

3
Me and My Brother

Caroline Uff

3
Little, Little House, The

Jessica Souhami

3
I Love My Daddy; I Love My Mummy

Sebastien Braun

3
Buzz Bumble to the Rescue

Lynn E Hazen

3
Baby Finds; Baby Goes; Baby Noises; Baby Plays

Derek Brazell

3

Ages 5-8

We're Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road

Laurie Krebs

5
Pigs Might Fly!

Steve Cox
Jonathan Emmett

4
Night-time Tale

Ruth Brown

4
Materials

Clive Gifford

4
Dog Called Whatnot, A; Mummy Family Find Fame, The

Linda Newbery

3
Just Like Sisters

Angela McAllister

3
Birds; Reptiles

Sue Malyan

2

Ages 8-10

Girl Who Married a Lion, The (Folk Tales from Africa)

Alexander McCall Smith

5
Action Jackson

Jan Greenberg
Sandra Jordan

5
Tree House, The

Gillian Cross

4
Runny Babbit

Shel Silverstein

4
Old Tom; Old Tom at the Beach

Leigh Hobbs

4
Itching for a Fight

Joel Snape

4
Corydon and the Island of Monsters

Tobias Druitt

4
Come Christmas

Eleanor Farjeon

4
Beasts of Clawstone Castle, The

Eva Ibbotson

4
Ancient Rome

Stewart Ross

4
Marie Antoinette

Katie Daynes

3
Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine

Richard Hamilton

3

Ages 10-14

Zip's Apollo

Philip Ridley

5
White Darkness, The

Geraldine McCaughrean

5
Martin Luther King, Jr

Amy Pastan

5
How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare

Paul Jennings

5
Whitaker's World of Facts

Russell Ash

4
War: Stories of Conflict

4
Usborne Introduction to the Second World War, The

Paul Dowswell

4
Spy Force Revealed; Time and Space Machine, The

Deborah Abela

4
Seeker

William Nicholson

4
I, Coriander

Sally Gardner

4
How Cool Stuff Works

Chris Woodford

4
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

J K Rowling

4
Gladiatrix

Frances Hendry

4
Flowing Queen, The

Kai Meyer

4
Fire Pony

Rodman Philbrick

4
The Bull Raid

Carlo Gébler

4
Breakfast at Sadie's

Lee Weatherly

4
Ten Days to Zero

Bernard Ashley

3
So Below: Key to the City

Matt Whyman

3
Shadewell Shenanigans, The

David Lee Stone

3
Rainbow Opera, The

Elizabeth Knox

3
Lord Loss

Darren Shan

3
Leonardo and the Death Machine

Robert J Harris

3
Bridge to the Stars, A

Henning Mankell

3
Saint of Dragons, The

Jason Hightman

2
Burying Beetle, The

Ann Kelley

2

Ages 14+

Elsewhere

Gabrielle Zevin

5
Scientists Anonymous

Patricia Fara

4
Ithaka

Adèle Geras

4
The Drowning

Valerie Mendes

4
Does Snogging Count as Exercise?

Helen Salter

4
Spiked!

Sandra Glover

3
Chanda's Secrets

Allan Stratton

3

BfK News

JASBINDER BILAN WINS COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD WITH HER DEBUT NOVEL

Jasbinder Bilan

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award alongside newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing.

Costa Book Awards logo

Click the links below to read new Books for Keeps feature articles on each of the shortlisted authors.

Dr Rebecca Butler writes.

Readers of Books for Keeps will remember that IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young People) arranges every two years a competition to identify the very best books for young readers featuring disability or designed to be read by young people with disabilities. Last time this list was compiled in 2017/18 I was the coordinator for the UK section.

The winner of the 2019 Educational Writers’ Award is Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventurers: The Incredible Expeditions of 20 Explorers (Big Picture Press).

Alastair Humphreys Great Adventures

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award, which was announced today, 26^th November 2020. Alongside them on the list are newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing, both of whom are published by Chicken House.

The 2019 Costa Children’s Award shortlist

Shortlist announced for the UK’s only award for creative educational writing

The Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing& Collecting Society have announced the shortlist for the 2019 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for educational writing which stimulates and enhances the learning experience.

Blue Peter Book Award logo

Six books have made it onto the shortlists for the 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards. There are two categories: Best Story, and – in non-fiction November – Best Book with Facts.

And we’re off… the nominations for the 2020 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, Monday 4^th November.

2020 UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE LONGLISTS

UKLA Awards

A record number of submissions and a new category to highlight information books marks the 12^th longlists for the UKLA Awards, the only national awards judged by active classroom teachers.

Jessica Love

Books for Keeps 155 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 155 Articles

Editor's Choice

Killer Gorilla

New Talent

Elsewhere

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 155

Under 5s

Piglet and Mama

Big Blue Engine ¦ Big Red Fire Engine ¦ Big Yellow Taxi ¦ Little Red Plane

Killer Gorilla

for sure! for sure! ¦ Winnie at the Seaside

Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound, A

Otter's First Swim, An

Joe's Dog

Bears

Where's My Darling Daughter?

Princess and the Rainbow Coat, The

Me and My Brother

Little, Little House, The

I Love My Daddy; I Love My Mummy

Buzz Bumble to the Rescue

Baby Finds; Baby Goes; Baby Noises; Baby Plays

Ages 5-8

We're Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road

Pigs Might Fly!

Night-time Tale

Materials

Dog Called Whatnot, A; Mummy Family Find Fame, The

Just Like Sisters

Birds; Reptiles

Ages 8-10

Girl Who Married a Lion, The (Folk Tales from Africa)

Action Jackson

Tree House, The

Runny Babbit

Old Tom; Old Tom at the Beach

Itching for a Fight

Corydon and the Island of Monsters

Come Christmas

Beasts of Clawstone Castle, The

Ancient Rome

Marie Antoinette

Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine

Ages 10-14

Zip's Apollo

White Darkness, The

Martin Luther King, Jr

How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare

Whitaker's World of Facts

War: Stories of Conflict

Usborne Introduction to the Second World War, The

Spy Force Revealed; Time and Space Machine, The

Seeker

I, Coriander

How Cool Stuff Works

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Gladiatrix

Flowing Queen, The

Fire Pony

The Bull Raid

Breakfast at Sadie's

Ten Days to Zero

So Below: Key to the City

Shadewell Shenanigans, The

Rainbow Opera, The

Lord Loss

Leonardo and the Death Machine

Bridge to the Stars, A

Saint of Dragons, The

Burying Beetle, The

Ages 14+

Elsewhere

Scientists Anonymous

Ithaka

The Drowning

Does Snogging Count as Exercise?

Spiked!