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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...

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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 Rhyming Rabbit

    Julia Donaldson
    4
  • The Queen of France

    Tim Wadham
    4
  • What Will You Be Grandma?

    Nanette Newman
    4
  • The Animal Bop Won't Stop

    Jan Ormerod
    4
  • My Dad is Beautiful

    Jessica Spanyol
    4
  • Silly Doggy

    Adam Stower
    3

Ages 5-8

  • Painting Out the Stars

    Elspeth Graham
    4
  • Detective Brother: Jamie’s Amazing Cape Adventure

    Pete Johnson
    3
  • Queen of the Falls

    Chris Van Allsburg
    3
  • When Chico went fishing

    Robin Tzannes
    3
  • Fetlocks Hall: The Curse of the Pony Vampires

    Babette Cole
    3
  • Grub's Pups

    Abi Burlingham
    3
  • Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble

    Tracey Corderoy
    3
  • Dear Fairy Godmother

    Michael Rosen
    2

Ages 8-10

  • Wonderstruck

    Brian Selznick
    5
  • Secret Horse

    Jane Smiley
    4
  • The Filth Licker

    Cristy Burne
    4
  • The Sleeping Army

    Francesca Simon
    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
  • Undead

    Kirsty McKay
    4
  • Edda

    Conor Kostick
    4
  • How to be a boy

    Tony Bradman
    4
  • Caddy’s World

    Hilary McKay
    4
  • Siz Words and a Wish

    Karen McCombie
    4
  • 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
  • Outlaw

    Stephen Davies
    3
  • An Act of Love

    Alan Gibbons
    3
  • Trapped

    Isla Whitcroft
    3
  • Angel's Fury

    Bryony Pearce
    3

Ages 14+

  • Strings Attached

    Judy Blundell
    5
  • Paradise

    Joanna Nadin
    5
  • Pretty Twisted

    Gina Blaxill
    4
  • Shift

    Jeri Smith Ready
    4
  • Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers

    John Harris Dunning
    4
  • Cold Hands, Warm Heart

    Jill Wolfson
    4
  • Legend

    Marie Lu
    4
  • Closer

    Maxine Linnell
    4
  • Belle's Song

    K M Grant
    4
  • Marcelo in the Real World

    Francisco X Stork
    3
  • Unearthly

    Cynthia Hand
    3
  • Here Lies Bridget

    Paige Harbison
    3
  • Out of Towners

    Dan Tunstall
    3

BfK News

NEW DANCE THEATRE PROJECT WANTS YOUNG PEOPLES’ STORIES

Tall Tales Big Moves, a new dance theatre project based in Thanet, Kent, is inviting young people aged 5 to 16 to submit stories to its Story Pool.

read more...
MALORIE BLACKMAN APPOINTED AS THE 8TH CHILDREN’S LAUREATE

Malorie Blackman is the new Children’s Laureate. At a ceremony on Tuesday 4 June, hosted by Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, and attended by previous holders of the position including Anne Fine and Anthony Browne, she was presented with the medal by the outgoing Laureate Julia Donaldson.

read more...
2013 ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER ISOL RECEIVES HER PRIZE

2013 ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER ISOL RECEIVES HER PRIZE

Isol winsIn a ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall Monday 27 May, picture book artist Marisol ‘Isol’ Misenta was presented with the 2013 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

read more...
THE FRANCES LINCOLN DIVERSE VOICES CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2013

Tariq Mehmood has won the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award 2013 for You’re Not Proper. The announcement was made on 23rd May 2013 by John Nicoll, founder of the award, at Seven Stories - National Centre for Children’s Books.

read more...
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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