Achuka |
Leaving aside the fact that the name sounds like the
noise you would emit if you wanted to sneeze, this is a fast and colourful
book news site. Once packed with information, the site now looks a bit sadly
with difficult navigation and too many ads. Still a worthwhile resource for
the latest info on books.
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Amazon UK |
More useful than the American one, the UK Amazon hasn't
yet started its plan of world domination of every industry. You can find all
the books on this site and more at Amazon, and many have useful customer
reviews so you can get a group opinion before buying.
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Amazon US |
Proudly proclaims that it's the world's largest store
and how can you argue with that? In amongst the baby stuff, umbrellas,
lawnmowers and kettles you might actually find some books. Simply too vast
to be of any use.
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Bookheads |
Set up as part of the teenage 2003 book prize, and run
by the Booktrust, this site gives you a chance to learn about the
shortlisted books and win free books as part of a competition. You can also
see what the other 'bookheads' on this site think including cool-reads very
own Tim Cross!
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Brian Jacques Online |
A huge number of pages and a vast amount of content
make this site a winner. This site is a must for all Redwall fanatics.
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British Booksellers |
A good place to start because you get links to 20 or so
different British online booksellers. All the usual ones are there plus some
you won't have heard of.
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Darren Shan |
Darren Shan, the author famous for churning out a
seemingly never ending series of books. Check out the Shanography and read
some extracts. Proof that Shan is taking over the world - there is a
American, British and Japanese version of the site.
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Darryl Sloan |
A truly great site with lots of info on Darryl's book
Ulterior. Cool-reads loved Ulterior, find out more about this book and where
you can get hold of it on this site.
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Education Extra's Reading Club Website |
If your school would like to set up a reading club then
this is an ideal place to go. It's probably not the most interesting of
sites, but if you want some helpful advice then this is a good place to go.
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Encompass Culture |
Calling
itself the 'world wide book-club' this is an ideal place to vent your
feelings on fiction and books in general. It's a hugely interactive site
with online chat, discussion and book details. The site has a very slick
flash version which is worth checking out. You can choose between loads of
different book genres and add new reviews of the books you find.
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Henrietta Bradford Online |
Tragically, Henrietta Brandford died of breast cancer
in 1999. The site celebrates her life and her works, which have won many
awards around the world.
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Hodder
Childrens Books |
Bite, the
range of teenage books from Hodder, can now be won in a new competition
found at the address below. Simply fill in the details and they will let
you know if you've won within 24 hours. What could be easier?
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John Sims |
A fairly good bookseller and well worth a visit as long
as you are not expecting too much in the way of website design. There's a
wide range of books, and the site also ties in with the BBC Big Read
programs.
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Jubilee Books |
Good design and lots of choice. Can't really compete
with Amazon, but then again is not trying to. Aimed mostly at schools. There
is an online magazine provided also.
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KidsAndReading |
Of particular interest to parents and teachers, this website provides information on getting children to read and different styles of learning. The most useful information is found on the 'Children & Reading' page.
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Melvin Burgess |
Quite a plain site, but Melvin has a lot to say on it.
There is his side of the argument on the recent article by Anne Fine on
Doing It. Also learn about his other books (all have had their covers
redesigned recently).
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Michael Lawrence Site |
A slightly old fashioned site about Michael Lawrence's
work. Most of his books are for younger readers. You can read excerpts and
there is the chance to contact him from here.
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Mrs Mad's Book-a-Rama |
Stuffed with hundreds of lines on the first page and
links to Amazon everywhere - but perservere and you will find there are lots
of book reviews which are well laid out and easy to read. Probably better
for the younger age range.
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My Home Library |
Too many little animated frogs. If you think that you
can cope with little frogs peering out from behind signs then you'll find
some good stuff here, but, it might help to not try and cover such a wide
age range.
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Neil Arksey Online |
Apparently designed by a separate design company - you
wouldn't know it! Get past the lame 'shake the author' thing and there is
some good information on his books.
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Paperback shop |
Pretty garish layout when you first go, but there is
quite a lot of stuff there when you take the time to look around. Worth
looking for if you can't find a book elsewhere.
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Reading is FUNdemental |
A nice site, but it will probably discourage some
people because it's aiming towards parents and teachers. It's one of those
sites full of ideas to help get your child reading.
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Reading Matters |
Boring as mud design and old fashioned 'children must
read' approach aren't going to be the best things about this site. On the
plus side the bookchooser isn't bad and the reviews are descriptive enough
to give you a good idea of the book.
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Reading Maze |
A cool little site with the help of a lot of authors
behind it. You guide a little barking dog around a maze to find all the
authors. Won't take you very long but fun nonetheless.
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Roald Dahl Website |
The website of the great man himself. A truly great
site, and a piece of art in it's own right. Voiceovers by Sophie Dahl and
illustrations by Quentin Blake are the icing on the cake. Make sure you have
enough flash though, otherwise nothing will happen!
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Robin Jarvis Online |
The site of the truly scary books by Robin Jarvis. Lots
of stuff to see, like artwork, wallpapers and details on all of his series.
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The Book Monster |
Nice design here, plus there is a lot of content as
well. It's worth watching out for some of the other features that they do -
occasionally there are things like competitions and other stuff going on.
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The Book Trust |
Lots of information here - plus some news on the 2003
book prize but the reviews on the books are quite short. Still, you'll find
the site well laid out and pleasing to read. Very much aimed at parents and
teachers so be prepared for the 'tips on getting your child to read' bits.
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The Chicken House |
The site of one of the new publishers to watch out for.
This site is brilliant if you've got Flash. You navigate by the basket of
eggs in the corner and watch the chickens walking across the screen. Don't
worry - it will all make sense when you get there. On the down side it is
quite slow to load.
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The Children's Book Shop |
Sells thousands of second hand children's books. If
there's a book you can't find elsewhere then it's worth checking this site
to see if you can find it here. The people who work there are also very
friendly and helpful.
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The Children's Bookcase |
Nice site, and the books are categorised into age
ranges - so you can easily find books that you might like. One problem is
that the last age range goes from 12 to 15, so you might find a lot of too
childish books in there.
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What's Hot |
A design that's going to burn your retinas and a
promising start to this fairly new site. There are quite a lot of reviews -
but we think it could do with a better layout and management of categories.
Worth keeping an eye out for. |