The Ultimate Book Guide

30th January 2004, 12:00am

Share

The Ultimate Book Guide

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/ultimate-book-guide
TES books editor Geraldine Brennan on the inside literary track

The Ultimate Book Guide, coming soon from Aamp;C Black (pound;15.99), points eight to 12-year-olds towards 600 books, each with at least one passionate fan in the world of children’s books. Contributors include Jacqueline Wilson (who loves Karen Wallace’s Raspberries on the Yangtze), and Brian Jacques’s Redwall gets a vote of confidence from Tim Cross of the top teens’ book site, www.cool-reads.co.uk, and from eight-year-old Alexander Male, winner of a competition set up by the editorial team (“They are all so brilliant. I couldn’t pick the best one.”)

As Anne Fine points out in her introduction, finding the first recommendation that takes a child’s fancy might need persistence if you don’t know the title or the author, but the themed lists, special features on favourite genres (by authors including Hilary McKay and Dick King-Smith) and suggestions for further reading are a browser’s delight. She advocates persistence (and support for libraries and independent bookshops) in telling children how to get their hands on the books they want: “Be resourcefulI If it doesn’t arrive, go back and ask again.”

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared