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Books for Keeps 190 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 190 - September 2011
BfK 190 September 2011

This issue's cover illustration by Tony Ross is from Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire.  Thanks to Orion Children's Books for their help with this September cover.

By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 190 September 2011.

BfK No. 190 Articles

Ian Beck on The Haunting of Charity Delafield

Ian Beck on The
Haunting of Charity Delafield
Editorial - September 2011

News and comment from the Editor.
Tomi Ungerer: A Life of Contrasts

Brian Alderson assesses Ungerer’s career as a picture book creator.
Ten of the Best: 'Lyrical' Non-Fiction Books

Margaret Mallett chooses her top ten ‘lyrical’ non-fiction
books.

BfK Basics: Buying Reference Books for Your Child

Sue Unstead makes recommendations.
Uncle Tom's Cabin Reassessed

Clive Barnes determines the relevance to today's young readers
BfK's Brilliant Bookshops: The Main Street Trading Company

The Main Street Trading Company
Windows into Illustration: John Fardell

John Fardell on how he went about illustrating The Day Louis Got Eaten.
Authorgraph No. 190: Francesca Simon

Francesca Simon interviewed by Julia Eccleshare.
BfK Briefing - September 2011

Awards * news
Hal's Reading Diary - September 2011

Roger Mills on reading versus writing.
I Wish I'd Written... The Iron Man

Andy Stanton chooses Ted Hughes' The Iron Man.
Good Reads: The Stephen Perse Foundation

Reviews from the pupils of The Stephen Perse Foundation, Cambridge.
Classics in Short No. 89: Black Beauty

Brian Alderson on Anna Sewell's Black Beauty
K.M.Peyton by Meg Rosoff

The winner of the Carnegie Award in 1969 with The Edge of the Cloud , the second part of the ‘Flambards’ trilogy, K M Peyton had her first book published while she was still at school. Her friend Meg Rosoff pays tribute to K M Peyton’s long and distinguished career.
Dredging the Past: Sally Gardner’s new novel

Sally Gardner delves into uncharted waters for her new novel, The Double Shadow. Damian Kelleher gets his toes wet for Books for Keeps.
Christopher Paolini: Growing up with dragons

Melissa Hyder caught up with Christopher Paolini for Books for Keeps at the beginning of a hectic four-day UK visit.
Tony DiTerliz interviewed

Graham Marks talks to Tony DiTerlizzi

Editor's Choice

Wonderstruck
Brian Selznick
(Scholastic)
5

Brian Selznick won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for his first book, www.scholastic.com/hugocabret/">The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a novel that broke new ground with its dual visual...

read more

New Talent

Good Little Wolf
Nadia Shireen
(Jonathan Cape (PB))
5

First picture books are so often let down by a story that doesn’t really work but Nadia Shireen’s debut picture book which she wrote and illustrated, is wittily and tightly constructed and perfectly pitched to engage young readers.

Rolf is...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 190

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

Under 5s

  • Good Little Wolf
    Nadia Shireen
    5

  • The Animal Bop Won't Stop
    Jan Ormerod
    4

  • My Dad is Beautiful
    Jessica Spanyol
    4

  • The Rhyming Rabbit
    Julia Donaldson
    4

  • The Queen of France
    Tim Wadham
    4

  • What Will You Be Grandma?
    Nanette Newman
    4

  • Silly Doggy
    Adam Stower
    3

Ages 5-8

  • Painting Out the Stars
    Elspeth Graham
    4

  • When Chico went fishing
    Robin Tzannes
    3

  • Grub's Pups
    Abi Burlingham
    3

  • Detective Brother: Jamie’s Amazing Cape Adventure
    Pete Johnson
    3

  • Queen of the Falls
    Chris Van Allsburg
    3

  • Fetlocks Hall: The Curse of the Pony Vampires
    Babette Cole
    3

  • Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble
    Tracey Corderoy
    3

  • Dear Fairy Godmother
    Michael Rosen
    2

Ages 8-10

  • Wonderstruck
    Brian Selznick
    5

  • The Sleeping Army
    Francesca Simon
    4

  • Secret Horse
    Jane Smiley
    4

  • The Filth Licker
    Cristy Burne
    4

  • Stitch Head
    Guy Bass
    3

  • My Name is Rose
    Sally Grindley
    3

  • For the Record
    Ellie Irving
    3

  • The Deeping Secrets
    Victor Watson
    2

Ages 10-14

  • Immortal War
    Justin Somper
    5

  • A Monster Calls
    Patrick Ness
    5

  • How to be a boy
    Tony Bradman
    4

  • Siz Words and a Wish
    Karen McCombie
    4

  • Undead
    Kirsty McKay
    4

  • Edda
    Conor Kostick
    4

  • Caddy’s World
    Hilary McKay
    4

  • Trapped
    Isla Whitcroft
    3

  • Outlaw
    Stephen Davies
    3

  • An Act of Love
    Alan Gibbons
    3

  • Angel's Fury
    Bryony Pearce
    3

  • A Year without Autumn
    Liz Kessler
    3

  • Muhammad Ali – fifteen rounds with the greatest ¦ Charles Dickens – Hard Times and Great Expectations ¦ John Lennon- the story of the original Beatle ¦ J.K. Rowling – the mystery of fiction
    Hugh MacDonald
    3

Ages 14+

  • Strings Attached
    Judy Blundell
    5

  • Paradise
    Joanna Nadin
    5

  • Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers
    John Harris Dunning
    4

  • Closer
    Maxine Linnell
    4

  • Shift
    Jeri Smith Ready
    4

  • Cold Hands, Warm Heart
    Jill Wolfson
    4

  • Belle's Song
    K M Grant
    4

  • Pretty Twisted
    Gina Blaxill
    4

  • Legend
    Marie Lu
    4

  • Out of Towners
    Dan Tunstall
    3

  • Marcelo in the Real World
    Francisco X Stork
    3

  • Unearthly
    Cynthia Hand
    3

  • Here Lies Bridget
    Paige Harbison
    3

BfK News

EMPATHYLAB ANNOUNCES 2020 READ FOR EMPATHY BOOK COLLECTION

Raising A Generation of Empathic Citizens

Empathy Day logo

read more...
JASBINDER BILAN WINS COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD WITH HER DEBUT NOVEL

Jasbinder Bilan

read more...
COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2019: SHORTLIST FEATURES

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award alongside newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing.

Costa Book Awards logo

Click the links below to read new Books for Keeps feature articles on each of the shortlisted authors.

read more...
THE IBBY LIST OF OUSTANDING BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Dr Rebecca Butler writes.

Readers of Books for Keeps will remember that IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young People) arranges every two years a competition to identify the very best books for young readers featuring disability or designed to be read by young people with disabilities. Last time this list was compiled in 2017/18 I was the coordinator for the UK section.

read more...
ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS’ GREAT ADVENTURERS WINS THE 2019 EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD

The winner of the 2019 Educational Writers’ Award is Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventurers: The Incredible Expeditions of 20 Explorers (Big Picture Press).

Alastair Humphreys Great Adventures

read more...
BLACKMAN AND DOWNHAM ON SHORTLIST FOR 2019 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award, which was announced today, 26th November 2020. Alongside them on the list are newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing, both of whom are published by Chicken House.

The 2019 Costa Children’s Award shortlist

read more...
2019 ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD SHORTLIST

Shortlist announced for the UK’s only award for creative educational writing

The Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing& Collecting Society have announced the shortlist for the 2019 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for educational writing which stimulates and enhances the learning experience.

read more...
‘INSPIRING’: CONTENDERS FOR THE 2020 BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS REVEALED

Blue Peter Book Award logo

Six books have made it onto the shortlists for the 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards. There are two categories: Best Story, and – in non-fiction November – Best Book with Facts.

read more...
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2020 CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

And we’re off… the nominations for the 2020 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, Monday 4th November.

read more...
2020 UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE LONGLISTS

UKLA Awards

A record number of submissions and a new category to highlight information books marks the 12th longlists for the UKLA Awards, the only national awards judged by active classroom teachers.

read more...
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