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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

CRESSIDA COWELL LAUNCHES NEW LAUREATE INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CALLS ON PM TO ACT

‘How can a child become a reader for pleasure if their parents or carers cannot afford books, and their primary school has no library, or that library is woefully insufficient?’

Life-changing Libraries logo

read more...
SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2021 UKLA BOOK AWARDS

UKLA Book Awards logo

read more...
ALL STORIES, A NEW MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME FOR UNDERREPRESENTED CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS

A new mentorship scheme for underrepresented authors launches today, 30 March. All Stories offers fourteen mentorships delivered by expert children’s book editors.

All Stories logo

read more...
2021 SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

CKG Logo

The shortlists for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, 18 March. The awards are the UK’s oldest for children and young people.

This year’s judges praised their shortlists for ‘offering hope and escapism during lockdown’ through explorations of freedom, the great outdoors and journeys through the natural world.

read more...
INAUGURAL LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE JHALAK CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT PRIZE

The Jhalak Prize has announced the longlist for the inaugural Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize.

Jhalak Prize logo

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ONJALI RAÚF BECOMES WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR BOOKTRUST

Award-winning author and activist, Onjali Raúf takes up the post as the new Writer in Residence for BookTrust, today, International Women’s Day. She takes over from Smriti Halls.

Onjali Q Raúf

read more...
LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

The longlist for the 2021 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced.

CKG Logo

read more...
LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

Klaus Flugge Prize logo

read more...
NOW OPEN: 2021 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION

Finish a story started by Branford Boase Award winner Liz Hyder

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...
TWO UK ENTRIES ON IBBY LIST OF OUTSTANDING BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Every two years, IBBY invites nominations for its international List of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Nominations are made by IBBY national sections and the final list is selected from these by the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Young People with Disabilities, based in Toronto. Because of its international content, the list is unique in the children’s book world. It is a huge voluntary undertaking as every country is encouraged to submit up to twelve titles across the three categories.

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