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Books for Keeps 213 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 213 - July 2015
BfK 213 July 2015

COVER STORY
This issue’s cover illustration is from Crowns and Codebreakers (The Marsh Road Mysteries) by Elen Caldecott. The illustration is by Nathan Reed. Thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books 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 213 July 2015 .

BfK No. 213 Articles

Editorial 213

Comment from the editor
Life's Too Short

Life’s Too Short for long books says Barrington Stoke MD Mairi Kidd
Ten of the Best:books about other places

Daniel Hahn selects books to take you ‘elsewhere’ this summer.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS SACHAR

Graham Marks to the bestselling author about his new book Fuzzy Mud.
Windows into Illustration: William Grill

The Kate Greenaway Medal Winner says illustration is all about communication
Brenda, Books and Full-Frontal Publishing

Queen of Teen Brenda Gardner of Piccadilly Press looks back over 30 years of publishing for children
Drawing with words, writing with pictures: children who make comics

Get children hooked on drawing through cartoons says Hannah Sackett
Authorgraph 213 Elen Caldecott

Elen Caldecott interviewed by Amanda Mitchison

Happy Birthday, Little Island!

Ireland’s first Children’s Laureate Siobhan Parkinson on creating her children’s list Little Island
CLiPPA Poetry Award 2015

The 2015 CLPE Poetry Award by Roger McGough
I wish I’d written: Guy Bass

Guy Bass chooses
Good Reads 213

Good Reads chosen by pupils at Manor High School, Oadby, Leicester
Book Events for Children – This Summer’s Highlights

This summer’s best events for children chosen by Clare Burkhill-Howarth of Book Events for Children
Two Children Tell: The Wiz-a-Woz and Nicholas

The real and the pretend in stories.
INFECTING TEACHERS WITH THE READING BUG!

Joy Court praises the UKLA (United Kingdom Literacy Association) Book Awards
Classics in Short No. 112

The Old Woman who found ... what?
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE: AN INTERVIEW WITH CARINA AXELSSON

An interview with the author of the Model Under Cover series.
LAUREN CHILD RETROSPECTIVE: MOTTISFONT HOUSE

Clive Barnes visits the first retrospective exhibition of Lauren Child's illustrative work.
AN INTERVIEW WITH CLiPPA WINNER JOSEPH COELHO

Ferelith Hordon speaks to poet Joseph Coelho.
A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH C.J. DAUGHERTY, ABOUT THE SECRET FIRE

The best-selling author of the Night School series talks about her new series and collaborating with another author

Editor's Choice

This is Not a Love Story
Keren David
(Atom)
5

What is it about Amsterdam that inspires authors? First we had Postcards from No Man's Land; now Keren David visits that city in her latest novel...

read more

New Talent

The Baby
Lisa Drakeford
(Chicken House Ltd)
4

The party is a great success in Olivia's opinion- too many people (not all invited), too loud music, too much alcohol, - even Jonty, her boyfriend, is in a good mood. Then she finds her best friend, Nicola, in the bathroom - and she is giving...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 213

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

Under 5s

  • Black Cat, White Cat
    Silvia Borando
    5

  • Heather Has Two Mummies
    Leslea Newman
    5

  • There’s a Bear on My Chair
    Ross Collins
    5

  • Help! The Wolf is Coming!
    Cedric Ramadier
    5

  • Soon
    Timothy Knapman
    4

  • The Cloudspotter
    Tom McLaughlin
    4

  • Betty goes Bananas in her Pyjamas
    Steve Antony
    3

Ages 5-8

  • Footpath Flowers
    JonArno Lawson
    5

  • It's a Groovy World, Alfredo
    Sean Taylor
    5

  • What the Jackdaw Saw
    Julia Donaldson
    5

  • A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches
    Anna Wright
    5

  • Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion
    Alex T Smith
    5

  • The Most Wonderful Thing in the World
    Vivian French
    5

  • Katie and the Starry Night
    James Mayhew
    4

  • Don’t Forget Tiggs!
    Michael Rosen
    4

  • Eddie’s Tent and How to Go Camping
    Sarah Garland
    4

  • Sardines of Love
    Zuriñe Aguirre
    4

  • The Paradise Bird
    Marcus Pfister
    4

  • The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present
    Libby Gleeson
    3

  • Sixteen String Jack and the Garden of Adventure: Where Peter Pan Began
    Tom Pow
    3

  • Millie’s Chickens
    Brenda Williams
    3

  • Have You Seen My Monster?
    Steve Light
    3

  • That Naughty Meerkat
    Ian Whybrow
    3

  • Dinosaur Police
    Sarah McIntyre
    3

Ages 8-10

  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
    E L Konigsburg
    5

  • A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches
    Anna Wright
    5

  • Mad About Monkeys
    Owen Davey
    5

  • Catching Falling Stars
    Karen McCombie
    5

  • The Bolds
    Julian Clary
    5

  • My Brother Is a Superhero
    David Solomons
    4

  • The Hero's Tomb
    Conrad Mason
    4

  • Stop Those Monsters
    Steve Cole
    4

  • Car-jacked
    Ali Sparkes
    4

  • Uncle Gobb and The Dread Shed
    Michael Rosen
    4

  • Dara Palmer’s Major Drama
    Emma Shevah
    4

  • Pucker Power: The Super-powered Superpug
    Kevin Stevens
    4

Ages 10-14

  • Binny in Secret cover

    Binny in Secret
    Hilary McKay
    5

  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
    E L Konigsburg
    5

  • Too Close to Home
    Aoife Walsh
    5

  • Whistling in the Dark
    Shirley Hughes
    5

  • Minus Me
    Ingelin Rossland
    5

  • The Year It All Ended
    Kirsty Murray
    4

  • Sun Thief
    Jamie Buxton
    4

  • The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow
    Katherine Woodfine
    4

  • In Darkling Wood
    Emma Carroll
    4

  • Dead End Kids: Heroes of the Blitz
    Bernard Ashley
    4

  • 50 Things You Should Know About the Second World War
    Simon Adams
    4

  • Song For A Scarlet Runner
    Julie Hunt
    4

  • The Potion Diaries
    Amy Alward
    3

  • To Hold the Bridge
    Garth Nix
    3

Ages 14+

  • Blood & Ink
    Stephen Davies
    5

  • This is Not a Love Story
    Keren David
    5

  • Nest
    Esther Ehrlich
    5

  • A Small Madness
    Dianne Touchell
    4

  • The Year It All Ended
    Kirsty Murray
    4

  • The Baby
    Lisa Drakeford
    4

  • Concentr8
    William Sutcliffe
    4

  • All My Secrets
    Sophie McKenzie
    4

  • House of Windows
    Alexia Casale
    2

BfK News

SHORTLIST FOR THE 2018 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

The shortlist for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize has been revealed. Set up to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a key figure in children’s picture books, this important new award, now in its third year, is for the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

read more...
THE 2018 LITTLE REBELS AWARD SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

THE 2018 LITTLE REBELS AWARD SHORTLIST

Conflicts, Class and Youth Protest

Islamophobia, young people’s activism, the Syrian conflict, challenges to gendered occupations, the English class system and workers’ pay and conditions are just some of the subjects highlighted by the 8-strong shortlist for this year’s Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction.

read more...
DEBUT AUTHORS AND THEIR EDITORS ON 2018 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD SHORTLIST

The shortlist for the 2018 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.

BBA shortlist 2018

read more...
CLiPPA 2018 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has announced the 2018 shortlist for the CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award). Established in 2003, the CLiPPA encourages and celebrates outstanding poetry published for children and has done a huge amount to encourage the publishing of children’s poetry.

read more...
THE HATE U GIVE WINS WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE 2018

Angie ThomasWCBP logo

read more...
SHORTLISTS FOR 2018 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS ANNOUNCED

CILIP CKG logo

The shortlists for the 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, are announced today, Thursday 15th March.

read more...
SHORTLIST FOR THE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2018

The Children’s Book Award 2018 shortlist has been announced. Among those shortlisted are this year’s Costa Children’s Book Award winner Katherine Rundell and previously shortlisted author illustrator Jan Fearnley.

read more...
BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2018

The Wizards of Once

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell and Real-Life Mysteries written by Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker, have been revealed as this year’s Blue Peter Book Award winners.

read more...
2018 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION NOW OPEN

Young writers invited to finish a story started by 2017 Branford Boase Award winner, Beetle Boy author M. G. Leonard

The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition, the annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the Branford Boase Award, is now open.

read more...
LONGLIST FOR THE 2018 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

KFP logoFifteen debut picture books are in the running for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize. Now in its third year the prize was set up to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books.

This year more than fifty books were submitted for consideration from eleven different publishers.

read more...
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