Books for Keeps 229 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 229 - March 2018

This issue’s cover illustration is from Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help with this March cover.
Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 229 March 2018.

BfK No. 229 Articles

World Book Day – keep up the momentum!

Ideas for keeping the magic going through the year

Crying In the Classroom

or How author Ali Sparkes was introduced to World Book Day

You're just one click away from an author

Says Tony Bradman

Authorgraph 229 Guy Bass

Guy Bass interviewed by Damian Kelleher

Windows into Illustration: Matt Carr

A signature 'graphicness'

Ten of the Best: books by Helen Oxenbury and John Burningham

Chosen by Nicolette Jones

Beyond the Secret Garden: England’s White and Pleasant Land

Part two in a new series by Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O’Connor

Beetle Mania! An interview with MG Leonard

M.G. Leonard interviewed by Michelle Pauli

Two Children Tell: Adventures as Sparrowhawk

Adventures as Sparrowhawk

The Wind in the Willows – Is it a Classic?

Peter Hunt considers

Night Kitchen Magic

An extract from Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan

I Wish I’d Written: Kate Pankhurst

Kate Pankhurst chooses

Good Reads 229

Chosen by pupils at Glenthorne High School, Sutton

Island Settings and Adventures

Julia Green describes her love affair with islands, real and fictional.

Classics in short No 128: From Palace to Mineshaft with The Princess and the Goblin

The Princess and the Goblin

AN INTERVIEW WITH MAZ EVANS

Philip Womack catches up with the author of the Who Let the Gods Out series, as book three, Beyond the Odyssey is published.

AN INTERVIEW WITH KAREN GREGORY

An interview with the author of Countless and Skylarks.

Editor's Choice

Read the book, Lemmings!

Ame Dyckman

(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Foxy has a book on lemmings. It tells him that lemmings don’t jump off cliffs. But someone clearly hasn’t told the three little lemmings. On hearing the word jump, they enthusiastically throw themselves into the water. It is almost disastrous –...

Brightstorm

Vashti Hardy

(Scholastic)

Arthur and Maudie are twins, they are Brightstorms, their father a famous explorer. He has died in an attempt to be the first at South Polaris and evidence suggests he was involved in criminal activities. His reputation is ruined; the Brightstorm...

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

Under 5s

Once Upon a Star A Poetic Journey Through Space

James Carter

4
Spyder

Matt Carr

4
Dino Duckling

Alison Murray

4
15 Things not to do with a puppy

Margaret McAllister

4
Look Out, It’s a Dragon!

Jonny Lambert

4
Erik The Lone Wolf

Sarah Finan

4

Ages 5-8

Read the book, Lemmings!

Ame Dyckman

5
Peace Lily

Hilary Robinson

4
Erik The Lone Wolf

Sarah Finan

4
We're Going to the Zoo

Sarah Bowie

4
The Red Dread

Tom Morgan-Jones

4
The Waggiest Tails

Brian Moses
Roger Stevens

4

Ages 8-10

Brightstorm

Vashti Hardy

4
Peace Lily

Hilary Robinson

4
A Different Dog

Paul Jennings

4
The Children of Castle Rock

Natasha Farrant

4
The Chocolate Factory Ghost

David O’Connell

4
To the Edge of the World

Julia Green

3
Mollie on the March

Anna Carey

3

Ages 10-14

Truly Wildly Deeply

Jenny McLachlan

4
Running on Empty

S.E.Durrant

4
A Different Dog

Paul Jennings

4
Lady Mary

Lucy Worsley

4
Rocking the System

Siobhan Parkinson

4
Twister

Juliette Forrest

3
Twelve Nights

Andrew Zurcher

2

Ages 14+

Clean

Juno Dawson

5
The Unpredictability of Being Human

Linni Ingemundsen

4
The Wren Hunt

Mary Watson

4
Truly Wildly Deeply

Jenny McLachlan

4
Children of Blood and Bone

Tomi Adeyemi

4
Twelve Nights

Andrew Zurcher

2

Books About Children's Books

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading

Lucy Mangan

4

BfK News

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.

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.

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

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

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

CKG Logo

LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

Klaus Flugge Prize logo

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.

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.

LONGLIST FOR THE 2021 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

The longlist for the 2021 Branford Boase Award has been announced. Set up in memory of award-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase, one of the founders of Walker Books, the Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children.

Natasha Farrant

Writer and literary scout Natasha Farrant has won the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award for Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, a book which the judges described as ‘pure heavenly escapism and a purely joyful read.’

Books for Keeps 229 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 229 Articles

Editor's Choice

Read the book, Lemmings!

New Talent

Brightstorm

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 229

Under 5s

Once Upon a Star A Poetic Journey Through Space

Spyder

Dino Duckling

15 Things not to do with a puppy

Look Out, It’s a Dragon!

Erik The Lone Wolf

Ages 5-8

Read the book, Lemmings!

Peace Lily

Erik The Lone Wolf

We're Going to the Zoo

The Red Dread

The Waggiest Tails

Ages 8-10

Brightstorm

Peace Lily

A Different Dog

The Children of Castle Rock

The Chocolate Factory Ghost

To the Edge of the World

Mollie on the March

Ages 10-14

Truly Wildly Deeply

Running on Empty

A Different Dog

Lady Mary

Rocking the System

Twister

Twelve Nights

Ages 14+

Clean

The Unpredictability of Being Human

The Wren Hunt

Truly Wildly Deeply

Children of Blood and Bone

Twelve Nights

Books About Children's Books

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading

BfK News