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Books for Keeps 165 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 165 - July 2007

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration by David Roberts is from Julia Donaldson’s Tyrannosaurus Drip (see also Windows into Illustration). Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help with this July cover.

BfK No. 165 Articles

Editorial - July 2007

News and comment from the Editor.

Windows into Illustration: David Roberts

David Roberts explains his approach to Tyrannosaurus Drip.

Reading in the Middle Years (9-11): 'I enjoy biting into a good read now and then...'

Alison Kelly on ways to maintain interest in reading.

The Depiction of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Contemporary Children’s Fiction: Part 2

Fouad Moughrabi discusses Three Wishes and A Little Piece of Ground.

New Picture Books

Clive Barnes looks at a selection of recent titles.

Authorgraph No.165: Lian Hearn

Lian Hearn interviewed by Julia Eccleshare.

‘Teaching’ Poems for Children:

Robert Hull explores how to use The Odyssey.

BfK Briefing - July 2007

Letter to the Editor * Obituaries

Useful Organisations No.50: Teaching about slavery

An on-line resource created by the Commission for Racial Equality.

Hal’s Reading Diary - July 2007

Roger Mills on Hal and spelling.

I Wish I’d Written… Wolves

Jeanne Willis chooses Emily Gravett's Wolves.

Good Reads: St Stithians Girls’ Preparatory School, South Africa

Reviews from St Stithians Girls’ Preparatory School, Randburg, South Africa.

Classics in Short No.64: Aesop’s Fables

Brian Alderson on Aesop's Fables.

The History of Aesop’s Fables

Editor's Choice

The Tinderbox

Hans Christian Andersen
(Walker Books Ltd)
5

Why this Andersen tale has to be ‘retold’ when a good translation would suffice is a mystery. Mitchell makes a reasonable fist of the narrative but his soldier does not have the casual chutzpah of other (more authentic?) versions. ‘It’s awfully...

read more

New Talent

Hybrids

David Thorpe
(HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks)
3

Abandoned by his parents when he catches the Creep virus, 15-year-old Johnny has been living rough for two year when the beautiful Kestrella, who is also Creep positive, tracks him down. She needs his skills to help her find her mother who has...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 165

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

Under 5s

  • Eliza and the Moonchild

    Emma Chichester Clark
    5
  • 99 Mostly Fun Things I'll Do Today

    Jane Kemp
    Clare Walters
    5
  • Princess for a Day

    Sarah Dyer
    4
  • Chimp and Zee's First Words and Pictures

    Laurence Anholt
    4
  • You Won't Shift a Hippo

    Michael Catchpool
    3
  • The Magic Blanket; The Magic Box

    3

Ages 5-8

  • The Tinderbox

    Hans Christian Andersen
    5
  • My Brother

    Anthony Browne
    5
  • This is the Reef

    Miriam Moss
    4
  • P is for Pakistan

    Shazia Razzak
    4
  • Troll Trouble: Trolls United!; Troll Trouble: Trolls Go Home!

    Alan MacDonald
    3
  • Felicity Wishes: Fairy Fun and other stories; Felicity Wishes: Holly's Hideaway and other stories

    Emma Thomson
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Human Body

    Emily Hawkins
    Sue Harris
    5
  • Grk: Operation Tortoise

    Joshua Doder
    5
  • Something Wickedly Weird: The Wooden Mile

    Chris Mould
    4
  • Mega-Beasts

    Robert Sabuda
    Matthew Reinhart
    4
  • An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming

    Al Gore
    4
  • Dragonkeeper: Garden of the Purple Dragon

    Carole Wilkinson
    4
  • The Wickit Chronicles: Ely Plot

    Joan Lennon
    3
  • The Trouble with Owls; Watch out for Witches!

    Hilda Offen
    3
  • Peter and the Starcatchers

    Dave Barry
    Ridley Pearson
    3
  • Alice Again?

    Judi Curtin
    3
  • Stage School: Sara's Big Chance

    Holly Skeet
    2

Ages 10-14

  • The Museum Book

    Jan Mark
    5
  • The London Eye Mystery

    Siobhan Dowd
    5
  • Burn My Heart

    Beverley Naidoo
    5
  • The Boyhood of Burglar Bill

    Allan Ahlberg
    5
  • Blood Red Snow White

    Marcus Sedgwick
    5
  • Toonhead

    Fiona Dunbar
    4
  • Monster Blood Tattoo: Book 1: Foundling

    D M Cornish
    4
  • Escape from Genopolis

    T E Berry-Hart
    4
  • CHERUB:The Fall

    Robert Muchamore
    4
  • The Book of Story Beginnings

    Kristin Kladstrup
    4
  • Angel

    Cliff McNish
    4
  • Worse Than Boys

    Catherine MacPhail
    3
  • Traces: Double Check

    Malcolm Rose
    3
  • Setting of a Cruel Sun

    Alan Gibbons
    3
  • Chemotherapy, Cakes and Cancer; Oh Brother!

    Megan Blunt
    3
  • New Moon

    Stephenie Meyer
    3
  • Mixing It

    Rosemary Hayes
    3
  • Me, Dead Dad and Alcatraz

    Chris Lynch
    3
  • Jimmy Coates: Revenge

    Joe Craig
    3
  • Hybrids

    David Thorpe
    3
  • Den of Thieves

    Julia Golding
    3
  • My So-Called Life

    Joanna Nadin
    2
  • Hunting Season

    Dean Vincent Carter
    2
  • The Wave Runners

    Kai Meyer
    1

Ages 14+

  • Berserk

    Ally Kennen
    5
  • The Rope Ladder

    Nigel Richardson
    4
  • The Lost Art

    Simon Morden
    4
  • From Where I Stand

    Tabitha Suzuma
    4
  • Claiming Georgia Tate

    Gigi Amateau
    4
  • Sea Change

    Kate Cann
    3
  • Incarceron

    Catherine Fisher
    3
  • Desert Crossing

    Elise Broach
    3
  • Tell Me Lies

    Patrick Cooper
    2
  • Ancient Appetites

    Oisín McGann
    2
  • Race Hate; Religious Extremism

    Anne Rooney
    1

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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