Books for Keeps 227 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 227 - November 2017

This issue’s cover illustration is from Fairy Tales by Hilary McKay, illustrated by Sarah Gibb. Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help with this Christmas cover.
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By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 227 November 2017.

BfK No. 227 Articles

Editorial 227

Guest Editorial: Sarah Odedina, Editor-in-Chief, Scoop magazine

All hail the new Children’s Laureate

An interview with Lauren Child

Books of the Year 2017

2017 - the Books of the Year: our panel makes their choice

Happy Christmas Reading 2017

Books for Giving 2017: Ferelith Hordon plays Santa

Authorgraph 227 Kate Saunders

Kate Saunders interviewed by Philip Womack

Ten of the Best Fairy Tale Collections for Children

Ann Lazim chooses

Happy Ever After: an interview with Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay on her new collection of fairy tales

Truly Two

Catherine MacPhail and Robert Louis Stevenson

A Talent for Happiness: Judith Kerr interviewed

Judith Kerr interviewed by Nicholas Tucker

Windows into Illustration: Ehsan Abdollahi

Ehsan Abdollahi

Two Children Tell: Meeting Monsters

Nick meets monsters

Iona Opie Obituary

Iona Opie remembered

I Wish I’d Written: Jonathan Meres

Jonathan Meres chooses

Good Reads Highfield Primary School, Enfield

Good Reads chosen by pupils at Highfield Primary School, Enfield

New children’s book exhibitions: a review feature

Brian Alderson reviews two new children's book exhibitions

A Twelfth Night Pantomime from Italy: The Rose and the Ring

The Rose and the Ring by William Makepeace Thackeray

AN INTERVIEW WITH IRFAN MASTER

Irfan Master talks his writing and new book Out of Heart

Costa Children’s Book Award, Shortlist Interviews 2017: Sarah Crossan

An interview with Sarah Crossan, Costa-shortlisted author of Moonrise.

AN INTERVIEW WITH HOLLY BLACK

The best-selling fantasy authors talks about her new series The Folk of the Air.

Books for Keeps Christmas Recommendations 2017

Christmas book list

John Yeoman & Quentin Blake: book list

Compiled by Brian Alderson

Editor's Choice

There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

David Mackintosh

(HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks)

What to do...there’s a bug on my arm that won’t let go. But I think it quite likes it there – so I better look after it.

Here is a picture book that stands out, not just for the witty text through which we hear the reasonable voice of the...

The Eli Collection: Egg, Cards, Pencil

Laura Bellini

(Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd)

Little Eli is a dragonfly. He is alone. Exploring his surroundings he comes across objects that open possibilities for him to be creative and build dreams.

There is an almost dreamlike quality to Bellini’s delicate lines that captures both...

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

Under 5s

There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

David Mackintosh

5
Kevin, The Make-Believe Friend You Can Really Believe In

Rob Biddulph

5
The Snow Lion

Jim Helmore

5
Socks for Mr Wolf A Woolly Adventure Around Ireland

Tatyana Feeney

4
Hack and Whack

Francesca Simon

4
Luna loves Library Day

Joseph Coelho

4
What Makes Me a Me?

Ben Faulks

4

Ages 5-8

A Werewolf Named Oliver James

Nicholas John Frith

5
There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

David Mackintosh

5
The Eli Collection: Egg, Cards, Pencil

Laura Bellini

5
The Ugly Five

Julia Donaldson

5
I am Bat

Morag Hood

5
La La La Kate Dicamillo

Kate DiCamillo

5
When I Grow Up

Tim Minchin

4
Hack and Whack

Francesca Simon

4
One Christmas Wish

Katherine Rundell

4

Ages 8-10

Secret of the Stones

Tony Bradman

5
Witch for a Week

Kaye Umansky

5
Professional Crocodile

Giovanna Zoboli

5
The Explorer

Katherine Rundell

4
The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny: Victorian housemaid (and accidental detective)

Philip Ardagh

4
Foxcraft: the Mage

Inbali Iserles

4
Hopscotch in the Sky

Lucinda Jacob

4
How to write Poems

Joseph Coelho

4
Pop up Shakespeare

Austin Tichenor
Reed Martin

4

Ages 10-14

Rising Stars New Young Voices in Poetry

5
The Land of Neverendings

Kate Saunders

5
Hetty Feather’s Christmas

Jacqueline Wilson

5
Nevermoor: the trials of Morrigan Crow

Jessica Townsend

5
Do you Speak Chocolate

Cas Lester

5
Scarecrow

Danny Weston

5
Illegal

Eoin Colfer
Andrew Donkin

5
A Skinful of Shadows

Frances Hardinge

5
The Explorer

Katherine Rundell

4
Worry Angels

Sita Brahmachari

4
My Side of the Diamond

Sally Gardner

4
Matt Millz

Harry Hill

4

Ages 14+

Moonrise

Sarah Crossan

5
A Skinful of Shadows

Frances Hardinge

5
Potter's Boy

Tony Mitton

5
Grave Matters

Juno Dawson

4
It Only Happens in the Movies

Holly Bourne

4
A Shiver of Snow and Sky

Lisa Lueddecke

4

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 227 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 227 Articles

Editor's Choice

There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

New Talent

The Eli Collection: Egg, Cards, Pencil

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 227

Under 5s

There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

Kevin, The Make-Believe Friend You Can Really Believe In

The Snow Lion

Socks for Mr Wolf A Woolly Adventure Around Ireland

Hack and Whack

Luna loves Library Day

What Makes Me a Me?

Ages 5-8

A Werewolf Named Oliver James

There’s A Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go

The Eli Collection: Egg, Cards, Pencil

The Ugly Five

I am Bat

La La La Kate Dicamillo

When I Grow Up

Hack and Whack

One Christmas Wish

Ages 8-10

Secret of the Stones

Witch for a Week

Professional Crocodile

The Explorer

The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny: Victorian housemaid (and accidental detective)

Foxcraft: the Mage

Hopscotch in the Sky

How to write Poems

Pop up Shakespeare

Ages 10-14

Rising Stars New Young Voices in Poetry

The Land of Neverendings

Hetty Feather’s Christmas

Nevermoor: the trials of Morrigan Crow

Do you Speak Chocolate

Scarecrow

Illegal

A Skinful of Shadows

The Explorer

Worry Angels

My Side of the Diamond

Matt Millz

Ages 14+

Moonrise

A Skinful of Shadows

Potter's Boy

Grave Matters

It Only Happens in the Movies

A Shiver of Snow and Sky

BfK News