Books for Keeps 213 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 213 - July 2015

COVER STORY
This issue’s cover illustration is from Crowns and Codebreakers (The Marsh Road Mysteries) by Elen Caldecott. The illustration is by Nathan Reed. Thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books 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 213 July 2015.

BfK No. 213 Articles

Editorial 213

Comment from the editor

Life's Too Short

Life’s Too Short for long books says Barrington Stoke MD Mairi Kidd

Ten of the Best:books about other places

Daniel Hahn selects books to take you ‘elsewhere’ this summer.

AN INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS SACHAR

Graham Marks to the bestselling author about his new book Fuzzy Mud.

Windows into Illustration: William Grill

The Kate Greenaway Medal Winner says illustration is all about communication

Brenda, Books and Full-Frontal Publishing

Queen of Teen Brenda Gardner of Piccadilly Press looks back over 30 years of publishing for children

Drawing with words, writing with pictures: children who make comics

Get children hooked on drawing through cartoons says Hannah Sackett

Authorgraph 213 Elen Caldecott

Elen Caldecott interviewed by Amanda Mitchison

Happy Birthday, Little Island!

Ireland’s first Children’s Laureate Siobhan Parkinson on creating her children’s list Little Island

CLiPPA Poetry Award 2015

The 2015 CLPE Poetry Award by Roger McGough

I wish I’d written: Guy Bass

Guy Bass chooses

Good Reads 213

Good Reads chosen by pupils at Manor High School, Oadby, Leicester

Book Events for Children – This Summer’s Highlights

This summer’s best events for children chosen by Clare Burkhill-Howarth of Book Events for Children

Two Children Tell: The Wiz-a-Woz and Nicholas

The real and the pretend in stories.

INFECTING TEACHERS WITH THE READING BUG!

Joy Court praises the UKLA (United Kingdom Literacy Association) Book Awards

Classics in Short No. 112

The Old Woman who found ... what?

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE: AN INTERVIEW WITH CARINA AXELSSON

An interview with the author of the Model Under Cover series.

LAUREN CHILD RETROSPECTIVE: MOTTISFONT HOUSE

Clive Barnes visits the first retrospective exhibition of Lauren Child's illustrative work.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CLiPPA WINNER JOSEPH COELHO

Ferelith Hordon speaks to poet Joseph Coelho.

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH C.J. DAUGHERTY, ABOUT THE SECRET FIRE

The best-selling author of the Night School series talks about her new series and collaborating with another author

Editor's Choice

This is Not a Love Story

Keren David

(Atom)

What is it about Amsterdam that inspires authors? First we had Postcards from No Man's Land; now Keren David visits that city in her latest novel...

The Baby

Lisa Drakeford

(Chicken House Ltd)

The party is a great success in Olivia's opinion- too many people (not all invited), too loud music, too much alcohol, - even Jonty, her boyfriend, is in a good mood. Then she finds her best friend, Nicola, in the bathroom - and she is giving...

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

Under 5s

Black Cat, White Cat

Silvia Borando

5
Heather Has Two Mummies

Leslea Newman

5
There’s a Bear on My Chair

Ross Collins

5
Help! The Wolf is Coming!

Cedric Ramadier

5
Soon

Timothy Knapman

4
The Cloudspotter

Tom McLaughlin

4
Betty goes Bananas in her Pyjamas

Steve Antony

3

Ages 5-8

Footpath Flowers

JonArno Lawson

5
It's a Groovy World, Alfredo

Sean Taylor

5
What the Jackdaw Saw

Julia Donaldson

5
A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches

Anna Wright

5
Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion

Alex T Smith

5
The Most Wonderful Thing in the World

Vivian French

5
Katie and the Starry Night

James Mayhew

4
Don’t Forget Tiggs!

Michael Rosen

4
Eddie’s Tent and How to Go Camping

Sarah Garland

4
Sardines of Love

Zuriñe Aguirre

4
The Paradise Bird

Marcus Pfister

4
The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present

Libby Gleeson

3
Sixteen String Jack and the Garden of Adventure: Where Peter Pan Began

Tom Pow

3
Millie’s Chickens

Brenda Williams

3
Have You Seen My Monster?

Steve Light

3
That Naughty Meerkat

Ian Whybrow

3
Dinosaur Police

Sarah McIntyre

3

Ages 8-10

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

E L Konigsburg

5
A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches

Anna Wright

5
Mad About Monkeys

Owen Davey

5
Catching Falling Stars

Karen McCombie

5
The Bolds

Julian Clary

5
My Brother Is a Superhero

David Solomons

4
The Hero's Tomb

Conrad Mason

4
Stop Those Monsters

Steve Cole

4
Car-jacked

Ali Sparkes

4
Uncle Gobb and The Dread Shed

Michael Rosen

4
Dara Palmer’s Major Drama

Emma Shevah

4
Pucker Power: The Super-powered Superpug

Kevin Stevens

4

Ages 10-14

Binny in Secret

Hilary McKay

5
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

E L Konigsburg

5
Too Close to Home

Aoife Walsh

5
Whistling in the Dark

Shirley Hughes

5
Minus Me

Ingelin Rossland

5
The Year It All Ended

Kirsty Murray

4
Sun Thief

Jamie Buxton

4
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

Katherine Woodfine

4
In Darkling Wood

Emma Carroll

4
Dead End Kids: Heroes of the Blitz

Bernard Ashley

4
50 Things You Should Know About the Second World War

Simon Adams

4
Song For A Scarlet Runner

Julie Hunt

4
The Potion Diaries

Amy Alward

3
To Hold the Bridge

Garth Nix

3

Ages 14+

Blood & Ink

Stephen Davies

5
This is Not a Love Story

Keren David

5
Nest

Esther Ehrlich

5
A Small Madness

Dianne Touchell

4
The Year It All Ended

Kirsty Murray

4
The Baby

Lisa Drakeford

4
Concentr8

William Sutcliffe

4
All My Secrets

Sophie McKenzie

4
House of Windows

Alexia Casale

2

BfK News

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)

CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020

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

Blue Peter Book Award logo

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.

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.

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.

Tom Palmer

The winners of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice Awards, voted for by children and young people, have been announced.

The Black Flamingo

Poet Zaro Weil was today announced the winner of the annual poetry award, CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) for her collection of nature poems, Cherry Moon, published by ZaZaKids Books/ Troika Books and illustrated by Junli Song.

Books for Keeps 213 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 213 Articles

Editor's Choice

This is Not a Love Story

New Talent

The Baby

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 213

Under 5s

Black Cat, White Cat

Heather Has Two Mummies

There’s a Bear on My Chair

Help! The Wolf is Coming!

Soon

The Cloudspotter

Betty goes Bananas in her Pyjamas

Ages 5-8

Footpath Flowers

It's a Groovy World, Alfredo

What the Jackdaw Saw

A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion

The Most Wonderful Thing in the World

Katie and the Starry Night

Don’t Forget Tiggs!

Eddie’s Tent and How to Go Camping

Sardines of Love

The Paradise Bird

The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present

Sixteen String Jack and the Garden of Adventure: Where Peter Pan Began

Millie’s Chickens

Have You Seen My Monster?

That Naughty Meerkat

Dinosaur Police

Ages 8-10

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

A Tower of Giraffes - Animal Bunches

Mad About Monkeys

Catching Falling Stars

The Bolds

My Brother Is a Superhero

The Hero's Tomb

Stop Those Monsters

Car-jacked

Uncle Gobb and The Dread Shed

Dara Palmer’s Major Drama

Pucker Power: The Super-powered Superpug

Ages 10-14

Binny in Secret

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

Too Close to Home

Whistling in the Dark

Minus Me

The Year It All Ended

Sun Thief

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

In Darkling Wood

Dead End Kids: Heroes of the Blitz

50 Things You Should Know About the Second World War

Song For A Scarlet Runner

The Potion Diaries

To Hold the Bridge

Ages 14+

Blood & Ink

This is Not a Love Story

Nest

A Small Madness

The Year It All Ended

The Baby

Concentr8

All My Secrets

House of Windows

BfK News