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Books for Keeps 211 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 211 - March 2015
BfK 211 March 2015

COVER STORY
This issue’s cover illustration is from Creaturepedia by Adrienne Barman. Thanks to Wide Eyed Editions for their help with this cover.

Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 211 March 2015 .

BfK No. 211 Articles

Editorial 211

by Ferelith Hordon
Jolly Good Company

Nicholas Tucker on the new edition of the Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature
Turning The Twits into Theatre

Geraldine Brennan talks to playwright Enda Walsh
Windows into Illustration: Rob Biddulph

Rob Biddulph on creating Blown Away
Ten of the Best Heirs of Philip Pullman

Chosen by Suzi Feay
Authorgraph 211: Holly Webb

Holly Webb interviewed by Caroline Sanderson
The 2015 Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist

The 2015 shortlist appraised by Joanna Carey
Literary Archeaology

Amanda Mitchison describes writing a caveboy
Family Stories and the First World War

by Tony Bradman
I Wish I’d Written by Sally Nicholls

Sally Nicholls falls in love with Saffy's Angel
Good Reads chosen by pupils at Kingston Grammar School

Good Reads chosen by pupils at Kingston Grammar School, Kingston upon Thames
Briefing 211

Elizabeth Laird introduces The Ethiopian Story Collecting Project
Two Children Tell: The Unicorn, the Red King and Rebecca

Virginia Lowe observes her daughter’s relationship with Alice
Introducing Wide Eyed Editions

Margaret Mallett
AN INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN STROUD

Jonathan Stroud on writing seriously scary fiction, and his new Freedom To Think campaign
Classics in Short No.110 Varying tunes for the Pied Piper of Hamelin

Robert Browning's poem examined.
Andrew Smith Q&A interview

The author of Grasshopper Jungle talks about his new book The Alex Crow
AN INTERVIEW WITH JACK GANTOS

The award-winning US author interviewed by Geraldine Brennan

Editor's Choice

The Astounding Broccoli Boy
Frank Cottrell Boyce
(Macmillan Children's Books)
5

The editor probably wouldn’t allow it, but I was tempted to jot down all fifty chapter titles in sequence and leave it at that. You’d have picked up the narrative, the characters, the author’s voice, the inventive comedy, the references to Super-...

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New Talent

The Dreamsnatcher
Abi Elphinstone
(Simon & Schuster Ltd)
4

The Dreamsnatcher is the first in a series by debut author, Abi Elphinstone. Molly Pecksniff lives in a wagon in a forest clearing having been taken in by gypsies who found her abandoned as a toddler. Moll’s clearly rather unusual: she’s...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 211

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

Under 5s

  • Lulu Loves Flowers
    Anna McQuinn
    5

  • The Hog, the Shrew and the Hullabaloo
    Julia Copus
    5

  • Please Mr Panda
    Steve Antony
    5

  • How Many Legs?
    Kes Gray
    5

  • Daisy’s Big Dig
    Angie Morgan
    5

  • The Bus is for Us
    Michael Rosen
    4

  • The Girl with the Parrot on her Head
    Daisy Hirst
    4

  • Mighty Small
    Timothy Knapman
    4

  • Oliver and Patch
    Claire Freedman
    4

  • The Great Cheese Robbery
    Tim Warnes
    4

Ages 5-8

  • Space Dog
    Mini Grey
    5

  • The Great Big Green Book
    Mary Hoffman
    4

  • Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
    Sean Taylor
    4

  • Never Tickle a Tiger
    Pamela Butchart
    4

  • Beasts of Olympus:Beast Keeper
    Lucy Coats
    3

  • The Story Machine
    Tom McLaughlin
    3

  • Tom’s Sunflower
    Hilary Robinson
    3

  • Apocalypse Bow Wow
    James Proimos
    3

  • The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie
    Chris Van Allsburg
    3

Ages 8-10

  • The White Umbrella
    Brian Sewell
    5

  • Battle Bunny
    Jon Scieszka
    5

  • Darkmouth
    Shane Hegarty
    5

  • The Little Book of Garden Bird Songs
    Andrea Pinnington
    Caz Buckingham
    5

  • Wall
    Tom Clohosy Cole
    5

  • Diamonds and Daggers
    Elen Caldecott
    4

  • Squirrel Boy Vs the Bogeyman
    Dave Lowe
    4

  • The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
    Julie Berry
    4

  • The Nowhere Emporium
    Ross MacKenzie
    4

  • A Whisper of Wolves
    Kris Humphrey
    4

  • Granny
    Anthony Horowitz
    4

  • House of Robots
    James Patterson
    Chris Grabenstein
    4

  • A Home for Shimmer
    Cathy Hopkins
    3

Ages 10-14

  • Far From Home: The sisters of Street Child
    Berlie Doherty
    5

  • Jessica's Ghost
    Andrew Norriss
    5

  • The Astounding Broccoli Boy
    Frank Cottrell Boyce
    5

  • Darkmouth
    Shane Hegarty
    5

  • The Honest Truth
    Dan Gemeinhart
    5

  • If You Were Me
    Sam Hepburn
    5

  • Cage of Roots
    Matt Griffin
    4

  • Behind the Walls
    Nicola Pierce
    4

  • The Dreamsnatcher
    Abi Elphinstone
    4

  • The Door in the Moon
    Catherine Fisher
    4

  • Scarlet and Ivy: the Lost Twin
    Sophie Cleverly
    4

  • Catherine Certitude
    Patrick Modiano
    4

  • Would the real Stanley Carrot please stand up?
    Rob Stevens
    4

  • Looking-Glass Girl
    Cathy Cassidy
    3

Ages 14+

  • Jessica's Ghost
    Andrew Norriss
    5

  • Black Dove, White Raven
    Elizabeth Wein
    5

  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
    e. lockhart
    5

  • Diamond Boy
    Michael Williams
    5

  • The Alex Crow
    Andrew Smith
    5

  • The Whale that Fell in Love with a Submarine
    5

  • Still Falling
    Sheena Wilkinson
    5

  • Vendetta (Blood for Blood)
    Catherine Doyle
    4

  • Behind the Walls
    Nicola Pierce
    4

  • Me and Mr J
    Rachel McIntyre
    4

  • Can’t Look Away
    Donna Cooner
    4

Books About Children's Books

  • Ladybird; a cover story
    1

BfK News

NATASHA FARRANT WINS 2020 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Natasha Farrant

Writer and literary scout Natasha Farrant has won the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award for Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, a book which the judges described as ‘pure heavenly escapism and a purely joyful read.’

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ROBIN WALKER WINS THE 2020 ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD FOR BLACK HISTORY MATTERS

The winner of the 2020 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award is Black History Matters: The Story of Black History, From African Kingdoms to Black Lives Matter. Written by acclaimed Black historian, Robin Walker, the 2020 judges praised this accessible, comprehensive and inspiring book which provides a timely introduction both to Black history and the Black Lives Matter movement.

read more...
IBBY UK nominate Marcus Sedgwick and David McKee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2022

IBBY UK has announced that Marcus Sedgwick and David McKee will be the UK nominations for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

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SHORTLIST FOR THE COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2020

Debut authors Darren Charlton and Jenny Pearson join Natasha Farrant and Meg Rosoff on the shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award.

The shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award has been announced. No less than 146 books were submitted and from those the judges have chosen a shortlist of four. They are:

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (Little Tiger)

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BOOKTRUST’S REPRESENTS INTERIM RESEARCH & CLPE REFLECTING REALITIES SURVEY 2020

CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020

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SHORTLIST FOR THE 2021 BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS REVEALED

The six books shortlisted for the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards have been announced.

Blue Peter Book Award logo

read more...
Happy National Non-Fiction November 2020

It’s National Non-Fiction November! Organised by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, National Non-Fiction November is an annual celebration of the power of non-fiction to inspire children and celebrate readers who have a passion for information and facts. 2020 is the 10th anniversary of National Non-Fiction November.

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JANE PORTER AND MAISIE PARADISE SHEARRING 2020 LITTLE REBELS AWARD WINNERS

Jane Porter and Maisie Paradise Shearring have won the 2020 Little Rebels Award for their picture book The Boy who Loved Everyone. They will share the £2000 prize.

Little Rebels logo 2020

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OU AND MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S BOOKS LAUNCH BOOK CHAT SCHEME

The Open University (OU) is launching Book Chat: Reading with your Child, a resource which comprises three short films and support materials to help parents, families and carers read books conversationally and creatively to children. Working with Macmillan Children’s Books, the films use a selection of their picture books and a poetry collection to support families with reading to different ages of children.

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TOM PALMER WINS THE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2020

Tom Palmer

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