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Books for Keeps 168 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 168 - January 2008

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration by Andy Bridge is from Sally Grindley’s Broken Glass. Sally Grindley is interviewed by Clive Barnes. Thanks to Bloomsbury for their help with this January cover.

BfK No. 168 Articles

Editorial - January 2008

News and comment from the Editor.
Ethical Book Production

Caroline Horn investigates environmental and social issues.
Reading in the Middle Years (9-11): Texts and choices: reading non-fiction in the middle years

Suzanne Maile explores the role of non-fiction.
Teachers as Readers

Teresa Cremin, Eve Bearne, Prue Goodwin and Marilyn Mottram report on their research.
Why Do We Really Tell Stories?

Neil Philip challenges the notion of seven basic plots.
Authorgraph No.168: Sally Grindley

Sally Grindley interviewed by Clive Barnes.
Laureate Log - January 2008

Michael Rosen reports on his laureateship.
Hal’s Reading Diary - January 2008

Roger Mills on tactics to help Hal enjoy reading.
Classics in Short No.67: A Traveller in Time

Brian Alderson on Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time

Editor's Choice

The Snow Goose
Paul Gallico
(Hutchinson)
5

Gallico’s The Snow Goose was first published in 1941 and culminates in the death of its hero, the ‘hunchback’ artist Philip Rhayader, at the evacuation of Dunkirk after many successful forays to lift men off the beaches. It’s a...

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New Talent

The Mousehunter
Alex Milway
(Faber and Faber)
3

Illustrated with his own line drawings, Milway’s The Mousehunter is a first novel of the most ambitious scope (and length). Incident is heaped upon incident as the plot becomes more and more convoluted and what seemed to make...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 168

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

Under 5s

  • Wendel's Workshop
    Chris Riddell
    5

  • The Life of a Car
    Susan Steggall
    4

  • I Love You, Sleepyhead
    Claire Freedman
    4

  • The 108th Sheep
    Ayano Imai
    4

  • "The Trouble with Dogs"
    Bob Graham
    4

  • Ted, Bo and Diz: The First Adventure
    Jason Chapman
    3

  • Small Knight and George
    Ronda Armitage
    3

  • Perky Little Penguins
    Tony Mitton
    3

  • Patrick Paints a Picture
    Saviour Pirotta
    3

  • Happy Birthday, Winnie!
    Valerie Thomas
    3

  • Butterfly Girl
    Simon Puttock
    3

  • Shine Moon Shine
    David Conway
    2

Ages 5-8

  • See How It's Made
    Penny Smith
    Lorrie Mack
    5

  • Peter Pan and Wendy
    J M Barrie
    4

  • One Well
    Rochelle Strauss
    4

  • Mungo and the Spiders from Space
    Timothy Knapman
    4

  • Lila and the Secret of Rain
    David Conway
    4

  • Leonardo the Terrible Monster
    Mo Willems
    4

  • Baby Brains and Robomum
    Simon James
    4

  • Around the World in 80 Tales
    Saviour Pirotta
    4

  • Tales of Enchantment
    Lucy Coats
    3

  • Sir Gadabout Out of Time
    Martyn Beardsley
    3

  • Princess Grace
    Mary Hoffman
    3

  • Happy Birthday x 3
    Libby Gleeson
    3

  • Freckleface Strawberry
    Julianne Moore
    3

  • Boobela and the Belching Giant
    Joe Friedman
    3

Ages 8-10

  • The Worst Witch to the Rescue
    Jill Murphy
    5

  • This is the Blackbird
    John Mole
    5

  • The Snow Goose
    Paul Gallico
    5

  • Forever Rose
    Hilary McKay
    5

  • Dog Lost
    Ingrid Lee
    5

  • Cleopatra
    Adèle Geras
    4

  • Born to Run
    Michael Morpurgo
    4

  • Trolls on Hols
    Alan MacDonald
    3

  • My Hindu Community
    Kate Taylor
    Henna Parekh
    3

  • The Mousehunter
    Alex Milway
    3

  • A Farming Almanac
    Chris S Stephens
    3

  • Waste and Recycling
    Carol Inskipp
    2

  • Stardust from Space
    Monica Grady
    2

Ages 10-14

  • Red, Cherry Red
    Jackie Kay
    5

  • Outcast
    Michelle Paver
    5

  • Holocaust
    Angela Gluck Wood
    5

  • The Gallow Glass
    Brian Keaney
    5

  • The December Boys
    Michael Noonan
    5

  • The Witness
    James Jauncey
    4

  • Wilderness
    Roddy Doyle
    4

  • 'Luuurve is a many trousered thing…'
    Louise Rennison
    4

  • Kaï-ro
    Graham Marks
    4

  • The H-Bomb Girl
    Stephen Baxter
    4

  • Feasting the Wolf
    Susan Price
    4

  • The Chimera's Curse
    Julia Golding
    4

  • The Wrong Boy
    Anna-Louise Weatherley
    3

  • Thora and the Incredible Crystals
    Gillian Johnson
    3

  • this is what I did:
    Ann Dee Ellis
    3

  • Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
    Gabrielle Zevin
    3

  • Lucky Star
    Cathy Cassidy
    3

  • Jack Flint and the Redthorn Sword
    Jack Donnelly
    3

  • The Great Escape
    Natalie Haynes
    3

  • The Cure
    Michael Coleman
    3

  • The City of Spirits
    Paul Bajoria
    3

  • Cat O'Nine Tails
    Julia Golding
    3

  • The Beggar of Volubilis
    Caroline Lawrence
    3

  • Battle Fleet
    Paul Dowswell
    3

  • African and Caribbean Communities in Britain
    Hakim Adi
    3

  • Wicked Lovely
    Melissa Marr
    2

  • Religious Freedom
    Sean Connolly
    2

  • The Geat: The story of Beowulf and Grendel
    2

Ages 14+

  • Slam
    Nick Hornby
    5

  • Before I Die
    Jenny Downham
    4

  • Ruby Red
    Linzi Glass
    2

  • The Declaration
    Gemma Malley
    0

Books About Children's Books

  • Irish Children's Writers and Illustrators 1986-2006: A Selection of Essays
    4

  • Beatrix Potter: Sources of her Inspiration
    3

BfK News

A Passion for Picture books

‘Although interest in the art of the picture book seems to have grown greatly in recent years, study of the field has remained polarised in its nature and perceptions,’ claim the authors of an important new book, Children’s Picturebooks: The art of visual storytelling.

Books for Keeps invited co-writers Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles to explain their aim to bring together ideas from the world of literature and education with ideas from the field of art and design.

read more...
BLOOD RED ROAD WINS 2011 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

For the second year in succession, a debut novel has won the Costa Children’s Book Award. The 2011 prize went to Jason Wallace for his novel Out of Shadows; this year’s prize has gone to Moira Young for her book Blood Red Road.

Set in a dystopian future world, Blood Red Road tells the story of 18-year-old Saba, a tough young woman who embarks on an epic quest to rescue her twin brother when he is kidnapped by four mysterious horsemen.

read more...
Behind the Bookshelf

A new way of bringing authors into the classroom – and a special competition for Books for Keeps readers.

read more...
2011 Educational Writers’ Award Winner Announced

The winner of the 2011 Educational Writers’ Award is Moon: Apollo 11 and Beyond…The Ultimate Guide to Our Nearest Neighbour by Stewart Ross.

The Educational Writers’ Award was established in 2008 by ALCS and The Society of Authors to celebrate educational writing that inspires creativity and encourages students to read widely and build up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications.

read more...
Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize winner announced

The winner of the 2011 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is How the World Works, an interactive opus that uses illustrations, pop ups, flaps and more to make children think about the impact of human actions on our environment, while encouraging respect for the natural world.

read more...
Muslim Writers Awards 2011

Na'ima B Robert's Far from Home (Frances Lincoln) has won the Published Children's Book category of the Muslim Writers Awards.

The Awards were held at the Globe Theatre on Tuesday 22nd November and acknowledged dramatists and young journalists as well as authors.

read more...
2011 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize

After a two year gap when, due to funding issues it was not awarded, The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2011 will be awarded on Thursday 1st December, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

The prize celebrates the books that best communicate science to young people aged up to 14 and there are six books on the shortlist. They are:

The Icky Sticky Blood and Snot Book by Steve Alton and Nick Sharratt (Bodley Head)

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Liz Pichon and Peter Bently: Roald Dahl Funny Prize Winners

Winners Roald Dahl Prize 2011 2Tuesday 8th November saw the fourth annual Roald Dahl Funny Prize ceremony, which again took place at the Unicorn Theatre. This year Chair, and instigator of the prize, Michael Rosen was joined on the judging panel by author and broadcaster Grace Dent, illustrator Tony Ross, Horrid Henry creator Francesca Simon and journalist/scriptwriter Danny Wallace.

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PIRATE CATS AND DOODLING SCHOOLBOY WIN THE 2011 ROALD DAHL FUNNY BOOK PRIZE

Roald Dahl Winners 2011Peter Bently and Liz Pichon have been announced as winners of the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Book Prize. 

read more...
FIRST SLA INFORMATION BOOK AWARD: WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Adrian Dingle’s book How to make a Universe with 92 Ingredients (Scholastic) and The Life and Times of William Shakespeare by Kirsten McDermott and Ari Berk (Templar) were announced winners of the first SLA Information Book Award at a celebration event in London last night, Wednesday 2nd November.

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