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Books for Keeps 189 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 189 - July 2011

This issue's cover illustration is from Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David. Thanks to Frances Lincoln for their help with this July cover.

Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 189 July 2011.

BfK No. 189 Articles

Editorial - July 2011

News and comment from the editor.

BfK's Brilliant Children's Bookshops

BfK’s Brilliant Bookshops
Marilyn Brocklehurst
on the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre.

Children’s and Young Adult Fiction and the ‘war on terror’

Children’s and Young Adult Fiction and the ‘war on terror’. Alan Gibbons on how children’s writers have responded.

The Impact of Reading on Career Propects

The Impact of Reading on Career Prospects
Mark Taylor
explains his research findings.

The New Children's Laureate: Julia Donaldson

Nicholas Tucker interviews Julia Donaldson , the 7th Children’s Laureate.

Children's Novels with Disabled Characters

Ten of the Best: Children’s Books about Disability

Rebecca Butler chooses her top ten.

Windows into Illustration: Nicola Killen

Windows into Illustration
Nicola Killen
on how she went about illustrating Not Me!

Authorgraph No 189: Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter is assessed by Judy Taylor.

Briefing

Awards * News * Obituary

I Wish I'd Written... A Monster Calls.

Siobhán Parkinson chooses Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls.

Hal's Reading Diary

Roger Mills on soporific bedtime reading.

Good Reads

Reviews from the Carnegie Shadowing Group, Fortismere School, London.

Classic A Little Princess

Brian Alderson on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess.

Loadsamoney! An interview with Keren David

The award-winning author of When I was Joe talks to Caroline Sanderson about her new book Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery.

Paula Rawsthorne answers questions about The Truth about Celia Frost

Paula Rawsthorne answers questions about her fast-paced teen thriller The Truth about Celia Frost.

SOPHIE MCKENZIE: MISSING IN ACTION

Damian Kelleher talks to Sophie McKenzie about Sister, Missing.

2011 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Winner Grahame Baker-Smith

Caroline Sanderson interviewed Grahame Baker-Smith for Books for Keeps and explains how a long journey in search of his illustrator’s ‘voice’ led him to CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal triumph.

Welcome to the World of Jonathan Meres

The author of The World of Norm on jokes, biscuits and P G Wodehouse.

Editor's Choice

This Little Teddy

Lucy Lyes
(Ladybird)
4

This satisfyingly robust ‘touch-and-feel’ board book has five double page spreads each featuring a different teddy bear. On the verso, a friendly rhyme introduces the bear’s name and invites the very young reader to stroke the furry tummy/touch...

read more

New Talent

The Grasshopper's Run

Siddhartha Sarma
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
4

After many decades when Ruskin Bond was the only well known writer in the field, Indian children’s fiction written in English is beginning to attract attention. Penguin India and Scholastic India alongside smaller publishers are publishing more...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 189

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

Under 5s

  • Little Rex and the Big Roar

    Ruth Symes
    5
  • Not Me!

    Nicola Killen
    5
  • Bedtime for Monsters

    Ed Vere
    5
  • Oliver

    Christopher Franceschelli
    5
  • 100 Things

    Masayuki Sebe
    4
  • Rhinos Don't Eat Pancakes

    Anna Kemp
    4
  • Superfrog!

    Michael Foreman
    4
  • This Little Teddy

    Lucy Lyes
    4
  • The Happy Book

    Malachy Doyle
    4
  • Mine!

    Rachel Bright
    3
  • When the World Was Waiting for You

    Gillian Shields
    3
  • Solomon Crocodile

    Catherine Rayner
    3
  • Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle ¦ Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter

    Axel Scheffler
    3
  • Don't Panic, Annika!

    Juliet Clare Bell
    3
  • Hullabaloo!

    Gordon Volke
    2

Ages 5-8

  • Nature Adventures

    Mick Manning
    5
  • Bubble Trouble

    Margaret Mahy
    5
  • Zoo Girl

    Rebecca Elliott
    5
  • My Ballet Dream

    Adèle Geras
    4
  • Pirate House Swap

    Abie Longstaff
    4
  • The Day Louis Got Eaten

    John Fardell
    4
  • Painting out the Stars

    Mal Peet
    4
  • Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School

    David Mackintosh
    3
  • Naughty Toes

    Ann Bonwill
    3
  • Polly and the Wolf Again

    Catherine Storr
    3
  • Hooey Higgins and the Big Boat Race

    Steve Voake
    3
  • The Wrong Pong

    Steven Butler
    3
  • The Little White Sprite

    Gillian McClure
    3
  • Mega Mash-Up: Robots v Gorillas in the Desert ¦ Mega Mash-Up: Romans v Dinosaurs on Mars

    Nikalas Catlow
    Tim Wesson
    3
  • Naughty Nina

    Juliet Mickelburgh
    3
  • Aesop's Fables

    Beverley Naidoo
    3
  • Beowulf the Hero

    Tony Bradman
    3
  • This Book Totally Makes Stuff Grow

    Maggie Bolger
    1

Ages 8-10

  • The Language of Cat and Other Poems

    Rachel Rooney
    5
  • The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

    Chris Van Allsburg
    5
  • One Dog and his Boy

    Eva Ibbotson
    5
  • The Dragon Whisperer

    Lucinda Hare
    5
  • Sky Hawk

    Gill Lewis
    5
  • The World of Norm: May Contain Nuts

    Jonathan Meres
    4
  • Monacello, the Little Monk

    Geraldine McCaughrean
    4
  • Saving SS Shannon

    Phil Carradice
    4
  • Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster

    Joanna Nadin
    4
  • Tales from Witchway Wood: Crash ’n’ Bang

    Kaye Umansky
    4
  • The Lion Classic Aesop’s Fables

    Margaret McAllister
    4
  • Kidnap in the Caribbean

    Lauren St John
    4
  • Pillywiggins and the Tree Witch

    Julia Jarman
    4
  • The Snow Merchant

    Sam Gayton
    4
  • Sterling and the Canary

    Andy Stanton
    4
  • A Roman Rescue

    K A Gerrard
    3
  • Grubtown Tales: When Bunnies Turn Bad

    Philip Ardagh
    3
  • Small Change for Stuart

    Lissa Evans
    3
  • Wasim and the Champ

    Chris Ashley
    3
  • Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission

    Janis Mackay
    3
  • The Crowfield Demon

    Pat Walsh
    3
  • Meerkat Madness

    Ian Whybrow
    3
  • Casper Candlewacks in Death by Pigeon

    Ivan Brett
    3

Ages 10-14

  • Serpent's Gold

    Sam Osman
    5
  • Thief

    Malorie Blackman
    5
  • Sister Missing

    Sophie McKenzie
    5
  • Lula does the Hula

    Samantha Mackintosh
    5
  • Everybody Jam

    Ali Lewis
    5
  • I Am the Blade

    J P Buxton
    5
  • Forgotten

    Cat Patrick
    4
  • Six Days

    Philip Webb
    4
  • No Passengers Beyond This Point

    Gennifer Choldenko
    4
  • The Truth about Celia Frost

    Paula Rawsthorne
    4
  • Milicent’s Book

    Charlotte Moore
    4
  • The Thirteen Secrets

    Michelle Harrison
    4
  • Too Much Trouble

    Tom Avery
    4
  • Velvet

    Mary Hooper
    4
  • Where She Went

    Gayle Forman
    4
  • The Queen Must Die

    K A S Quinn
    4
  • Duty Calls: Dunkirk

    James Holland
    4
  • The Iraq War

    Simon Adams
    4
  • Bad Day

    Graham Marks
    4
  • A Greyhound of a Girl

    Roddy Doyle
    4
  • Wish Me Dead

    Helen Grant
    3
  • Gravenhunger

    Harriet Goodwin
    3
  • The Rabbit Girl

    Mary Arrigan
    3
  • Operation Black Cobra

    Ilkka Remes
    3
  • Sita, Daughter of the Earth

    Saraswati Nagpal
    3
  • Wintercraft

    Jenna Burtenshaw
    3
  • The Western Mysteries: The Case of the Deadly Desperadoes

    Caroline Lawrence
    3
  • Ashes

    Kathryn Lasky
    3
  • Diary of a Lottery Winner’s Daughter

    Penelope Bush
    3
  • Sapphire Battersea

    Jacqueline Wilson
    3

Ages 14+

  • Flip

    Martyn Bedford
    5
  • The Kissing Game

    Aidan Chambers
    5
  • Linger

    Maggie Stiefvater
    4
  • The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean

    David Almond
    4
  • The Grasshopper's Run

    Siddhartha Sarma
    4
  • A Small Free Kiss in the Dark

    Glenda Millard
    4
  • Thin Ice

    Mikael Engström
    4
  • Aurora

    Julie Bertagna
    4
  • Killing Honour

    Bali Rai
    4
  • The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

    Yasutaka Tsutsui
    3
  • Ultraviolet

    RJ Anderson
    3
  • Department 19

    Will Hill
    3
  • The Fall

    Anthony McGowan
    3
  • Skulduggery Pleasant

    Derek Landy
    3

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

read more...
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