Books for Keeps 225 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

Can't see the preview?
Click here!

How to print the digital edition of Books for Keeps: click on this PDF file link - click on the printer icon in the top right of the screen to print.

BfK Newsletter

Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!

BfK No. 225 - July 2017

This issue’s cover illustration is from Poppy and the Blooms by Fiona Woodcock. Thanks to Simon and Schuster 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 225 July 2017 .

BfK No. 225 Articles

Editorial 225

Guest editorial: Chris Riddell reflects on his time as Children’s Laureate

Hopeful Activism … because what we DO as well as what we say matters

A piece of passion from Sita Brahmachari

Hip Hip Hooray for Harry

Imogen Russell Williams considers Harry Potter at twenty.

Windows into Illustration: Guy Parker-Rees

Guy Parker-Rees on drawing Dylan

Authorgraph 225 Chris Priestley

Chris Priestley interviewed by Philip Womack

Ten of the Best Audiobooks for Children

Summer listening chosen by Nicolette Jones

‘The pictures are better’: audio books explained

Thoughts from Nicholas Jones of Strathmore about what an audio producer does.

The Art of Submitting for BIB

Piet Grobler on the art of submitting for BIB, the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava 2107

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID MACKINTOSH

David Mackintosh interviewed by Robyn Sheahan-Bright

Making Room for Children, Swedish-style

Ferelith Hordon explores a new Southbank library

An Interview with Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman interviewed by Nicholas Tucker

Ron Heapy – An Appreciation

David Fickling remembers the great children’s editor Ron Heapy

Two Children and Dick Bruna: a Tribute

Two Children Tell: a tribute to Dick Bruna

I Wish I’d Written: Liz Flanagan

Liz Flanagan chooses

Good Reads 225

chosen by pupils at Worth School, West Sussex

Classics in Short No. 124:The King of the Golden River

Classics in Short No. 124 Climate Change by courtesy of John Ruskin and The King of the Golden River

JACQUELINE WILSON AT THE FOUNDLING MUSEUM

Rebecca Butler talks to Jacqueline Wilson about the new Hetty Feather exibition at the Foundling Museum.

THE EXPLORER: AN INTERVIEW WITH KATHERINE RUNDELL

Imogen Russell Williams interviews Katherine Rundell about her new book The Explorer.

AN INTERVIEW WITH E. LOCKHART

The author of We Were Liars talks about her new book.

AN INTERVIEW WITH A. F. HARROLD

An interview with the author of The Imaginary and the Fizzlebert Stump books.

Editor's Choice

The Pond

Nicola Davies

(Graffeg Limited)

How to deal with death and grief? This is the theme of Nicola Davies’ latest book. There is nothing mawkish or sentimental. The young narrator does not hide the anger that grief can bring, both in young and old. The death of the father leaves a...

Moon Juice

Kate Wakeling

(The Emma Press)

A collection of poems by a new voice writing for children is an event to be celebrated. Moon Juice by the poet, Kate Wakeling is just such an event. However, these are not poems created to grab the attention with the quick laugh...

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

Under 5s

Say Zoop

Hervé Tulley

5
Never Take a Bear to School

Mark Sperring

4
My Daddy is a Silly Monkey

Dianne Hofmeyr

4
The Bad Bunnies’ Magic Show

Mini Grey

4
Poppy and the Blooms

Fiona Woodcock

4
Monster Baby

Sarah Dyer

3

Ages 5-8

My Name is Not Refugee

Kate Milner

5
Storm Whale

Sarah Brennan

5
Everybody’s Welcome

Patricia Hegarty

5
Six Blind Mice and an Elephant

Jude Daly

5
Big Brown Bear’s Cave

Yuval Zommer

5
The Bad Bunnies’ Magic Show

Mini Grey

4
The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors

Drew Daywalt

4
Dino Diggers, Digger Disaster

Rose Impey

4
Norman the Norman from Normandy

Philip Ardagh

3

Ages 8-10

The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker

Matilda Woods

5
Moon Juice

Kate Wakeling

5
The Pond

Nicola Davies

5
The Last Duchess

Laura Powell

4
Travels with My Sketchbook

Michael Foreman

4
The City of Secret Rivers

Jacob Sager Weinstein

4
The Earth Book

Jonathan Litton

4
King of the Sky

Nicola Davies

4
You Can’t Make Me Go to Witch School

Em Lynas

4
Knighthood for Beginners

Elys Dolan

3
Help! I’m a Genius

Jo Franklin

3
The Amber Pendant

Imogen White

3

Ages 10-14

Moon Juice

Kate Wakeling

5
Walking Mountain

Joan Lennon

5
The Incredible Billy Wild

Joanna Nadin

5
The Evil Within

Catherine MacPhail

5
Rook Anthony McGowan

Anthony McGowan

4
The Last Duchess

Laura Powell

4
Being Miss Nobody

Tamsin Winter

4
Letters From the Lighthouse

Emma Carroll

4
Never Say Die

Anthony Horowitz

4
Defender of the Realm

Mark Huckerby

4
The Guggenheim Mystery

Robin Stevens
Siobhan Dowd

3

Ages 14+

Like Other Girls

Claire Hennessy

5
Encounters

Jason Wallace

5
A Berlin Love Song

Sarah Matthias

5
No Filter

Orlagh Collins

4
Forgetting Foster

Dianne Touchell

4
Goodnight, Boy

Nikki Sheehan

4

BfK News

SHORTLISTS FOR 2019 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

The shortlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced. Selected by volunteer Youth Librarians from longlists of 20 books per medal, there are eight on each shortlist.

Alongside previously shortlisted authors and illustrators, there are newcomers on each shortlist, and as the poetry boom for young readers continues, three verse novels make the Carnegie shortlist by US authors Elizabeth Acevedo, Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds.

The 2019 shortlists are as follows:

BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2019

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Raúf and The Colours of History by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Marc-Etienne Peintre, have been revealed as the 2019 Blue Peter Book Award winners.

The longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced. Members of YLG have selected 20 books for each list from no less than 254 nominations.

Funny Women win the Lollies!

Lollies winners 2019

Elys Dolan, Emer Stamp and Tom Gates creator Liz Pichon have been named the winners of the 2019 Laugh Out Loud Awards, or Lollies.

Hilary McKay has won the Costa Children’s Book Award for the second time for The Skylarks’ War, a story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the backdrop of World War One. The judges described The Skylarks’ War as ‘as perfect a novel as you could ever want to read’. She receives £5,000 and her book is now eligible for the ultimate prize - the 2018 Costa Book of the Year.

The winner of the 2018 Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s sole award for creative educational writing, is Far From Home: Refugees and Migrants Fleeing War, Persecution and Poverty by Cath Senker, a topical and richly illustrated book which sensitively examines the root causes of mass migrations of people in the 21^st century.

Cath Senker wins EWA 2018

Canvases, Codes, Clean Water & Empathy

Costa have announced the shortlist for the 2018 Costa Children’s Book Award. In a record year for submissions, four novels have made it onto a strong shortlist.

Award-winning YA author Patrice Lawrence and Books for Keeps contributor Darren Chetty have been named as judges of the 2019 Little Rebels Award. The Little Rebels Award celebrates children’s books for readers age 0-12 which promote social equality and social justice.

The shortlists have been announced for the 2019 Blue Peter Book Awards. They are:

Best book with facts

The Element in the Room by Mike Barfield and illustrated by Lauren Humphry, Laurence King Publishing

The Colours of History by Clive Gifford and Marc-Etienne Peintre, QED Publishing

Professor Astro Cat's Human Body Odyssey by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman, Flying Eye Books

Books for Keeps 225 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 225 Articles

Editor's Choice

The Pond

New Talent

Moon Juice

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 225

Under 5s

Say Zoop

Never Take a Bear to School

My Daddy is a Silly Monkey

The Bad Bunnies’ Magic Show

Poppy and the Blooms

Monster Baby

Ages 5-8

My Name is Not Refugee

Storm Whale

Everybody’s Welcome

Six Blind Mice and an Elephant

Big Brown Bear’s Cave

The Bad Bunnies’ Magic Show

The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors

Dino Diggers, Digger Disaster

Norman the Norman from Normandy

Ages 8-10

The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker

Moon Juice

The Pond

The Last Duchess

Travels with My Sketchbook

The City of Secret Rivers

The Earth Book

King of the Sky

You Can’t Make Me Go to Witch School

Knighthood for Beginners

Help! I’m a Genius

The Amber Pendant

Ages 10-14

Moon Juice

Walking Mountain

The Incredible Billy Wild

The Evil Within

Rook Anthony McGowan

The Last Duchess

Being Miss Nobody

Letters From the Lighthouse

Never Say Die

Defender of the Realm

The Guggenheim Mystery

Ages 14+

Like Other Girls

Encounters

A Berlin Love Song

No Filter

Forgetting Foster

Goodnight, Boy

BfK News