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Books for Keeps 173 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 173 - November 2008

Cover story
This issue’s cover illustration by Ralph Steadman is from Garibaldi’s Biscuits published this month by Andersen Press (978 1 84270 860 6, £10.99 hbk). Ralph Steadman is interviewed by Martin Salisbury. Thanks to Andersen Press for their help with this November cover.

BfK No. 173 Articles

Editorial - November 2008

News and comment from the Editor.
Sounding Off! Some noisy picture books

Jill Bennett on picture books with phonic elements.
Philippa Pearce – Word Perfect

Victor Watson analyses Philippa Pearce’s use of words.
Ten of the Best Christmas Books

Rosemary Stones chooses books with a Christmas theme.
Authorgraph No.173: Ralph Steadman

Ralph Steadman interviewed by Martin Salisbury.
Laureate Log - November 2008

Michael Rosen reports on his Laureate projects.
Hal’s Reading Diary – November 2008

Roger Mills is making up stories for Hal.
I Wish I’d Written… Moominland Midwinter

Jenny Downham chooses Tove Jansson’s Moominland Midwinter.
Good Reads: Shavington High School

Reviews from pupils of Shavington High School, Crewe.
Classics in Short No.72: Mog the Forgetful Cat

Brian Alderson on Judith Kerr’s Mog the Forgetful Cat.

Editor's Choice

Jackdaw Summer
David Almond
(Hodder Children's Books)
5

‘Plese look after her rite. This is a childe of god’ reads the note attached to the blanket wrapped round the abandoned baby. Has she really been saved by the jackdaw that seemed to be leading Max and Liam to her? Liam’s novelist father used to...

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New Talent

Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles
Rupert Kingfisher
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
4

Every summer Madeleine is sent to stay with her bullying uncle Monsieur Lard, one of the worst chefs in Paris, and set to washing up endless dishes in the kitchens of his restaurant, the Squealing Pig. It is on an errand to buy pâté that she...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 173

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

Under 5s

  • Traction Man meets Turbo Dog
    Mini Grey
    5

  • How to Heal a Broken Wing
    Bob Graham
    5

  • Mrs Muffly's Monster
    Sarah Dyer
    4

  • Are the Clothes Clean?; What's in the Fridge?
    Gaby Goldsack
    4

  • Charlie is My Darling
    Malachy Doyle
    4

  • What's That Noise, Mr Croc?
    Jo Lodge
    4

  • Dogfish
    Gillian Shields
    4

  • Tuck Your Vest In
    Daniel Morden
    3

  • Oodles of Noodles
    Diana Hendry
    3

  • Daddy's Lullaby
    Tony Bradman
    3

  • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
    3

  • Little by Little
    Amber Stewart
    3

  • Kisses Are Yuk!
    Julia Jarman
    3

Ages 5-8

  • ABC UK
    James Dunn
    5

  • Little Beauty
    Anthony Browne
    4

  • Martha in the Middle
    Jan Fearnley
    4

  • Take a Flight
    Peter Kent
    4

  • Scratch Kitten Goes to Sea; Scratch Kitten on the Pirate's Shoulder
    Jessica Green
    4

  • My Friend Is Sad; There Is a Bird on Your Head!; I Am Invited to a Party!; Today I Will Fly!
    Mo Willems
    4

  • Tom's Clockwork Dragon
    Jonathan Emmett
    4

  • Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles
    Rupert Kingfisher
    4

  • Spells
    Emily Gravett
    4

  • Mystery Pups: Dognapped!; Mystery Pups: Framed!
    Jodie Mellor
    3

  • Inside Your Outside!; If I Ran the Rainforest
    Tish Rabe
    3

  • The Ship's Kitten
    Matilda Webb
    3

  • Wow! 366: Speedy stories in just 366 words
    3

  • Animal Families
    Lorrie Mack
    2

  • Farmer Joe and the Music Show
    1

Ages 8-10

  • Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!
    Kathleen V Kudlinski
    5

  • Tales of Terror from the Black Ship
    Chris Priestley
    5

  • The Toymaker
    Jeremy De Quidt
    5

  • Our World of Water
    Beatrice Hollyer
    5

  • The Cat Who Liked Rain
    Henning Mankell
    4

  • The Colossal Book of Costumes
    Joëlle Jolivet
    4

  • You Love Judy Fuller
    John Bartholomew
    3

  • Spellbound
    Anna Dale
    3

  • Olaf the Viking
    Martin Conway
    3

  • Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox
    Eoin Colfer
    2

  • Castlecliff
    Elizabeth Pulford
    2

Ages 10-14

  • World War II: the events and their impact on real people
    Reg Grant
    5

  • The Young Inferno
    John Agard
    5

  • The Lion Encyclopedia of World Religions
    David Self
    4

  • Silvertongue
    Charlie Fletcher
    4

  • The Robber Baron's Daughter
    Jamila Gavin
    4

  • The Resistance
    Gemma Malley
    4

  • Spray
    Harry Edge
    4

  • The Ancient Egyptians
    Angela Mcdonald
    3

  • Last Battle of the Icemark
    Stuart Hill
    3

  • The Demon Assassin
    Alan Gibbons
    3

  • The Goldsmith's Daughter
    Tanya Landman
    3

  • The Scribes from Alexandria
    Caroline Lawrence
    3

  • The Mark of Edain
    Pauline Chandler
    3

  • Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
    Ying Chang Compestine
    3

  • Road to War
    Valerie Wilding
    3

  • A Beautiful Place for a Murder
    Berlie Doherty
    3

  • Love-Struck
    Rachael Wing
    3

  • Love, Stargirl
    Jerry Spinelli
    2

  • Oath Breaker
    Michelle Paver
    2

  • The Hunter and The Hunted
    Al Wilde
    2

  • Last Kiss of the Butterfly
    Jill Hucklesby
    1

Ages 14+

  • Jackdaw Summer
    David Almond
    5

  • Bloodchild
    Tim Bowler
    4

  • The Trap
    Sarah Wray
    4

  • Cathy's Key
    Sean Stewart
    Joran Weisman
    4

  • City of Screams
    John Brindley
    4

  • Sold
    Patricia McCormick
    3

  • Outside Beauty
    Cynthia Kadohata
    3

  • Scarlet
    Stephen R Lawhead
    3

  • Ink Exchange
    Melissa Marr
    3

  • Possessing Rayne
    Kate Cann
    3

  • Out of My Depth
    Helen Bailey
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • The Family in English Children's Literature
    Ann Alston
    4

  • British Children's Fiction in the Second World War
    Owen Dudley Edwards
    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)

read more...
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.

read more...
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