Home
  • Home
  • Latest Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Authors & Artists
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Forums
  • Search

Books for Keeps 238 - the children's book magazine online

  • View
  • Rearrange

Digital version – browse, print or download

Can't see the preview?
Click here!

How to print the digital edition of Books for Keeps: click on this PDF file link - click on the printer icon in the top right of the screen to print.

BfK Newsletter

Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!

BfK No. 238 - September 2019
BfK 238 September 2019

This issue’s cover illustration is from Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World written and illustrated by Konnie Huq. Thanks to Piccadilly Press for their help with this September cover.
Digital Edition
By clicking here you can view, print or download the fully artworked Digital Edition of BfK 238 September 2019 .

BfK No. 238 Articles

The Books for Keeps Christmas Books Gift List 2019

In one list, all the books we receommend for giving 2019

Guest Editorial Jill Coleman of BookTrust

Jill Coleman of BookTrust introduces BookTrust Represents

The Unsung Art of Reading Aloud

Clare Pollard stands up for the unsung art of reading aloud

Reflecting Realities – one year on

Louise Johns-Shepherd reviews CLPE's survey of ethnic representation one year after publication

Ten of the Best: Books for Coping with Anxiety

Chosen by Beth Cox and Natalie Costa

Authorgraph 238: Robert Muchamore

Robert Muchamore, up close and personal: interview by Damian Kelleher

Windows into Illustration: Grahame Baker Smith

Windows into Illustration: Grahame Baker-Smith

Taking lessons from Miss Stretchberry: poetry writing with children

Poetry writing caught not taught

Beyond the Secret Garden: Animal Fables and Dehumanization

An examination of the use of animals in children’s stories about racial and cultural diversity

I Wish I’d Written: Laura Wood Chooses Her Favourite Comfort Read

Laura Wood chooses

Good Reads 238

Chosen by chosen by pupils at The King’s School, Chester

… We All Fall Down

Sally Nicholls worries we’ve forgotten about the plague

What I think about when I think about Roald Dahl

Matt Brown explains what Roald Dahl means to him

Pictures Mean Business

Sarah McIntyre tells us why Pictures Mean Business

Classics in Short No 137: Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The origins of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL JENNINGS

The much-loved Australian author interviewed

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH SARA TROFA

Sara Trofa answers our questions on her book Taxi Ride with Victor

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH SIBÉAL POUNDER

Sibéal Pounder is inspired by an Eva Ibbotson classic.

AN INTERVIEW WITH EMMA CARROLL

A girl born lucky, a terrifying tsunami, and a terrifying witch-hunt

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH PIP JONES AND SARA OGILVIE

Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie introduce Izzy Gizmo

THE PEARL IN THE ICE A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH CATHRYN CONSTABLE

The author of The Wolf Princess and The White Tower discusses her latest book.

Editor's Choice

Moonstruck!: Poems About Our Moon

Roger Stevens
Ed Boxall
(Otter-Barry Books Ltd)
4

It is always a treat to have a new anthology from Roger Stevens. This collection certainly does not disappoint. Taking inspiration from the celebrations around the first moon landing fifty years ago, Roger has gathered together work from a galaxy...

read more

New Talent

The Magic Place

Chris Wormell
(David Fickling Books)
5

Clementine has never seen the outside world. She is kept shut up inside No 10 Blackstone Street, home to her aunt and uncle. When not locked in her cellar room, she must clean and tidy for them. Her only companion (when he feels like it) is the...

read more

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 238

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

Under 5s

  • My Friends

    Max Low
    5
  • Red Red Red

    Polly Dunbar
    5
  • Together We Can

    Caryl Hart
    4
  • Who's Going To Bed?

    Abie Longstaff
    4
  • Harry In A Hurry

    Timothy Knapman
    Gemma Merino
    4
  • Mr Scruff

    Simon James
    4
  • The Rabbit Listened

    Cori Doerrfeld
    4
  • Fergal in a Fix!

    Robert Starling
    4
  • Pick A Pumpkin

    Jarvis
    Patricia Toht
    3

Ages 5-8

  • Quill Soup

    Alan Durant
    Dale Blankenaar
    5
  • Small In The City

    Sydney Smith
    5
  • Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon

    Helaine Becker
    Dow Phumiruk
    5
  • Uki and the Outcasts

    Kieran Larwood
    David Wyatt
    Fernando Jaurez
    5
  • Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue

    Paula Harrison
    4
  • Dave and the Tooth Fairy

    Verna Wilkins
    Carl Pearce
    4
  • The Bug Collector

    Alex G Griffiths
    4
  • Bear Out There

    Jacob Grant
    4
  • I Really Want to Win

    Simon Philip
    Lucia Gaggiotti
    4
  • Life On Mars

    John Agee
    4
  • Free

    Sam Usher
    4
  • Sam Wu Is NOT Afraid Of Spiders

    Nathan Reed
    Kevin Tsang
    Katie Tsang
    4
  • A Boy's Best Friend

    Nicola Davies
    Cathy Fisher
    4
  • Clem And Crab

    Fiona Lumbers
    4
  • Look Up!

    Nathan Bryon
    Dapa Adeola
    4
  • The Misadventures Of Frederick

    Emma Chichester Clark
    Ben Manley
    4
  • Everyone Can Draw

    Fifi Kuo
    3

Ages 8-10

  • The Magic Place

    Chris Wormell
    5
  • Lori and Max

    Catherine O Flynn
    5
  • Moonstruck!: Poems About Our Moon

    Roger Stevens
    Ed Boxall
    4
  • What's That In Dog Years?

    Julia Christians
    Ben Davis
    4
  • Ariki and the Island of Wonders

    Nicola Davies
    Nicola Kinnear
    4
  • Stretch Your Confidence, Discover What You Can Do!

    Vicky Barker
    Beth Cox
    4
  • My Family And Other Ghosts

    Lou Kuenzler
    3
  • The International Yeti Collective

    Paul Mason
    Katy Riddell
    3
  • The Extraordinary Life of Neil Armstrong

    Martin Howard
    Freda Chiu
    1

Ages 10-14

  • The Tzar's Curious Runaways

    Robin Scott-Elliot
    5
  • Top Marks for Murder

    Robin Stevens
    5
  • Where the River Runs Gold

    Sita Brahmachari
    5
  • Blast Off To the Moon!

    Ralph Timberlake
    5
  • The Girl with Space in Her Heart

    Lara Williamson
    5
  • A Pocketful of Stars

    Aisha Bushby
    4
  • Patina

    Jason Reynolds
    4
  • Gloves Off

    Louisa Reid
    4
  • The Bad Luck Lighthouse

    Nicki Thornton
    4
  • Max Kowalski Didn't Mean It

    Susie Day
    4
  • The Switching Hour

    Damaris Young
    4
  • Wolf Light

    Yaba Badoe
    4
  • Flember: The Secret Book

    Jamie Smart
    4
  • The Space We're In

    Laura Carlin
    Katya Balen
    4
  • Inchtinn: Island of Shadows

    Danny Weston
    Miranda Harris
    4
  • Fire Girl, Forest Boy

    Chloe Daykin
    4
  • The Wind in the Wall

    Sally Gardner
    Rovina Cai
    3

Ages 14+

  • The Wishing Bones

    Michelle Lovric
    5
  • Chinglish

    Sue Cheung
    5
  • Snowflake AZ

    Marcus Sedgwick
    4
  • What Magic Is This?

    Holly Bourne
    4
  • Heartstream

    Tom Pollock
    4
  • Furious Thing

    Jenny Downham
    4
  • Charcoal Boys

    Roger Mello
    Daniel Hahn
    4
  • Patron Saints of Nothing

    Randy Ribay
    4
  • We Hunt the Flame

    Hafsah Faizal
    3
  • I Hold Your Heart

    Karen Gregory
    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)

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

CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020

read more...
more
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Help/FAQ
  • My Account