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Books for Keeps 163 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 163 - March 2007

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration is from Meg Rosoff’s Just In Case. Meg Rosoff is interviewed by Nicholas Tucker. Thanks to Penguin Books for their help with this March cover.

BfK No. 163 Articles

Editorial - March 2007

News and comment from the Editor.
Teenagers Promoting Books – A Novel Idea

Nicola Morgan on how her new novel was promoted.
The Best Books of 2006

Rosemary Stones discusses the books that came to the top.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature

Brian Alderson assesses this new work of reference.
Windows into Illustration: Mairi Hedderwick

Mairi Hedderwick explains the thinking behind her illustration.
Authorgraph No.163: Meg Rosoff

Meg Rosoff interviewed by Nicholas Tucker.
‘Teaching’ Poems for Children: A Praise Poem

Robert Hull explores how to use a praise poem.
Take 3: Eponymous Imprints

David Fickling Books, Jane Nissen Books and Marion Lloyd Books.
Hal’s Reading Diary - March 2007

Roger Mills on Hal and thank you letters.
BfK Briefing - March 2007

News * Obituaries * Letter to the Editor
Cool to be Clever: Getting Boys to Read

Philip Wilkinson discusses boys and reading.
I Wish I’d Written... Warrior Scarlet

Stuart Hill chooses Rosemary Sutcliff's Warrior Scarlet.
Good Reads: Broadwater School, Godalming, Surrey

Reviews from Broadwater School, Godalming, Surrey.
Classics in Short No.62: The Battle of Bubble and Squeak

Brian Alderson on Philippa Pearce's The Battle of Bubble and Squeak.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature - additional information

Brian Alderson discusses further.

Editor's Choice

Beware of the Storybook Wolves
Lauren Child
(Hodder Children's Books)
5

Too often, publishers impose the bells and whistles of paper engineering on stories because they can, rather than with any discernable purpose. Lauren Child’s Beware of the Storybook Wolves worked very well as a picture book...

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New Talent

Waves
Sharon Dogar
(Scholastic US)
4

A year has gone by since Charlie went surfing at night and was discovered the next morning lying on the rocks by her younger brother, 15-year-old Hal. It has been a year for the family of visiting Charlie in hospital where she lies in a coma. Is...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 163

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

Under 5s

  • Follow the Swallow
    Julia Donaldson
    5

  • Rotten and Rascal: The Two Terrible Pterosaur Twins
    Paul Geraghty
    4

  • Elmer and the Lost Teddy
    David McKee
    4

  • Hello, Who's There?
    Satoshi Kitamura
    3

  • The Amazing Lift-The-Flap ABC
    Colin Hawkins
    Jacqui Hawkins
    3

  • Max Moves to Moscow
    Winifred Riser
    2

Ages 5-8

  • Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy
    Michael Rosen
    5

  • The Lost Happy Endings
    Carol Ann Duffy
    5

  • Beware of the Storybook Wolves
    Lauren Child
    5

  • The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems
    5

  • Uneversaurus
    Aidan Potts
    4

  • The Orchard Book of Goblins, Ghouls & Ghosts & Other Magical Stories
    Martin Waddell
    4

  • Amazing Bugs
    Richard Ferguson
    4

  • Actual Size
    Steve Jenkins
    4

  • Finding Fizz ¦ Nothing But Trouble ¦ On the Ghost Trail ¦ Scratch and Sniff ¦ Taking Flight ¦ The Thing in the Basement
    J Alexander
    3

  • That's Why!
    Babette Cole
    3

  • Sahir Goes to the Dentist
    Chris Petty
    3

  • Miss Fox
    Simon Puttock
    3

  • The Littlest Pirate and the Hammerheads
    Sherryl Clark
    3

  • I Very Really Miss You
    Jane Kemp
    Clare Walters
    3

  • The Courageous Cats Compete
    Steve Wood
    3

  • Tom and Sofia Start School
    Henriette Barkow
    2

Ages 8-10

  • The Adventures of Odysseus
    Hugh Lupton
    Daniel Morden
    5

  • Viking Longship
    Mick Manning
    Brita Granström
    4

  • Jake Jellicoe and the Dread Pirate Redbeard
    Joanna Nadin
    4

  • The Dragon Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Cats
    Gareth Jones
    4

  • Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now
    Lauren Child
    4

  • Beware! Killer Tomatoes
    Jeremy Strong
    4

  • Sir Gadabout Goes to Knight School
    Martyn Beardsley
    3

  • The Silver Donkey
    Sonya Hartnett
    3

  • I Am a Tree
    Kaye Umansky
    3

  • Topaz on Ice ¦ Topaz Takes a Break ¦ Topaz Takes the Stage
    Helen Bailey
    2

  • 101 Things You Need To Know (… and Some You Don't!)
    Richard Horne
    Tracey Turner
    1

Ages 10-14

  • Weedflower
    Cynthia Kadohata
    5

  • The Thing with Finn
    Tom Kelly
    5

  • I Am the Great Horse
    Katherine Roberts
    5

  • Urgum the Axeman
    Kjartan Poskitt
    4

  • Kiss of Death
    Malcolm Rose
    4

  • The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
    Victor Hugo
    4

  • Catcall
    Linda Newbery
    4

  • Bec
    Darren Shan
    4

  • Amethyst
    Rebecca Lisle
    4

  • The Witches' Mark
    Donald Lightwood
    3

  • River Secrets
    Shannon Hale
    3

  • The Lurkers
    Charles Butler
    3

  • In the Nick of Time
    Robert Swindells
    3

  • I Don't Want an Avocado for an Uncle
    Chrissie Gittins
    3

  • I Am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere
    Jonathan Tulloch
    Shirley Tulloch
    3

  • After the Death of Alice Bennett
    Rowland Molony
    3

Ages 14+

  • This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn
    Aidan Chambers
    5

  • Finding Violet Park
    Jenny Valentine
    5

  • Dirty Work
    Julia Bell
    5

  • The Book Thief
    Markus Zusak
    5

  • Zenith
    Julie Bertagna
    4

  • Waves
    Sharon Dogar
    4

  • Life as We Knew It
    Susan Pfeffer
    4

  • Growing Yams in London
    Sophia Acheampong
    3

  • Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn
    Sarah Miller
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • The Invention of Childhood
    Hugh Cunningham
    Michael Morpurgo
    5

  • Universal Verse: Poetry for Children
    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

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