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Books for Keeps 119 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 119 - November 1999

Cover Story
This issue's cover is from Patrick Benson's new picture book, The Sea-Thing Child by Russell Hoban. Patrick Benson is interviewed by Joanna Carey. Thanks to Walker Books for their help in producing this November cover.

BfK No. 119 Articles

Editorial - November 1999

News and comment from the Editor.
Books for a Real Christmas

Stephanie Nettell recommends books for giving.
Authorgraph No.119: Patrick Benson

Patrick Benson interviewed by Joanna Carey.
The Children’s Books of the Century

Rosemary Stones on the most important writers, artists, poets and books of the century chosen by BfK's readership.
Fin de Sièclism

Brian Alderson on children's books at the turns of the 18th and 19th centuries.
BfK Briefing - November 1999

News * Awards * Prediction Chart * Events * Obituary * Letters to the Editor
I Wish I’d Written... Josephine and Pobble and Mimi and Apricot Max

Jean Ure chooses Adèle Geras’s Josephine and Pobble and Mimi and Apricot Max.
Classics in Short No.18: Struwwelpeter

Brian Alderson on Heinrich Hoffman's Struwwelpeter.

Editor's Choice

Hair in Funny Places
Babette Cole
(Jonathan Cape)
5

The workings of the pituitary gland have seldom had such a wittily upfront version of their activities presented to young readers as in this entertaining picture book. Narrator Ted (a large teddy bear) explains to his (female) owner how her...

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New Talent

Songquest
Katherine Roberts
(Thorsons)
4

Rialle is top of the class at school and school, as in the Harry Potter books, is not of the usual kind. Rialle is being trained to be a singer, one who can use the Songs of Power which control emotion and memory, to proper...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 119

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

Under 5s

  • My First ABC Book
    Jane Bunting
    4

  • Little Frog
    Christopher Gunson
    4

  • Big Brother, Little Brother
    Penny Dale
    4

  • God's Quiet Things
    Nancy Sweetland
    4

  • Simply Delicious!
    Margaret Mahy
    4

  • Old Hushwing
    Alan Brown
    4

  • Mr Wolf's Pancakes
    Jan Fearnley
    4

  • The Hollyhock Wall
    Martin Waddell
    4

  • Where is Maisy?; Where is Maisy's Panda?
    Lucy Cousins
    3

  • Well Done, Little Bear
    Martin Waddell
    3

  • Mr Bear's New Baby
    Debi Gliori
    3

  • Geraldine's Baby Brother
    Holly Keller
    3

  • Peek-a-Moo!
    Marie Torres Cimarusti
    3

  • Coming to Tea; Going Swimming; Going to Playschool; Doing the Garden
    Sarah Garland
    3

  • Sally's Fantastic Counting Book
    Paul Dowling
    3

  • Mine!
    Hiawyn Oram
    3

  • "Just One More Story"
    Dugald Steer
    3

  • The School Trip
    Nick Butterworth
    Mick Inkpen
    3

  • Sports Day
    Nick Butterworth
    Mick Inkpen
    3

  • Don't Dawdle Dorothy!
    Margrit Cruickshank
    3

  • Touch and Feel Puppy
    2

  • Runaway Rabbit
    Ron Maris
    2

  • The Clothes Book
    2

  • Reading is Fun with Dr Seuss
    2

  • One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish; The Lorax
    Dr Seuss
    1

Ages 5-8

  • Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn't): A Book of Poems and Pictures for Globetrotters
    Colin McNaughton
    5

  • Clockwise: A first look at time; The Case of the Missing Caterpillar: A first look at the life cycle of a butterfly; The Earth is Like a Roundabout: A first look at night and day
    Sam Godwin
    4

  • The Flight of the Snow Goose
    Deborah King
    4

  • In the Street; In the Home
    Kath Cox
    Pat Hughes
    4

  • My Granny's Great Escape
    Jeremy Strong
    4

  • Roald Dahl
    Emma Fischel
    3

  • Royal Blunder; Royal Blunder and the Haunted House
    Henrietta Branford
    3

  • Harry the Poisonous Centipede
    Lynne Reid Banks
    3

  • Roll Over Roly
    Anne Fine
    3

  • Bessemer
    Michael Ponsford
    3

  • Noah's Ark
    Mary Auld
    3

  • Dogblaster; The Queen's Birthday Hat
    Andrew Martyr
    Paula Martyr
    3

  • Mummy, Mummy, Where Are You?; Pay Up, Or Else!
    Ann De Bode
    Rien Broere
    3

  • Dancing Maddy
    Clare Jarrett
    3

  • The Wonky Donkey
    Jonathan Long
    Korky Paul
    3

  • Maya, Tiger Cub
    Theresa Radcliffe
    3

  • Artists; Writers
    Jillian Powell
    2

  • The Magnificent I Can Read Music Book
    Kate Petty
    Jennie Maizels
    2

  • The Firework Maker's Daughter
    Philip Pullman
    2

  • Fairy Tales From Far and Wide
    Fiona Waters
    2

  • Supermum
    Mick Manning
    1

  • The Witch of Blackberry Bottom
    Dick King-Smith
    1

  • Delilah Alone
    Jenny Nimmo
    1

Ages 8-10

  • Rainforest; The Wayland Atlas of Rainforests
    Kathryn Senior
    5

  • The Little Ships
    Louise Bordern
    5

  • Hair in Funny Places
    Babette Cole
    5

  • The Aztecs
    Peter Chrisp
    4

  • Two Weeks with the Queen
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • Elidor
    Alan Garner
    4

  • My Second-Best Friend
    Geraldine Kaye
    4

  • Home and School; Sport and Leisure; Travel and Transport; Work and Industry
    Neil Morris
    3

  • William and the Wolves
    Kathryn Cave
    3

  • Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out
    Nick Park
    3

  • 3D Rocks and Minerals
    Cally Oldershaw
    3

  • Invisible!
    Robert Swindells
    3

  • Fitzwizo and the Good Ghost Guide
    Linda Pitt
    3

  • The Girl Who Went to the Underworld and The Girl Who Loved Food
    3

  • MacPelican's American Adventure; The Stone in the Sword
    Scoular Anderson
    3

  • What I Believe
    Alan Brown
    Andrew Langley
    2

  • We Come from South Africa
    Alison Brownlie
    2

  • Exploring Ancient Greece
    John Malam
    2

  • P.S. Longer Letter Later
    Paula Danziger
    Anne M Martin
    1

Ages 10-14

  • Tell Me No Lies
    Malorie Blackman
    4

  • Fields of Home
    Marita Conlon-McKenna
    4

  • Bumface
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • Gift of the Gab
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • The Moon King
    Siobhan Parkinson
    4

  • The School From Hell
    Yvonne Coppard
    4

  • Songquest
    Katherine Roberts
    4

  • The Eclipse of the Century
    Jan Mark
    4

  • Time; Weather
    Dr Mike Goldsmith
    3

  • Turning to Stone
    John Brindley
    3

  • Just in Time: Stories to Mark the Millennium
    3

  • The Brontes; Charles Dickens
    David Orme
    3

  • Buried Fire
    Jonathan Stroud
    3

  • Safe Harbour
    Marita Conlon-McKenna
    3

  • Ragga to Riches; The Big Diss
    Yinka Adebayo
    3

  • Fugitive
    Catherine MacPhail
    3

  • Missing
    Theresa Breslin
    3

  • The Thing that Came from Jason's Nose!; Animal Avengers
    Tony Bradman
    2

  • How to … Build a Rocket; How to … Build a Time Machine; How to … Split the Atom
    Hazel Richardson
    1

Ages 14+

  • The Guns of Easter; A Winter of Spies
    Gerard Whelan
    4

  • Stones in Water
    Donna Jo Napoli
    4

  • Censorship: Changing Attitudes 1900-2000; Poverty: Changing Attitudes 1900-2000
    Scarlett McGwire
    4

  • Leonardo
    Andrew Langley
    4

  • Virtual Sexual Reality
    Chloë Rayban
    3

  • Does Anyone Round Here Ever Listen?
    Rosie Rushton
    3

BfK News

ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS’ GREAT ADVENTURERS WINS THE 2019 EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD

The winner of the 2019 Educational Writers’ Award is Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventurers: The Incredible Expeditions of 20 Explorers (Big Picture Press).

Alastair Humphreys Great Adventures

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BLACKMAN AND DOWNHAM ON SHORTLIST FOR 2019 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award, which was announced today, 26th November 2020. Alongside them on the list are newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing, both of whom are published by Chicken House.

The 2019 Costa Children’s Award shortlist

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2019 ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD SHORTLIST

Shortlist announced for the UK’s only award for creative educational writing

The Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing& Collecting Society have announced the shortlist for the 2019 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for educational writing which stimulates and enhances the learning experience.

read more...
‘INSPIRING’: CONTENDERS FOR THE 2020 BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS REVEALED

Blue Peter Book Award logo

Six books have made it onto the shortlists for the 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards. There are two categories: Best Story, and – in non-fiction November – Best Book with Facts.

read more...
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2020 CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

And we’re off… the nominations for the 2020 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, Monday 4th November.

read more...
2020 UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE LONGLISTS

UKLA Awards

A record number of submissions and a new category to highlight information books marks the 12th longlists for the UKLA Awards, the only national awards judged by active classroom teachers.

read more...
JESSICA LOVE NAMED WINNER OF THE KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE 2019 FOR JULIAN IS A MERMAID

Jessica Love

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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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