Are you as excited as we are by the impending reveal of the 2018 Cybils Finalists? Don’t forget to tune in to the blog tomorrow or follow us on Twitter for the big announcement! In the meantime, we have another featured review today from one of our Round 1 judges, Pamela Thompson McLeod, a writer, editorial intern, and reviewer from …
REVIEW: Dear Martin
Today’s featured review might be a first for the Cybils blog–or, anyway, a rarity: Round 1 Young Adult Fiction judge Stephanie Galvan Russell is a vlogger, and she posted a video review about YA Fiction nominee Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Stephanie is a middle school librarian, former teacher, and YA enthusiast, and her vlog is called Lispy Librarian. Episode …
The Gift of Giving
We are constantly amazed at our Cybils judges. They spend personal time reading books and thinking and discussing about them, and championing kids books all over the internet. But, sometimes, they do things that go above and beyond, and we sit back in amazement and feel a need to share. Our Fiction Picture Book/Board Book Chair, Deb Nance, sent us …
REVIEW: Friends and Foes: Poems for Us All
Happy Boxing Day! Our featured review for today comes via Round 2 Poetry judge and Cybils regular Sylvia Vardell, an author and professor who blogs at Poetry for Children. Earlier this year, she looked at Poetry nominee Friends and Foes: Poems for Us All by Douglas Florian: You’ll find 25 poems on many different aspects of friendship, including some of …
REVIEW: Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish
Today’s featured review comes from longtime Cybils returnee Sarah Sammis, a librarian in Northern California who is a Round 1 Middle Grade Fiction judge this year. On her blog Puss Reboots, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction nominee Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya: Marcus Vega is tall for his age and he’s taken on the role of protector …
REVIEW: March Forward, Girl
After a bit of a hiatus earlier this week, our featured blog reviews are back with Junior High Nonfiction nominee March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine, a memoir written by civil rights activist Melba Pattillo Beals and illustrated by Frank Morrison. One of our Round 1 judges, Rebecca G. Aguilar, reviewed this book on her blog, …
The Armchair Cybils Shortlist Contest
The Round One panelists are in the last stages of creating the short-lists for each of the Cybils categories. While they are hard at work, we thought it would be fun to get YOUR guess on what those finalist lists will look like! So we’re hosting a #CybilsShortlist contest! The Contest: Predict the Finalists List for a single category. Grand …
REVIEW: Hey Kiddo
Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka is today’s featured nominee, from the Young Adult Graphic Novels category. Mel Schuit, a Round 1 judge and picture book enthusiast, posted about this title (and a few other nominees) this past fall on her blog Let’s Talk Picture Books: Jarrett does everything he can to make his non-normal life seem normal, and as …
Help Out the Cybils With Your Holiday Shopping!
If you’re anything like me, you’re just getting started on your holiday shopping. The good news is, we’ve got your kidlit book recommendations covered! And if you buy books or ANYTHING after clicking through from a Cybils affiliate link, we get a teensy percentage of the purchase price–so don’t forget about Cybils when you’re doing your inevitable last-minute Amazon shopping …
REVIEW: Happy Grumpy Loved: A Little Book of Feelings
Our featured blog review for today comes from Round 1 judge Dawn Mooney, a mom and former preschool teacher who blogs at 5 Minutes for Books. Over the summer, she reviewed Board Books nominee Happy Grumpy Loved: A Little Book of Feelings written by Ruth Austin and illustrated by Kanae Sato: Ruth Austin and illustrator Kanae Sato have come together to …