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Books for Keeps 221 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 221 - November 2016
BfK 221 November 2106

This issue’s cover illustration is from The White Giraffe series: Operation Rhino by Lauren St John. Thanks to Orion Children’s Books for their help with this cover.
Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 221 November 2016.

BfK No. 221 Articles

Editorial 221

Comment from the editor
Books for Giving Christmas 2016

Ferelith Hordon makes Christmas shopping easy
Books for Giving 2016: the Book List

Bibliographic details for all the books featured in our Christmas Gift selection
2016 The Books of the Year

Selected by regular contributors to Books for Keeps
Authorgraph 221 Lauren St John

Lauren St John interviewed by Nicholas Tucker
Ten of the Best Books about Refugees

Books about refugees chosen by Fen Coles of Letterbox Library
Jewell Parker Rhodes: a profile

Wendy Meddour profiles inspiring US author Jewell Parker Rhodes
Goodbye Ruby Redfort: an interview with Lauren Child

Lauren Child on the conclusion to her girl detective series
Inside The Chamber of Secrets: an interview with illustrator Jim Kay

An interview with the award-winning illustrator
TWO CHILDREN TELL: CHRISTMAS WITH REBECCA AND NICK

A Christmas special
I Wish I’d Written: Judi Curtin

Judi Curtin chooses
Good Reads 221

selected by pupils at Corby Business Academy
Once upon a storytelling

Author and storyteller Lari Don on the appeal of old stories
AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR BRIAN CONAGHAN

An interview with the Costa shortlisted author
AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR PATRICE LAWRENCE

The Costa shortlisted author interviewed by Anna James
AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR ROSS WELFORD

An interview with the author of Time Travelling with a Hamster
AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR FRANCESCA SIMON

Francesca Simon talks about The Monstrous Child with Anna James.
A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH CATHRYN CONSTABLE

The author talks about her new book The White Tower
Classics in Short No. 120: The Little Bookroom

The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon

AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSIN NIELSEN

An interview with the award winning author of We are All Made of Molecules
AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIANNE DUBUC

An interview with the award-winning author of The Lion and the Bird

Editor's Choice

The Hypnotist
Laurence Anholt
(Corgi Childrens)
4

It is the 1960s - the time of Martin Luther King and a rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Jack is looking forward to his new position as Head of Neurological Research in southern USA. Pip is trying to adapt to a life as a servant to Zachary and the...

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New Talent

Erica's Elephant
Sylvia Bishop
(Scholastic)
5

When Erica opens the front door to find an elephant on the doorstep, she not only acquires a companion and, yes, a friend, but also a great deal of trouble. An elephant is conspicuous and little girls of ten should not be living by themselves -...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 221

  • Under 5s
  • Ages 5-8
  • Ages 8-10
  • Ages 10-14
  • Ages 14+
  • Books About Children's Books

Under 5s

  • Goodnight Everyone
    Chris Haughton
    5

  • Plenty of Love to Go Round!
    Emma Chichester Clark
    5

  • The Storm Whale in Winter
    Benji Davies
    5

  • Meltdown
    Jill Murphy
    5

  • Odd Dog Out
    Rob Biddulph
    4

  • Hello, Mr Dodo
    Nicholas John Frith
    4

  • The Night the Stars Went Out
    Suz Hughes
    3

Ages 5-8

  • Erica's Elephant
    Sylvia Bishop
    5

  • Midnight at the Zoo
    Faye Hanson
    5

  • Danny McGee Drinks the Sea
    Andy Stanton
    4

  • Odd Dog Out
    Rob Biddulph
    4

  • The Road Home
    Katie Cotton
    4

  • The Building Boy
    Ross Montgomery
    4

  • The Great Big Body Book
    Mary Hoffman
    4

  • The Dragon’s Hoard
    Lari Don
    4

  • Where is the Bear?
    Camilla De La Bedoyere
    4

  • Ada Twist, Scientist
    Andrea Beaty
    4

  • Ossiri and the Bala Mengro
    Richard O’Neill
    Katharine Quarmby
    4

  • Leafy the Pet Leaf
    Philip Ardagh
    4

  • A Jar of Pickles and a Pinch of Justice
    Chitra Soundar
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Dinosaurs and Dinner Ladies
    John Dougherty
    5

  • The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
    Megan Shepherd
    5

  • They didn't teach THIS in worm school!
    Simone Lia
    5

  • The Road to Ever After
    Moira Young
    4

  • Spellchasers: The Beginner’s Guide to Curses
    Lari Don
    4

  • Martin Brown’s Lesser-Spotted Animals
    Martin Brown
    4

  • Adder, Bluebell, Lobster, Wild Poems
    Chrissie Gittins
    4

  • Podkin One Ear
    Kieran Larwood
    4

  • The Dragon’s Hoard
    Lari Don
    4

  • Finding Black Beauty
    Lou Kuenzler
    4

  • The Ministry of SUITs
    Paul Gamble
    4

Ages 10-14

  • The Secret of Nightingale Wood
    Lucy Strange
    5

  • Master Will and the Spanish Spy
    Tony Bradman
    5

  • Clover Moon
    Jacqueline Wilson
    5

  • There May Be a Castle
    Piers Torday
    4

  • The Road to Ever After
    Moira Young
    4

  • The Call
    Peadar O’ Guilin
    4

  • The Hypnotist
    Laurence Anholt
    4

  • The Ministry of SUITs
    Paul Gamble
    4

  • Scrambled
    Huw Davies
    3

  • A Message to the Sea
    Alex Shearer
    3

Ages 14+

  • Alpha
    Bessora
    5

  • Every Falling Star
    Sungju Lee
    Susan McClelland
    5

  • The Call
    Peadar O’ Guilin
    4

  • Holding Up the Universe
    Jennifer Niven
    4

  • Unboxed
    Non Pratt
    4

  • The Deviants
    C J Skuse
    4

  • Tales of the Peculiar
    Ransom Riggs
    4

  • I’ll Be Home for Christmas
    Various Authors
    4

Books About Children's Books

  • Children's Literature (Readers' Guide to Essential Criticism)
    Pat Pinsent
    2

BfK News

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...
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.

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