Books for Keeps 156 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 156 - January 2006

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration is from Graham Marks’ Tokyo. Graham Marks is interviewed by Julia Eccleshare. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for their help with this January cover.

BfK No. 156 Articles

Editorial - January 2006

News and comment from the Editor.

J K Rowling by Stuart Pearson Wright at the National Portrait Gallery

Brian Sewell on the recently commissioned portrait.

Malorie Blackman’s ‘Noughts & Crosses’ Trilogy

Errol Lloyd assesses its appeal.

How should we teach children to read?

Henrietta Dombey debates synthetic phonics.

Story of the Storeys or Seven at one go

Brian Alderson discusses the new centre for the study of children's literature.

Authorgraph No.156: Graham Marks

Graham Marks interviewed by Julia Eccleshare.

BfK Briefing - January 2006

News * Awards * Events * Obituaries * Letters to the Editor

Useful Organisations No.42: Children's Poetry Bookshelf

Children's poetry for 7-11 year-olds.

Hal’s Reading Diary - January 2006

Roger Mills on Hal being taught to read.

I Wish I’d Written… Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Kevin Brooks chooses Jack Gantos's Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.

Good Reads: Maidenhill School, Gloucestershire

Reviews from Maidenhill School, Gloucestershire.

Classics in Short No.55: Mary Poppins

Brian Alderson on P L Travers' Mary Poppins.

Editor's Choice

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

Lauren Child

(Hodder Children's Books)

A natural at almost everything (reading, swimming, table tennis, Japanese, Maths), Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent has ‘frightfully, frightfully rich’ parents with houses in London, New York and Milan. Extremely sociable and generous, the...

Fly By Night

Frances Hardinge

(Macmillan Children's Books)

When 12-year-old Mosca Mye burns down her uncle’s mill (accidentally or on purpose?), it is time for her to leave the village of Clough and seek her fortune with storyteller, poet and petty crook Eponymous Clent. On their arrival in the capital,...

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

Under 5s

Opposites

Robert Crowther

5
Hit the Ball Duck

Jez Alborough

5
Mixed Up Fairy Tales

Hilary Robinson

4
Hieronymus Betts and his Unusual Pets

M P Robertson

4
Bored Bill

Liz Pichon

4
Alligator Alphabet

Stella Blackstone

4
Pablo the Artist

Satoshi Kitamura

3
Kidogo

Anik McGrory

3
Just Like You Did

Marjorie Newman

3
I Wish I Were a Dog

Lydia Monks

3
Fantastic Mr Wani, The

Kanako Usui

3
Elmer and Rose

David McKee

3
Whose nose?; Whose teeth?

Jeannette Rowe

2
Robot Dog

Mark Oliver

2
Myron's Magic Cow

Marlene Newman

2
Whatever

William Bee

1

Ages 5-8

Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame, The

Pablo Bernascon

5
I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur

Stella Blackstone

5
Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

Lauren Child

5
Fairy Tales, The

Charles Perrault
The Brothers Grimm

5
Tractor Trouble

Steve Augarde

4
Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur

Joan Aiken

4
Witch Pigs

Colin Hawkins
Jacqui Hawkins

3
Belonging; Celebrating Harvest; Gifts at Christmas; Jewish Faith, The; Visiting a Church; Visiting a Gurdwara; Visiting a Mandir; Visiting a Mosque; Visiting a Synagogue

Ruth Nason

3
Mr Large In Charge

Jill Murphy

3
Man of the Match

Sophie Smiley

3
Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea

Lynne Reid Banks

3
Burger Boy

Alan Durant

3
Billy Wizard

Chris Priestley

3

Ages 8-10

Nicholas

Rene Goscinny

5
Imagine

Norman Messenger

5
Connor's Eco Den; Doomsday Virus, The; Last Viking, The; Space Ace; Stat Man; Traitor's Gate

Pippa Goodhart

4
Three Cheers for Inventors!

Marcia Williams

4
Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles, Volume 1)

Alan Snow

4
Girl with the Broken Wing, The

Heather Dyer

4
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveller

William Wise

4
Super Zeroes

Rhiannon Lassiter

3
Story of Chocolate, The

Katie Daynes

3
She's All That! Poems About Girls

3
Outsiders

Kevin Crossley-Holland

3
Ragwitch, The

Garth Nix

2
Dawn Undercover

Anna Dale

1

Ages 10-14

Framed

Frank Cottrell Boyce

5
Writers and their tall tales

Tracey Turner

4
Return of Death Eric, The

Sam Llewellyn

4
Forensics

Richard Platt

4
Fly By Night

Frances Hardinge

4
Clay

David Almond

4
Chasing Vermeer

Blue Balliett

4
Body

Richard Walker

4
Fire!; Shouting at the Stars; Witness

David Orme

3
Walking with the Dead

Tim Bowler

3
Spirit Walker

Michelle Paver

3
Blade; Mutant; Respect!; Smoke

Chris Powling

3
Mrs Marridge Project, The

Pauline Fisk

3
Jazz A.B.Z

Wynton Marsalis

3
Jane Austen: The Girl with the Magic Pen!

Gill Hornby

3
Flush

Carl Hiaasen

3
Fire Star

Chris D'Lacey

3
Electric Telepath, The

Jan Mark

3
Amadans Alert

Malachy Doyle

3
Aids Orphan: Mary's Story

Louise Armstrong

3
Riddles of Epsilon, The

Christine Morton-Shaw

2
Ingo

Helen Dunmore

2
Arthur and the Minimoys

Luc Besson

2

Ages 14+

Innocent's Story, The

Nicky Singer

5
Tell Me What You See

Zoran Drvenkar

4
Story of Stone, The

N M Browne

4
Passion Flower Massacre, The

Nicola Morgan

4

BfK News

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.

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

‘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

STEVEN CAMDEN WINS CLiPPA 2019

Steven Camden photo by Ellie Kurttz

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.

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.

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.

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.

BRANFORD BOASE AWARD SHORTLIST 2019

The children’s authors to watch: shortlist for the 2019 Branford Boase Award announced

Branford Boase Award shortlist 2019

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has announced the 2019 shortlist for their poetry award, CLiPPA (The Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award). Children’s poetry is booming and there were a record number of entries for the CLiPPA, the only award for children’s poetry.

Books for Keeps 156 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 156 Articles

Editor's Choice

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

New Talent

Fly By Night

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 156

Under 5s

Opposites

Hit the Ball Duck

Mixed Up Fairy Tales

Hieronymus Betts and his Unusual Pets

Bored Bill

Alligator Alphabet

Pablo the Artist

Kidogo

Just Like You Did

I Wish I Were a Dog

Fantastic Mr Wani, The

Elmer and Rose

Whose nose?; Whose teeth?

Robot Dog

Myron's Magic Cow

Whatever

Ages 5-8

Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame, The

I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

Fairy Tales, The

Tractor Trouble

Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur

Witch Pigs

Belonging; Celebrating Harvest; Gifts at Christmas; Jewish Faith, The; Visiting a Church; Visiting a Gurdwara; Visiting a Mandir; Visiting a Mosque; Visiting a Synagogue

Mr Large In Charge

Man of the Match

Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea

Burger Boy

Billy Wizard

Ages 8-10

Nicholas

Imagine

Connor's Eco Den; Doomsday Virus, The; Last Viking, The; Space Ace; Stat Man; Traitor's Gate

Three Cheers for Inventors!

Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles, Volume 1)

Girl with the Broken Wing, The

Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveller

Super Zeroes

Story of Chocolate, The

She's All That! Poems About Girls

Outsiders

Ragwitch, The

Dawn Undercover

Ages 10-14

Framed

Writers and their tall tales

Return of Death Eric, The

Forensics

Fly By Night

Clay

Chasing Vermeer

Body

Fire!; Shouting at the Stars; Witness

Walking with the Dead

Spirit Walker

Blade; Mutant; Respect!; Smoke

Mrs Marridge Project, The

Jazz A.B.Z

Jane Austen: The Girl with the Magic Pen!

Flush

Fire Star

Electric Telepath, The

Amadans Alert

Aids Orphan: Mary's Story

Riddles of Epsilon, The

Ingo

Arthur and the Minimoys

Ages 14+

Innocent's Story, The