Books for Keeps 230 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 230 - May 2018

This issue’s cover illustration is from The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. Thanks to Usborne Publishing for their help with this May cover.
Digital Edition
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BfK No. 230 Articles

Editorial 230

Get ready for Empathy Day: Miranda McKearney looks forward to 12^thJune

Rebels with a Cause: Fen Coles on The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction

Rebels with a Cause: Fen Coles on the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction

How do we measure up?

Children’s books as a mirror to society, how do they measure up? asks Chitra Soundar

Authograph 230 Brian Conaghan

Brian Conaghan interview by Joy Court

Windows into Illustration: Kate Hindley

Windows into Illustration: Kate Hindley

11 of the best football reads for children

Ten of the Best: the best football books chosen by Jim Sells of the National Literacy Trust

Beyond the Secret Garden ‘In Times of Peril’: Britons, Asians, Muslims

Part three in Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O’Connor’s series looking at representations of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic voices in children’s books.

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist 2018

The Kate Greenaway Medal 2018 shortlist appraised by Derek Brazell

The CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist 2018

The Carnegie Medal shortlist appraised by Nicholas Tucker

Hidden: from page to stage

Miriam Halahmy on the new adaptation of her novel Hidden

An interview with Lauren St John

Michelle Pauli interview Lauren St John

Two Children Tell: Filling in the Gaps

Two Children Tell: Filling in the picture book gaps

I Wish I’d Written: Sarah Govett

I Wish I’d Written… Sarah Govett chooses

Good Reads 230

Good Reads for Empathy Day, chosen by primary school pupils

Classics in Short No 129: The Little Grey Men, Last of the Little People

The Little Grey Men, Last of the Little People

The Little Rebels Award in 2018

Judge Darren Chetty reflects on the 2018 Little Rebels Prize.

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH JULIA GRAY, AUTHOR OF LITTLE LIAR

The author answers questions on her novel Little Liar

AN INTERVIEW WITH 2018 CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER GERALDINE McCAUGHREAN

The 2018 Carnegie Medal winner interviewed by Nicholas Tucker

Editor's Choice

The Electrical Venus

Julie Mayhew

(Hot Key Books)

Mim’s life is with Grainger’s Side Show along with a “dwaff”, a learned pig and Alex, a boy who has only one arm. Welcome to the world of Georgian entertainment. But this is also the Age of the Enlightenment when scientific discoveries and...

The House with Chicken Legs

Sophie Anderson

(Usborne Publishing Ltd)

A beautiful and original take on the Tale of Baba Yaga.

Marinka has lived with her grandmother, Baba Yaga all her life, helping her to lead the dead through The Gate to the stars and to enjoy one last wonderful meal together and hear the...

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

Under 5s

The Rhythm of the Rain

Grahame Baker-Smith

5
Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert

Morag Hood

5
The Story of Tantrum O’Furrily

Cressida Cowell

5
Colour My Days

Ross Collins

4
Baby Bird

Andrew Gibbs

4
Is it a Mermaid?

Candy Gourlay

3

Ages 5-8

The Rhythm of the Rain

Grahame Baker-Smith

5
After the Fall. How Humpty Dumpty got back up again

Dan Santat

5
Space Tortoise

Ross Montgomery

5
Juniper Jupiter

Lizzy Stewart

3
The Nothing to See Here Hotel

Steven Butler

3

Ages 8-10

Noah Scape Can’t Stop Repeating Himself

Guy Bass

5
Charlie and Me: 421 Miles from Home

Mark Lowery

5
Happyville High: Geek Tragedy

Tom McLaughlin

4
Kat Wolfe Investigates

Lauren St John

4
The Secret of the Night Train

Sylvia Bishop

4
HerStory: 50 women and girls who shook the world

Katherine Halligan

4
She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History

Chelsea Clinton

4
Dog Town

Luize Pastore

3
The Nothing to See Here Hotel

Steven Butler

3

Ages 10-14

The House with Chicken Legs

Sophie Anderson

5
Rebound

Kwame Alexander

5
The Goose Road

Rowena House

5
Rose Rivers

Jacqueline Wilson

4
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day

Christopher Edge

4
The Wild Folk

Sylvia Linsteadt

4
A Good Day for Climbing Trees

Jaco Jacobs

4
Child I

Steve Tasane

4
Flamingo Boy

Michael Morpurgo

3

Ages 14+

Stranger

Keren David

5
Me Mam. Me Dad. Me.

Malcolm Duffy

5
In Paris With You

Clementine Beauvais

5
Skylarks

Karen Gregory

4
The Electrical Venus

Julie Mayhew

4
The Girl in the Broken Mirror

Savita Kalhan

4
On a Scale of One to Ten

Ceylan Scott

4
Ash Princess

Laura Sebastian

4

BfK News

UKLA BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2020

The winners of the 2020 UKLA Book Awards have been announced.

UKLA award

The UKLA Book Awards are the only awards to be judged entirely by teachers and highlight texts that can ‘enhance all aspects of literacy learning’.

CHILDREN READING MORE IN LOCKDOWN

Silly Squad Laura Ellen Anderson

The shortlist for the Klaus Flugge Prize has been announced. 2020 is the fifth year of the prize, which was set up to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and an extremely influential figure in children’s picture books. It is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

BBA logo

UKLA BOOK AWARDS THE SHORTLISTS 2020

CILIP CKG logo

The shortlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, have been announced. Selected by Youth Librarians from the 20 strong longlists there are eight books on each of the two lists.

The shortlist for the Children’s Book Award 2020 has been announced. This is the award’s 40th Anniversary year and it remains the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children. To mark the award’s 40th Anniversary, a new category on the shortlist celebrates the most popular books for teens.

NEW FUNDING FOR THE LITTLE REBELS AWARD

The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction has been boosted thanks to £3,500 in new funding from the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust, bringing the award’s prize money up to £2,000.

CKG logo

The longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest book awards for children and young people, have been announced.

Books for Keeps 230 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 230 Articles

Editor's Choice

The Electrical Venus

New Talent

The House with Chicken Legs

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 230

Under 5s

The Rhythm of the Rain

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert

The Story of Tantrum O’Furrily

Colour My Days

Baby Bird

Is it a Mermaid?

Ages 5-8

The Rhythm of the Rain

After the Fall. How Humpty Dumpty got back up again

Space Tortoise

Juniper Jupiter

The Nothing to See Here Hotel

Ages 8-10

Noah Scape Can’t Stop Repeating Himself

Charlie and Me: 421 Miles from Home

Happyville High: Geek Tragedy

Kat Wolfe Investigates

The Secret of the Night Train

HerStory: 50 women and girls who shook the world

She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History

Dog Town

The Nothing to See Here Hotel

Ages 10-14

The House with Chicken Legs

Rebound

The Goose Road

Rose Rivers

The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day

The Wild Folk

A Good Day for Climbing Trees

Child I

Flamingo Boy

Ages 14+

Stranger

Me Mam. Me Dad. Me.

In Paris With You

Skylarks

The Electrical Venus

The Girl in the Broken Mirror

On a Scale of One to Ten

Ash Princess

BfK News