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BfK No. 218 - May 2016

COVER STORY
This issue’s cover illustration is from Lulu Loves Flowers by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw. Thanks to Alanna Books for their help with this cover and to Hachette Children’s Books for their support of the Authorgraph interview with Caroline Lawrence

Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 218 May 2016 .

BfK No. 218 Articles

Editorial 218

Comment from the editor

Radical books for children: the Little Rebels Award

Little Rebels judge Catherine Johnson on this year’s award

Alanna Books by Anna McQuinn: an inadvertent publisher…

Ten years of child-centred publishing

Windows into Illustration: Richard Collingridge

Richard Collingridge on the cinematic Lionheart

Authorgraph 218 Caroline Lawrence

Caroline Lawrence interviewed by Philip Womack

Ten of the Best Books on space exploration

Chosen by Sue Unstead

Setting out to sea with Otter-Barry Books

Jackie Morris on the very special launch for The Seal Children

The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2016. And the winner is …

The Carnegie Medal shortlist appraised by Nicholas Tucker

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016. And the winner is …

The Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist appraised by Piet Grobler

What Katy did in the 21st century

Jacqueline Wilson talks to Rebecca Butler about her version of What Katy Did

Obituary: Nicholas Fisk

Clive Barnes on the taboo-breaking Sci Fi author.

Good Reads 218

chosen by pupils at Leighton Park School

I Wish I’d Written: Robin Stevens

Robin Stevens chooses a museum mystery

Two Children Tell: Ramona and Rebecca

Beverley Cleary's heroine inspires Rebecca

On Co-Authoring

When two is better than one; Prentice and Weill on co-authoring

Junk at twenty

Twenty years since publication of Junk, Geraldine Brennan assesses its impact

Classics in Short No 117

The Dolls' House by Rumer Godden

AN INTERVIEW WITH ROSALIND BEARDSHAW

The illustrator of the popular Lulu books talks to Mike Farren

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH FAYE BIRD

Faye Bird answers questions on What I Couldn't Tell You

CLASS ACT: AN INTERVIEW WITH PAMELA BUTCHART

Damian Kelleher interviews the winner of the 2016 Children's Book Award

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH C J FLOOD ON NIGHTWANDERERS

The award-winning author answers questions on her new novel Nightwanderers

AN INTERVIEW WITH TIMOTHÉE DE FOMBELLE

Timothée de Fombelle discusses his books with Joy Court

Editor's Choice

Life is Magic

Meg McLaren

(Andersen Press)

When his magician slips on a banana skin (literally), it is up to Houdini, the rabbit, to take over. Houdini loves magic; he is a natural. He is a great success. But life is hollow without a proper partner. Can Houdini rectify the situation?...

Why I Went Back

James Clammer

(Andersen Press)

Suppose your mother has died, your father seems to have lost his grip on life. Keeping everything going is up to you - but you are only fourteen. Your prized possession is that bicycle, all eighteen gears and shining frame. It is your salvation....

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

Under 5s

Let’s Play

Hervé Tulley

5
Tidy

Emily Gravett

5
There’s a Tiger in the Garden

Lizzy Stewart

5
A Brave Bear

Sean Taylor

5
Hiccups

Holly Sterling

4
Albert’s Tree

Jenni Desmond

4
Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Leigh Hodgkinson

3

Ages 5-8

Life is Magic

Meg McLaren

5
Little Red

Bethan Woollvin

5
Lucinda Belinda Melinda McCool

Jeanne Willis

5
The Big Book of Mr Badger

Leigh Hobbs

5
The Seal Children reissue

Jackie Morris

5
There is a Tribe of Kids

Lane Smith

5
Where’s the starfish?

Barroux

5
Tufty

Michael Foreman

5
Freddie Mole: Lion Tamer

Alexander McCall Smith

4
All Aboard for the Bobo Road

Stephen Davies

4
We Are Not Frogs

Michael Morpurgo

4
The Hole Story

Paul Bright

4
Dave Pigeon

Swapna Haddow

4
The Jasmine Sneeze

Nadine Kaadan

4
Isaac and His Amazing Asperger Superpowers!

Melanie Walsh

4
Mr Moon Wakes Up

Jemima Sharpe

4
The Secret of the Kelpie

Lari Don

4
The Journey

Francesca Sanna

4
Superbot and the Terrible Toy Destroyer

Nick Ward

3
Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons

Gary Northfield

2
Perfect by Nicola Davies

Nicola Davies

2

Ages 8-10

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught her to Fly

5
Knitbone Pepper Ghost Dog and the Last Circus Tiger

Claire Barker

5
The Boy and the Globe

Tony Bradman

4
Spangles McNasty and the Fish of Gold

Steve Webb

4
The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily

Dino Buzzati

3

Ages 10-14

Knights of the Borrowed Dark

Dave Rudden

5
The Book of Pearl

Timothée De Fombelle

5
The House on Hummingbird Island

Sam Angus

5
The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence

Jennifer Bell

5
The Nest

Kenneth Oppel

4
Storm Weaver

Matt Griffin

4
Arrivals: How Long Can a Secret Be Kept

Brian Gallagher

4
Why I Went Back

James Clammer

4
Raymie Nightingale

Kate DiCamillo

4
A Seven Letter Word

Kim Slater

4
Sophie Someone paperback

Hayley Long

4
Devil's Blood

Andrew Prentice
Jonathan Weil

3
Voices from the Second World War: witnesses share their stories with the children of today

3
Death or Ice Cream

Gareth P Jones

3
Pax

Sara Pennypacker

3
Alone

D J Brazier

3
Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth

Frank Cottrell Boyce

3

Ages 14+

The Monstrous Child

Francesca Simon

5
The Girl in the Blue Coat

Monica Hesse

5
Plain Jane

Kim Hood

4
The Bombs that Brought Us Together

Brian Conaghan

4
The Square Root of Summer

Harriet Reuter Hapgood

4
What I Couldn't Tell You

Faye Bird

4
Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah

Erin Lange

3
Highly Illogical Behaviour

John Corey Whaley

3
Riverkeep

Martin Stewart

3

BfK News

ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS’ GREAT ADVENTURERS WINS THE 2019 EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD

The winner of the 2019 Educational Writers’ Award is Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventurers: The Incredible Expeditions of 20 Explorers (Big Picture Press).

Alastair Humphreys Great Adventures

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and acclaimed author Jenny Downham are on the shortlist for the 2019 Costa Children’s Book Award, which was announced today, 26^th November 2020. Alongside them on the list are newcomers Jasbinder Bilan and Nicholas Downing, both of whom are published by Chicken House.

The 2019 Costa Children’s Award shortlist

Shortlist announced for the UK’s only award for creative educational writing

The Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing& Collecting Society have announced the shortlist for the 2019 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for educational writing which stimulates and enhances the learning experience.

Blue Peter Book Award logo

Six books have made it onto the shortlists for the 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards. There are two categories: Best Story, and – in non-fiction November – Best Book with Facts.

And we’re off… the nominations for the 2020 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are announced today, Monday 4^th November.

2020 UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE LONGLISTS

UKLA Awards

A record number of submissions and a new category to highlight information books marks the 12^th longlists for the UKLA Awards, the only national awards judged by active classroom teachers.

Jessica Love

Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies), the awards that celebrate the funniest children’s books.

Lollies logo

Morag Hood, Katherine Rundell and Jason Reynolds have been announced as the winners of the UKLA Book Awards 2019 for I Am Bat, The Explorer and Long Way Down respectively.

The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) is delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Radical Fiction is Catherine Johnson for her book, Freedom (Scholastic 2018).

Catherine Johnsonn photo Andy Donohoe

Books for Keeps 218 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 218 Articles

Editor's Choice

Life is Magic

New Talent

Why I Went Back

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 218

Under 5s

Let’s Play

Tidy

There’s a Tiger in the Garden

A Brave Bear

Hiccups

Albert’s Tree

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Ages 5-8

Life is Magic

Little Red

Lucinda Belinda Melinda McCool

The Big Book of Mr Badger

The Seal Children reissue

There is a Tribe of Kids

Where’s the starfish?

Tufty

Freddie Mole: Lion Tamer

All Aboard for the Bobo Road

We Are Not Frogs

The Hole Story

Dave Pigeon

The Jasmine Sneeze

Isaac and His Amazing Asperger Superpowers!

Mr Moon Wakes Up

The Secret of the Kelpie

The Journey

Superbot and the Terrible Toy Destroyer

Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons

Perfect by Nicola Davies

Ages 8-10

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught her to Fly

Knitbone Pepper Ghost Dog and the Last Circus Tiger

The Boy and the Globe

Spangles McNasty and the Fish of Gold

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily

Ages 10-14

Knights of the Borrowed Dark

The Book of Pearl

The House on Hummingbird Island

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence

The Nest

Storm Weaver

Arrivals: How Long Can a Secret Be Kept

Why I Went Back

Raymie Nightingale

A Seven Letter Word

Sophie Someone paperback

Devil's Blood

Voices from the Second World War: witnesses share their stories with the children of today

Death or Ice Cream

Pax

Alone

Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth

Ages 14+

The Monstrous Child

The Girl in the Blue Coat

Plain Jane

The Bombs that Brought Us Together

The Square Root of Summer

What I Couldn't Tell You

Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah

Highly Illogical Behaviour

Riverkeep

BfK News