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Books for Keeps 228 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 228 - January 2018
BfK 228 January 2018

This issue’s cover illustration is from Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone. The illustrator is Daniela Terrazzini. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children’s Books for their help with this January cover.
Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 228 January 2018 .

BfK No. 228 Articles

New Year predictions 2018

Where will 2018 take children’s books?

What to read in 2018: A (Abrams) to C (Child's Play)

The books to watch in the year ahead

What to read in 2018: C (Chronicle) to M (Macmillan)

More books to watch in the year ahead

What to read in 2018: N (Nosy Crow) to U (Usborne)

More books to watch in 2018

What to read in 2018: W (Wacky Bee) to Z (Zephyr Head of Zeus)

More books to watch in 2018

Authorgraph 228 Liz Kessler

Liz Kessler interviewed by Michelle Pauli

Ten of the Best Suffragette Stories

Suffragette stories
chosen by Nikki Gamble

Beyond the Secret Garden? Part One: The Fantasy of Story

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

Winnie-the-Pooh: a classic of collaboration

Curators of the V&A’s new exhibition discuss the interwoven genius of A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard

Windows into Illustration: Holly Sterling

Rising star Holly Sterling describes her illustration technique

‘The Dyslexic Novelist’ Sally Gardner

Sally Gardner introduces charity NUword

Two Children Tell: The Reality of Words

'You can't bottle words'

I Wish I’d Written: Piers Torday

Piers Torday is
lost in admiration for Skellig

Eleanor Farjeon ‘books for keeps’

A booklist by Brian Alderson

AN INTERVIEW WITH NEVERMOOR AUTHOR JESSICA TOWNSEND

Jessica Townsend talks about the fantasy adventure Nevermoor.

Classics in Short No. 127: Pauline Clarke's The Twelve and the Genii

Butter Crashey and the Young Men redivivus in Pauline Clarke's The Twelve and the Genii

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HIGGINS

Trouble Next Door: Chris Higgins on writing for young readers

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH HAYLEY SCOTT

The author talks about her new series Teacup House.

Editor's Choice

Animals with Tiny Cat

Viviane Schwarz
(Walker Books)
5

‘To illustrate’ – to shine a light on; traditionally this has been taken to mean that there has to be a text that requires enlightening. But this is not necessarily so and increasingly illustrators are moving away to illustrate ideas, emotions,...

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New Talent

The Eye of the North

Sinéad O’Hart
(Stripes Publishing)
4

It is always a pleasure to meet characters who immediately demand attention. Enter Emmeline Widget, daughter of scientist parents who are almost always absent. Then there is Thing, a boy with no other name and a mysterious past. Emmeline is...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 228

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

Under 5s

  • Animals with Tiny Cat

    Viviane Schwarz
    5
  • Mrs Noah’s Pockets

    Jackie Morris
    5
  • What’s Next Door?

    Nicola O’Byrne
    5
  • Grandad’s Secret Giant

    David Litchfield
    5
  • I Love You, Stick Insect

    Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
    4
  • The Stone Bird

    Jenny McCartney
    4
  • Look, there’s a TRACTOR!

    4
  • The Grotlyn

    Benji Davies
    4

Ages 5-8

  • The Bad Mood and the Stick

    Lemony Snicket
    5
  • The Rainmaker Danced

    John Agard
    5
  • I Love You, Stick Insect

    Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
    4
  • The Great Race: the story of the Chinese Zodiac

    Christopher Corr
    4
  • The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes

    Ying Chang Compestine
    4
  • The Grotlyn

    Benji Davies
    4
  • Trouble at School

    Chris Higgins
    4
  • Teacup House Meet the Twitches

    Hayley Scott
    4

Ages 8-10

  • Sky Song

    Abi Elphinstone
    5
  • The Story of Paintings A History of Art for Children

    Mick Manning
    Brita Granström
    5
  • I’m Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Nonsense Verse for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown Ups

    Chris Harris
    5
  • The Rainmaker Danced

    John Agard
    5
  • The Light Jar

    Lisa Thompson
    4
  • Three Cheers For Women!

    Marcia Williams
    4
  • The Travels of Ermine: Trouble in New York

    Jennifer Gray
    4
  • Sky Chasers

    Emma Carroll
    4
  • Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens

    Tony De Saulles
    4
  • I Swapped My Brother on the Internet

    Jo Simmons
    3

Ages 10-14

  • Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

    Kevin Crossley-Holland
    5
  • The 1,000 Year Old Boy

    Ross Welford
    5
  • The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

    Alex Bell
    4
  • The Eye of the North

    Sinéad O’Hart
    4
  • The Ice Garden

    Guy Jones
    4
  • Dog Andy Mulligan

    Andy Mulligan
    4
  • My Sweet Orange Tree

    José Mauro de Vasconcelos
    4
  • Outwalkers

    Fiona Shaw
    3

Ages 14+

  • Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

    Kevin Crossley-Holland
    5
  • Star by Star

    Sheena Wilkinson
    5
  • I Am Thunder

    Mohammad Khan
    5
  • Long Way Down

    Jason Reynolds
    5
  • Goodbye, Perfect

    Sara Barnard
    5
  • Mike

    Andrew Norriss
    4
  • My Sweet Orange Tree

    José Mauro de Vasconcelos
    4
  • Love, Hate and Other Filters

    Samira Ahmed
    4
  • Landscape With Invisible Hand

    M T Anderson
    4
  • Ballad for a Mad Girl

    Vikki Wakefield
    4

BfK News

THE HATE U GIVE WINS WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE 2018

Angie ThomasWCBP logo

read more...
SHORTLISTS FOR 2018 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS ANNOUNCED

CILIP CKG logo

The shortlists for the 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, are announced today, Thursday 15th March.

read more...
2018 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION NOW OPEN

Young writers invited to finish a story started by 2017 Branford Boase Award winner, Beetle Boy author M. G. Leonard

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...
BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2018

The Wizards of Once

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell and Real-Life Mysteries written by Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker, have been revealed as this year’s Blue Peter Book Award winners.

read more...
SHORTLIST FOR THE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2018

The Children’s Book Award 2018 shortlist has been announced. Among those shortlisted are this year’s Costa Children’s Book Award winner Katherine Rundell and previously shortlisted author illustrator Jan Fearnley.

read more...
BOOKTRUST LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOHN BURNINGHAM AND HELEN OXENBURY

Iconic children’s authors John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury have jointly been presented with the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award.

Set up in 2015 the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children's literature. Previous winners are Shirley Hughes, Judith Kerr and Raymond Briggs.

read more...
LONGLIST FOR THE 2018 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

KFP logoFifteen debut picture books are in the running for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize. Now in its third year the prize was set up to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books.

This year more than fifty books were submitted for consideration from eleven different publishers.

read more...
BOOKTRUST LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOHN BURNINGHAM AND HELEN OXENBURY

Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award joint winners

read more...
LONGLISTS FOR 2018 CILIP KATE GREENAWAY AND CARNEGIE MEDALS ANNOUNCED

The longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, have been revealed. The 40-strong list of titles for the 2018 Medals (20 on each longlist) were selected from 237 nominations, read by a judging panel of 12 Youth Librarians from across the UK.

read more...
SHORTLIST FOR THE 14TH WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE ANNOUNCED

The shortlist for the 2018 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize has been announced. The prize was set up to reward and champion new and emerging talent in children’s books and winning authors and illustrators benefit from a significant boost in sales, together with the promise of an ongoing commitment to their writing career from all Waterstones shops nationwide.

read more...
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