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Books for Keeps 178 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 178 - September 2009

Cover Story

This issue’s cover illustration by Tony Ross is from Big Bad Bun by Jeanne Willis. Tony Ross writes about his illustration here. Thanks to Andersen Press for their help with this September cover.

BfK No. 178 Articles

Editorial – September 2009

News and comment from the Editor.
Morris Gleitzman: writing about the Holocaust for children

Julia Eccleshare interviews Morris Gleitzman about his new novel, Then.
Windows into Illustration: Tony Ross

Tony Ross explains how he went about illustrating Big Bad Bun.
Why Don’t All Schools Have a Literary Events Co-ordinator? Or Lucy Shepherd’s Lonely Job Club Stand

Lucy Shepherd puts the case.
Ten of the Best Books for Children about France

Rosemary Stones chooses ten outstanding titles.
Authorgraph No.178: Andy Stanton

Andy Stanton interviewed by Clive Barnes.
BfK Briefing – September 2009

News * Awards * Letter to the Editor * Obituary
Hal’s Reading Diary – September 2009

Roger Mills finds an exciting plot helps.
I Wish I’d Written… Eloise

Cressida Cowell chooses Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight’s Eloise.
Good Reads: High School for Girls, Gloucester

Reviews from pupils of The High School for Girls, Gloucester.
Classics in Short No.77: The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O

Brian Alderson on James Thurber’s The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O.

Editor's Choice

One True Bear
Ted Dewan
(Orchard Books)
5

Reporting for duty didn’t do Democrat Presidential candidate John Kerry much good but teddy bear Darcy Brewster has better luck when he volunteers for a dangerous mission – to become the One True Bear of a troubled little boy, Damian, who has...

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New Talent

How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant
Elen Caldecott
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
3

When Kirsty’s grandad is dying, he asks her to look after his allotment and she promises she will. Easier said than done however, as the allotment is rented from the council. Kirsty needs help to persuade the council’s Mr Thomas to allow her to...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 178

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

Under 5s

  • The Littlest Dinosaur’s Big Adventure
    Michael Foreman
    5

  • Duck
    Janet H Holmes
    4

  • Elmer’s Special Day
    David McKee
    4

  • Oliver Who Was Small But Mighty
    Mara Bergman
    4

  • Mimi and Moochie Go Shopping
    Margaret Chamberlain
    4

  • Crocodiles are the Best Animals of All!
    Sean Taylor
    4

  • How High is the Sky?
    Anna Milbourne
    4

  • Captain Small Pig
    Martin Waddell
    3

  • Go Hare and Tortoise Go! ¦ Run Little Chicken Run!
    Elena Pasquali
    2

Ages 5-8

  • The Princess' Blankets
    Carol Ann Duffy
    5

  • Millie's Marvellous Hat
    Satoshi Kitamura
    5

  • It's a Secret
    John Burningham
    5

  • One True Bear
    Ted Dewan
    5

  • Big Noisy Book of Dinosaurs
    5

  • My First Nursery Book
    Franciszka Themerson
    4

  • Handsome Hog
    Mwenye Hadithi
    4

  • Inventions: Pop-up models from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
    Leonardo da Vinci
    4

  • Doctor Doctor
    Mick Manning
    Brita Granström
    4

  • Brother William's Year: A Monk at Westminster Abbey
    Jan Pancheri
    4

  • Victoria Goes to Brazil
    Maria De Fatima Campos
    4

  • B is for Bangladesh
    Urmi Rahman
    3

  • Jake - a Friend Indeed ¦ Jake in Danger
    Annette Butterworth
    3

  • Cat Tales - Shop Cat
    Linda Newbery
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Planet Patrol
    Mick Manning
    Brita Granström
    5

  • The Ogress and the Snake and other stories from Somalia
    4

  • Mathmagicians
    Johnny Ball
    4

  • Explaining Down’s Syndrome
    Angela Royston
    4

  • Who Am I? The Family Tree Explorer
    Anthony Adolph
    4

  • The Slant Book
    Peter Newell
    3

  • Granny Ting Ting ¦ Ever Clever Eva ¦ Bamba Beach
    Patrice Lawrence
    3

  • On the March: Bridgewood High FC
    Dave Spurdens
    3

  • Out of Control, Ms Wiz
    Terence Blacker
    3

  • The Pirates’ Treasure
    Emily Bearn
    3

  • The Mummy Snatcher of Memphis
    Natasha Narayan
    3

  • Member of Parliament
    Rebecca Hunter
    3

  • How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant
    Elen Caldecott
    3

  • Shadow Goblins
    David Melling
    2

Ages 10-14

  • The Eyeball Collector
    F E Higgins
    5

  • The Silver Blade
    Sally Gardner
    5

  • The Witching Hour
    Elizabeth Laird
    5

  • Breathing Underwater
    Julia Green
    4

  • Revolver
    Marcus Sedgwick
    4

  • Pig City
    Louis Sachar
    4

  • Bang, Bang, You’re Dead!
    Narinder Dhami
    4

  • Threads
    Sophia Bennett
    4

  • Wishing for Tomorrow
    Hilary McKay
    4

  • Wolf Cry
    Julia Golding
    4

  • Heriot
    Margaret Mahy
    4

  • The Time Book
    Martin Jenkins
    4

  • Animals up Close
    Igor Siwanowicz
    4

  • Revenge!
    John Pilkington
    3

  • The Missing, Book One: Found
    Margaret Peterson Haddix
    3

  • The Doomsday Machine
    Catherine Webb
    3

  • The Agency: A Spy in the House
    Y S Lee
    3

  • Pocket Timeline of Islamic Civilizations
    Nicholas Badcott
    3

  • Payback
    Rosemary Hayes
    2

  • Out of the Blue
    Val Rutt
    2

  • Beautiful Dead, Book 1: Jonas
    Eden Maguire
    2

  • Climate Change ¦ Climate Change
    Richard Spilsbury
    2

Ages 14+

  • Lifegame
    Alison Allen-Gray
    5

  • City of Ghosts
    Bali Rai
    5

  • Tender Morsels
    Margo Lanagan
    5

  • Slavery: real people and their stories of enslavement
    Reg Grant
    5

  • Skim
    Mariko Tamaki
    4

  • Saving Rafael
    Leslie Wilson
    4

  • Mine
    Joanna Kenrick
    3

  • Sprout
    Dale Peck
    3

  • Thirteen Reasons Why
    Jay Asher
    2

  • I Am Not a Serial Killer
    Dan Wells
    1

Books About Children's Books

  • Book Power: Literacy through Literature, Year 1
    Jane Bunting
    5

  • Juicy Writing: inspiration and techniques for young writers
    Brigid Lowry
    4

  • Enchanted Hunters: the power of stories in childhood
    Maria Tatar
    2

BfK News

LOLLIES 2020 SHORTLIST THE YEAR’S FUNNIEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies), the awards that celebrate the funniest children’s books.

Lollies logo

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HOOD, RUNDELL AND REYNOLDS UKLA BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2019

Morag Hood, Katherine Rundell and Jason Reynolds have been announced as the winners of the UKLA Book Awards 2019 for I Am Bat, The Explorer and Long Way Down respectively.

read more...
CATHERINE JOHNSON WINS LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) is delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Radical Fiction is Catherine Johnson for her book, Freedom (Scholastic 2018).

Catherine Johnsonn photo Andy Donohoe

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CRESSIDA COWELL ANNOUNCED AS NEW WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S LAUREATE

‘Books are transformative because of their unique ability to develop three key magical powers: intelligence, creativity and, most important of all, empathy. Words are power; let’s take magic seriously.’ Cressida Cowell, Waterstones Children’s Laureate

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STEVEN CAMDEN WINS CLiPPA 2019

Steven Camden photo by Ellie Kurttz

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MUHAMMAD KHAN WINS 20TH BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

The winner of the 2019 Branford Boase Award for outstanding debut novel for children is Muhammad Khan for his YA novel I Am Thunder. Set up in memory of author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase who both died in 1999, the award also recognizes his editor Lucy Pearse of Macmillan Children’s Books.

read more...
SLA School Librarian of the Year 2019 Announced

Ros Harding School Librarian of the Year

Ros Harding of The King’s School Chester has been awarded the honour of the School Librarian of the Year 2019. 2019 YA Book Prize winner Sara Barnard presented Ros Harding with her award at a special ceremony at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London Kensington on 27 June.

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The Children's Book Award 2019

Earlier this month, Arree Chung was named overall winner of The Children’s Book Award 2019. His book Mixed, which he wrote and illustrated, also won the Books for Younger Children category before going on to win the overall prize.

read more...
WINNERS OF THE 2019 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

The winners of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced at a ceremony at The British Library, hosted by broadcaster and writer Konnie Huq.

read more...
BRANFORD BOASE AWARD SHORTLIST 2019

The children’s authors to watch: shortlist for the 2019 Branford Boase Award announced

Branford Boase Award shortlist 2019

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