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Books for Keeps 142 - the children's book magazine online

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Books for Keeps is packed with articles, interviews comment and, of course, reviews.

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BfK No. 142 - September 2003

Cover Story
This issue's cover illustration is from David Almond's The Fire Eaters. Cover photograph is by Getty Images. David Almond is interviewed by Peter Hollindale. Thanks to Hodder Children's Books for their help with this September cover.

BfK No. 142 Articles

Editorial - September 2003

News and comment from the Editor.
Illustration on Show

Joanna Carey on the proposed Quentin Blake Gallery.
Windows into Illustration: Lauren Child

Lauren Child on Clarice Bean, That's Me.
Authorgraph No.142: David Almond

David Almond interviewed by Peter Hollindale.
Audio Books and Reluctant Readers

Julia Eccleshare on listening to stories.
Hal’s Reading Diary - September 2003

Roger Mills on Hal at 2 years and 7 month.

‘Art is a lie that tells the truth’

Meg Errington on the depiction of autism in children's books.
BfK Briefing - September 2003

Awards * News * Events * Obituary * Letters to the Editor
Useful Organisations No.29: The Beatrix Potter Society

A focus for those with an interest in all aspects of Beatrix Potter's life.
I Wish I’d Written... Holes

Eoin Colfer chooses Louis Sachar's Holes.
Good Reads: Lode Heath School, Solihull

Reviews from pupils of Lode Heath School, Solihull.
Classics in Short No.41: Moonfleet

Brian Alderson on John Meade Falkner's Moonfleet.

Editor's Choice

Ginger Finds a Home
Charlotte Voake
(Walker Books Ltd)
5

Sumptuously produced, this landscape format picture book begins with endpapers in a soft green. We graduate to dusty pink and then to cream as we reach the title page and onwards, Voake's scratchily expressive pen illustrations with hints of wash...

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New Talent

Power and Stone
Alice Leader
(Puffin Books)
3

After a long journey from Rome with their mother Claudia, Marcus and Telemachus rejoin their father Gaius, the commander of a fort on Hadrian's wall. The local tribe, the Brigante, appears to be friendly but the feelings of the conquered are not...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 142

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

Under 5s

  • Ginger Finds a Home
    Charlotte Voake
    5

  • Mrs Armitage: Queen of the Road
    Quentin Blake
    5

  • Alphabet: A Child's First ABC
    Alison Jay
    5

  • The Animals Went in Two by Two
    Jan Pieńkowski
    5

  • Catch!
    Trish Cooke
    4

  • Dudley Top Dog
    Jo Davies
    3

  • Tom's Tail
    Linda Jennings
    3

  • Leo le Chat comes to Play!
    Opal Dunn
    3

  • The New Yellow Digger
    Steve Augarde
    3

  • Fish Go Woof
    Miranda Maxwell-Hyslop
    2

  • Humphrey's Family
    Sally Hunter
    2

  • Blue Square; Green Star; Red Triangle
    Jane Cabrera
    2

Ages 5-8

  • The Cat Who Got Carried Away
    Allan Ahlberg
    5

  • The Usborne Internet-linked First Encyclopedia of History
    Fiona Chandler
    4

  • Edison's Fantastic Phonograph
    Diana Kimpton
    4

  • Clever Lollipop
    Dick King-Smith
    4

  • The Romantic Giant
    Kaye Umansky
    4

  • The Children of Lir
    4

  • The Last Sniffer; Snake-Pit School
    Susan Gates
    3

  • Babar's Gallery
    Laurent De Brunhoff
    3

  • Not Again, Red Riding Hood!
    Kate Clynes
    Louise Daykin
    3

Ages 8-10

  • The Terrible Tudors
    Terry Deary
    4

  • Bullies, Bigmouths & So-called Friends
    J Alexander
    3

  • Judaism; Christianity
    Douglas Charing
    3

  • Jessica Haggerthwaite: Media Star
    Emma Barnes
    3

  • Shark Attack; Hunted
    Anthony Masters
    3

  • Blood Willow
    Thomas Bloor
    3

Ages 10-14

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    Mark Haddon
    5

  • The Tears of the Salamander
    Peter Dickinson
    5

  • Running Home
    Teresa Doran
    5

  • The Folk Keeper
    Franny Billingsley
    5

  • The Ganges; The Amazon
    Rob Bowden
    4

  • Eagle Strike
    Anthony Horowitz
    4

  • Motherland
    Vineeta Vijayaraghavan
    4

  • Flour Babies
    Anne Fine
    4

  • Leonardo da Vinci and his Super-brain
    Michael Cox
    3

  • The Tempestuous Voyage of Hopewell Shakespeare
    Sophie Masson
    3

  • The Same Stuff as Stars
    Katherine Paterson
    3

  • Power and Stone
    Alice Leader
    3

  • Suffragette
    Carol Drinkwater
    3

  • Montmorency
    Eleanor Updale
    3

  • Lines in the Sand: New Writing on War and Peace
    0

Ages 14+

  • The Garbage King
    Elizabeth Laird
    4

  • I Capture the Castle
    Dodie Smith
    4

  • The Sex Book
    Jane Pavanel
    3

  • big mouth and ugly girl
    Joyce Carol Oates
    3

  • Doing It
    Melvin Burgess
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • Borrowed Finery, a memoir
    Paula Fox
    5

  • Reading and Reader Development: The Pleasure of Reading
    Judith Elkin
    Briony Train
    Debbie Denham
    3

  • Boys and Girls Forever, Reflections on Children's Classics
    Alison Lurie
    3

BfK News

CRESSIDA COWELL LAUNCHES NEW LAUREATE INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CALLS ON PM TO ACT

‘How can a child become a reader for pleasure if their parents or carers cannot afford books, and their primary school has no library, or that library is woefully insufficient?’

Life-changing Libraries logo

read more...
SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2021 UKLA BOOK AWARDS

UKLA Book Awards logo

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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.

All Stories logo

read more...
2021 SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

CKG Logo

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.

read more...
INAUGURAL LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE JHALAK CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT PRIZE

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

Jhalak Prize logo

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ONJALI RAÚF BECOMES WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR BOOKTRUST

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

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LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 CILIP CARNEGIE AND KATE GREENAWAY MEDALS

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

CKG Logo

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LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

Klaus Flugge Prize logo

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NOW OPEN: 2021 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION

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.

read more...
TWO UK ENTRIES ON IBBY LIST OF OUTSTANDING BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

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.

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