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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

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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