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Books for Keeps 239 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 239 - November 2019
BfK 239 November 2019

This issue’s cover illustration is from Bad Nana: That’s Snow Business written and illustrated by Sophy Henn. Thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books for their help with this November cover.
Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 239 November 2019.

BfK No. 239 Articles

Guest editorial: publishing with Unbound

Loosing The Arrow of Apollo with Unbound

Being Human

Kevin Crossley-Holland explains how folk-tales make us human

Books of the Year 2019

BfK contributors choose

Ten of the Best: books for beginner readers

Ten of the Best Books for Beginner Readers chosen by Tony West and Margaret Wallace Jones of The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop

Authorgraph 239: Rob Biddulph

Rob Biddulph interviewed by Louise Johns-Shepherd

Windows into Illustration: Jon Agee

Jon Agee describes putting a wall in the middle of a book

Books for Giving 2020

Your indispensable gift guide. Part one.

Beyond the Secret Garden: Books for Everyone

How to make sure there’s something for everyone on your holiday gift list

Fill your stockings!

Find room for these last-minute recommendations

It’s Wicked!

Celebrating a brilliant creative writing competition

Good Reads 239

Good Reads chosen by students at Herne Bay High School, Kent

Review feature: The Book of Dust

Nicholas Tucker enters The Secret Commonwealth, the second volume in The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman.

Liz Flanagan Imagining Dragons

Author Liz Flanagan ponders our love of dragons

Classics in Short No 138: Tales of Uncle Remus

Tales of Uncle Remus

FURIOUS THING: JENNY DOWNHAM

Jenny Downham introduces her powerful new novel, which is shortlisted for the 2019 Costa Children's Book Award.

AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR JASBINDER BILAN

Jasbinder Bilan's talks about her debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird, which is shortlisted for the 2019 Costa Children's Book Award.

AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR NICHOLAS BOWLING

Philip Womack talks classical myths and heroes with Costa shortlisted author Nicholas Bowling

JUDGING THE COSTA: BALI RAI ON CROSSFIRE BY MALORIE BLACKMAN

Bali Rai discusses Crossfire by Malorie Blackman and explains why it’s the perfect book for our times.

Editor's Choice

Kites Simon Mole

Simon Mole
(Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
5

David has just moved house; new surroundings without the support of familiar people. Perhaps if he can make a kite and join the children on the hill he will find friends. But does he have the right materials? Well, as his grandfather has always...

read more

New Talent

Pet

Akwaeke Emezi
(Faber & Faber)
5

There are no monsters in Lucille; at least not any more after the revolution. Now the angels keep order – angels drawn from the community. But what does a monster look like? And why do the angels found on the pages of old books look so monstrous...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 239

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

Under 5s

  • The Mist Monster

    Kirsti Beautyman
    5
  • It’s a No-Money Day

    Kate Milner
    5
  • Taxi Ride with Victor

    Sara Trofa
    4
  • Lulu’s First Day

    Anna McQuinn
    4
  • Oscar Seeks a Friend

    Pawel Pawlak
    4
  • Somewhere out There, Right Now

    Gemma Wells
    4
  • The Girl and the Dinosaur

    Hollie Hughes
    4
  • Polly and the New Baby

    Rachel Quarry
    4
  • Nuts!

    Lou Peacock
    4
  • Merrylegs

    Pam Smy
    4
  • Moon and Me The Little Seed

    Andrew Davenport
    4
  • Oh Christmas Tree!

    Sue Hendra
    Paul Linnet
    4

Ages 5-8

  • Kites Simon Mole

    Simon Mole
    5
  • Tibble and Grandpa

    Wendy Meddour
    5
  • Beast Feast

    Emma Yarlett
    5
  • Molly and the Whale

    Malachy Doyle
    Andrew Whitson
    5
  • Let's All Creep Through Crocodile Creek!

    Jonny Lambert
    5
  • It’s a No-Money Day

    Kate Milner
    5
  • Taxi Ride with Victor

    Sara Trofa
    4
  • Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention

    Pip Jones
    4
  • Oscar Seeks a Friend

    Pawel Pawlak
    4
  • Moon and Me The Little Seed

    Andrew Davenport
    4
  • Angel on the Roof

    Shirley Hughes
    4
  • Jazz Dog

    Marie Voigt
    4
  • Step Inside Homes through History

    Goldie Hawk
    4
  • The Fate of Fausto

    Oliver Jeffers
    4
  • The Little Island

    Smriti Prasadam-Halls
    4
  • Once Upon a Rhythm

    James Carter
    4
  • Under the Great Plum Tree

    Sufiya Ahmed
    Reza Dalvand
    4
  • Dracula Spectacular

    Lucy Rowland
    Ben Mantle
    4
  • In Every House on Every Street

    Jess Hitchman
    Lili La Bateine
    4
  • The Inner Child

    Henry Blackshaw
    3
  • Cornelia and the Jungle Machine

    Nora Brech
    3
  • Castle of Books

    Alessandro Sanna
    3
  • Gaspard Best in Show

    Zeb Soanes
    James Mayhew
    3
  • The Giggle Pigs

    Leonie Lord
    3

Ages 8-10

  • Lily at Lissadell

    Judi Curtin
    5
  • The Velvet Fox

    Catherine Fisher
    5
  • Dr Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System

    Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
    5
  • Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror

    Natasha Farrant
    5
  • Nevertell

    Katherine Orton
    5
  • Can I Touch Your Hair? A Conversation

    Irene Latham
    Charles Waters
    5
  • HUMANIMAL Incredible Ways Animals Are Just Like Us!

    Christopher Lloyd
    5
  • I Cosmo

    Carlie Sorosiak
    Ben Mantle
    5
  • A Gallery of Cats

    Ruth Brown
    5
  • Oscar Seeks a Friend

    Pawel Pawlak
    4
  • The Fate of Fausto

    Oliver Jeffers
    4
  • The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules

    Gerald Killingworth
    4
  • Plastic Sucks!

    Dougie Poynter
    4
  • A Postcard to Ollis

    Ingunn Thon
    4
  • The Glassblower's Children

    Maria Gripe
    Harold Gripe
    4
  • The Impossible Boy

    Ben Brooks
    4
  • Through the Eyes Of Us

    Jon Roberts
    Hannah Rounding
    4
  • Jane Goodall: A Life With Chimps

    Anita Ganeri
    4
  • The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch

    Tom Fletcher
    4
  • The House Without Windows

    Barbara Newhall Follett
    3
  • The Night's Realm

    Nick Ward
    3
  • Ant Clancy: Games Detective

    Ruth Morgan
    2

Ages 10-14

  • Lily at Lissadell

    Judi Curtin
    5
  • Pet

    Akwaeke Emezi
    5
  • Some Places More than Others

    Renée Watson
    5
  • Rise Up! The Art of Protest

    Jo Rippon
    5
  • Deeplight

    Frances Hardinge
    5
  • The Pearl in the Ice

    Cathryn Constable
    4
  • The Somerset Tsunami

    Emma Carroll
    4
  • Invisible in a Bright Light

    Sally Gardner
    4
  • Cyborg Cat and the Night Spider

    Ade Adepitan
    4
  • M is for Movement (Aka Humans Can’t Eat Golf balls)

    Innosanto Nagara
    4
  • We Are The Beaker Girls

    Jacqueline Wilson
    4
  • The Boy Giant

    Michael Morpurgo
    4
  • The Fountains of Silence

    Ruta Sepetys
    4
  • The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch

    Tom Fletcher
    4
  • The Fowl Twins

    Eoin Colfer
    3
  • Beyond Platform 13

    Eva Ibbotson
    Sibéal Pounder
    3
  • Resistance

    Brian Gallagher
    3
  • White Eagles

    Elizabeth Wein
    3

Ages 14+

  • Pumpkin Heads

    Rainbow Rowell
    5
  • Scars Like Wings

    Erin Stewart
    5
  • The M Word

    Brian Conaghan
    4
  • Full Disclosure

    Camryn Garrett
    4
  • India Smythe Stands Up

    Sarah Govett
    4
  • The Secret Runners of New York

    Matthew Reilly
    4
  • That Asian Kid

    Savita Kalhan
    3

Books About Children's Books

  • Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children’s Books

    Clare Pollard
    5
  • The 100 Best Children’s Books

    Brian Alderson
    5
  • Why was Billy Bunter Never Really Expelled? And another twenty-five mysteries of children's literature

    Dennis Butts
    Peter Hunt
    3

BfK News

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

read more...
LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

Klaus Flugge Prize logo

read more...
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.

read more...
LONGLIST FOR THE 2021 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

The longlist for the 2021 Branford Boase Award has been announced. Set up in memory of award-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase, one of the founders of Walker Books, the Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children.

read more...
NATASHA FARRANT WINS 2020 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Natasha Farrant

Writer and literary scout Natasha Farrant has won the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award for Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, a book which the judges described as ‘pure heavenly escapism and a purely joyful read.’

read more...
ROBIN WALKER WINS THE 2020 ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD FOR BLACK HISTORY MATTERS

The winner of the 2020 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award is Black History Matters: The Story of Black History, From African Kingdoms to Black Lives Matter. Written by acclaimed Black historian, Robin Walker, the 2020 judges praised this accessible, comprehensive and inspiring book which provides a timely introduction both to Black history and the Black Lives Matter movement.

read more...
IBBY UK nominate Marcus Sedgwick and David McKee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2022

IBBY UK has announced that Marcus Sedgwick and David McKee will be the UK nominations for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

read more...
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)

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BOOKTRUST’S REPRESENTS INTERIM RESEARCH & CLPE REFLECTING REALITIES SURVEY 2020

CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020

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