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Books for Keeps 187 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 187 - March 2011
BfK 187 March 2011

Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration by Mark Owen at Arcangel is from Julie Hearn’s Wreckers. Julie Hearn is interviewed by Nicholas Tucker. Thanks to Oxford University Press for their help with this March cover.

Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK March 2011

BfK No. 187 Articles

Editorial - March 2011

News and comment from the Editor.

BfK Rising Talent 2011

Books for Keeps celebrates 12 stars in making.

True Grit Revisited

Geoff Fox discusses the enduring appeal of Charles Portis’s novel.

The Grimm Reader

Neil Philip explains the importance of the Grimms.

Windows into Illustration: Karin Littlewood

Karin Littlewood on the illustrations for Immi.

400 Years of the King James Bible

Michael Rosen on how it came about.

Authorgraph No.187: Julie Hearn

Julie Hearn is interviewed by Nicholas Tucker.

BfK Briefing – March 2011

Exhibition * Awards

Useful Organisations No. 54: Book a Poet

Provides poets to perform their poetry.

Hal’s Reading Diary - March 2011

Roger Mills investigates the appeal of Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Hal.

I Wish I’d Written… Freak the Mighty

Jonny Zucker chooses Rodman Philbrick’s Freak the Mighty.

Good Reads: Cockermouth School Kids Lit Quiz team

Reviews from Cockermouth School Kids Lit Quiz team.

Classics in Short No.86: Swallows and Amazons

Brian Alderson on Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

William Nicholson’s ‘The Wind on Fire’ trilogy

Nicholas Tucker talks to William Nicholson

Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children exhibition

Kate Agnew visits the exhibition for Books for Keeps.

The Emerald Atlas: a debut novel of boundless energy

Nicholas Tucker talks to John Stephens for Books for Keeps.

Enter the World of Happy! Giles Andreae's brand new series

Exclusive World of Happy competition for Books for Keeps readers

The Enchanted Country – Hampshire celebrates Ursula Moray Williams’ centenary

An exhibition on Ursula Moray Williams is touring venues in Hampshire and elsewhere

An interview with Andrew Peters

Andrea Reece interviews Andrew Peters for Books for Keeps.

Editor's Choice

Come to Me, My Chickadee!

Carol Thompson
(Child's Play (International) Ltd)
5

This large format board book with its thin card pages and rounded edges is perfect for babies from around six months and upwards. Against white backgrounds Carol Thompson depicts toddlers at different points in the day from waking up in their cot...

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New Talent

Wood Angel

Erin Bow
(Chicken House)
4

Plain Kate, as Katarina is known, has one eye the colour of river mud and the other the colour of the river; she is a skilled wood carver like her guildsman father, so skilled in fact that some people think she has magic powers and are afraid of...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 187

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

Under 5s

  • Come to Me, My Chickadee!

    Carol Thompson
    5
  • The Giant Jam Sandwich

    John Vernon Lord
    5
  • Copy Cat

    Mark Birchall
    5
  • Zog

    Julia Donaldson
    5
  • Tiny Little Fly

    Michael Rosen
    5
  • Susan Laughs

    Jeanne Willis
    5
  • Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice

    Chris Wormell
    4
  • Mole's Sunrise

    Jeanne Willis
    4
  • More, More, More!

    Dawn Casey
    4
  • Goran's Great Escape

    Astrid Lindgren
    4
  • That's Mine!

    Jennifer Northway
    3
  • Zoe and Beans: Where is Binky Boo?

    Mick Inkpen
    3
  • Rabbit Pie

    Penny Ives
    3
  • Ribbit Rabbit

    Candace Ryan
    3
  • Night, Light, Sleep Tight

    Janet Bingham
    3
  • Frank & Teddy Make Friends

    Louise Yates
    3
  • Pirate Gran Goes for Gold

    Geraldine Durrant
    3
  • The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate

    Joy Cowley
    3
  • The Sandwich Swap

    Queen Rania Al Abdullah
    Kelly DiPucchio
    2

Ages 5-8

  • The Cloud

    Hannah Cumming
    5
  • Lulu and the Brontosaurus

    Judith Viorst
    5
  • A Little Bit of Mischief

    Jenny Sullivan
    4
  • Mbobo Tree

    Glenda Millard
    4
  • Scaredy Squirrel at Night

    Melanie Watt
    4
  • Terry Deary's Viking Tales: The Hand of the Viking Warrior ¦ Terry Deary's Viking Tales: The Sword of the Viking King

    Terry Deary
    4
  • Rama and Sita: Path of Flames

    Sally Pomme Clayton
    4
  • Bumblebee

    J V Wilson
    4
  • Dodo doo-doo

    Kaye Umansky
    3
  • Roodica the Rude: Who stole the river?

    Margaret Ryan
    3
  • The Ghosts of Creakie Hall: Ace Ghosts

    Karen Wallace
    3
  • Help Me!

    Paul Geraghty
    3
  • The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt

    Megan McDonald
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Bogwoppit

    Ursula Moray Williams
    4
  • Muncle Trogg

    Janet Foxley
    4
  • Tom Trueheart and the Land of Myths and Legends

    Ian Beck
    4
  • Magicalamity

    Kate Saunders
    4
  • Hunefer and his Book of the Dead ¦ The Complete Book of the Dead of Hunefer

    Richard Parkinson
    4
  • Mutiny on the School Ship Bounty

    Jon Blake
    3
  • Macbeth ¦ Romeo and Juliet ¦ The Tempest ¦ A Midsummer Night's Dream

    William Shakespeare
    2

Ages 10-14

  • Blade: Risking All

    Tim Bowler
    5
  • Treason

    Berlie Doherty
    5
  • Eighth Grade Bites

    Heather Brewer
    4
  • Grace

    Morris Gleitzman
    4
  • Control Freak: Diary of a care leaver

    Henrietta Bond
    4
  • Wood Angel

    Erin Bow
    4
  • My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

    Annabel Pitcher
    4
  • The Real Rebecca

    Anna Carey
    4
  • The Medusa Project: Hunted

    Sophie McKenzie
    4
  • Neversuch House

    Elliot Skell
    4
  • If I Could Fly

    Jill Hucklesby
    4
  • Half Brother

    Kenneth Oppel
    4
  • Behemoth

    Scott Westerfeld
    4
  • Children’s Book of Music

    4
  • The Lion Treasury of Saints

    David Self
    4
  • Gladiator: Fight for Freedom

    Simon Scarrow
    3
  • Fugitives!

    Aubrey Flegg
    3
  • Sigrun's Secret

    Marie-Louise Jensen
    3
  • Small Blue Thing

    S C Ransom
    3
  • Tyme's End

    B R Collins
    3
  • Dragonborn

    Toby Forward
    3
  • Long Lankin

    Lindsey Barraclough
    3
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1

    John Vornholt
    Arthur Byron Cover
    Alice Henderson
    3
  • The Bad Tuesdays: Blood Alchemy

    Benjamin J Myers
    2

Ages 14+

  • Fallout

    Sandra Glover
    4
  • Whisper My Name

    Jane Eagland
    4
  • Clash

    Colin Mulhern
    3
  • Crusade

    Linda Press Wulf
    2

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:

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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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