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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 ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2020 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

The shortlist for the Klaus Flugge Prize has been announced. 2020 is the fifth year of the prize, which was set up to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and an extremely influential figure in children’s picture books. It is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

read more...
SHORTLIST FOR THE 2020 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD ANNOUNCED

BBA logo

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UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE SHORTLISTS 2020

UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE SHORTLISTS 2020

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

CILIP CKG logo

The shortlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, have been announced. Selected by Youth Librarians from the 20 strong longlists there are eight books on each of the two lists.

read more...
SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2020

Children's Book Award

The shortlist for the Children’s Book Award 2020 has been announced. This is the award’s 40th Anniversary year and it remains the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children. To mark the award’s 40th Anniversary, a new category on the shortlist celebrates the most popular books for teens.

read more...
NEW FUNDING FOR THE LITTLE REBELS AWARD

The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction has been boosted thanks to £3,500 in new funding from the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust, bringing the award’s prize money up to £2,000.

Little Rebels logo

read more...
LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2020 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

CKG logo

The longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, have been announced.

read more...
LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2020 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

The longlist for the 2020 Klaus Flugge Prize has been announced. Now in its fifth year, the Klaus Flugge Prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours Klaus Flugge, founder of publisher Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books.

Look Up!

read more...
WHO WON THE LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOK AWARDS?

The winners of the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2020 have just been announced.

read more...
BRANFORD BOASE AWARD 2020: LONGLIST ANNOUNCED

Branford Boase Award logo

read more...
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