A Tapestry of Tales: Folklore from Around the World #CYBILS2024 Book List

What we love about this year’s collection of nominated and submitted folklore is the rich diversity of the cultures represented. [See list below]. Readers are immersed in

Legends that are centuries old but freshly told.
Tales with magic to capture the imagination.
Stories where natural and unexplained worlds collide.

through stories told visually in graphic novels and picture books, verse poetry, and traditional prose.

Find these books, as well as folklore and legends of CYBILS past in this list at Bookshop.org.

A book included in this list doesn’t imply anything about its eligibility for a CYBILS Award, nor is it an endorsement.

This post contains buy links which earn the CYBILS Awards advertising fees through Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates.

Book covers link to Goodreads. Blurbs extracted from Goodreads.

Amir and the Jinn Princess

Amir (12) is heir to the Rafiq Bricks Company, a wealthy brick kiln business in Pakistan—except he wants none of it. Amir would rather spend time in the courtyard garden, where he can almost feel his missing mother’s presence again. Amir is devastated when his baba announces plans to remarry by the end of the summer, dropping all searches to find Amir’s mother. Amir is determined to find his mother before his life changes forever. He strikes a deal with Shamsha, a shape-shifting jinn princess. The challenges are big and the truth - just be careful what you wish for.
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf

Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He's nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji's family's kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn't figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford's adopted son, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). And all of this is made more complicated by the fact that, secretly, Benji and his entire family are werewolves, who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities!
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate

Farrah sees her father just one day every year—her birthday. But this year, her wish to bring them closer goes wildly awry when Farrah discovers she is a half-jinn...and her father is one of the seven great jinn kings. Her wish traps her father inside a legendary ring, and the other six jinn kings will follow unless Farrah can rectify her mistake.

Pursued by menacing shadow jinn, Farrah’s quest takes her to a floating mountain range. Joined by Idris, the jinn boy whom she inadvertently freed from the ring, and her newly discovered half-brother, Yaseen, Farrah must find a way to navigate the mysteries and dangers of her new world in order to save her father and face the most devious jinn lord of all.
EMG Speculative Fiction submission, 2024

The Fox Maidens

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior. Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.
Young Adult Graphic Novel nominee, 2024

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other.
YA Speculative Fiction nominee

An Illustrated History of Urban Legends

From the campfire to the digital rumor mill, urban legends have flourished wherever we tell stories. Whether once true, sprouted from half remembered facts or entirely fictional, we have scrutinized these legends for centuries. This book will ferry you across a river of uncanny tales, from classic folklore to contemporary urban legend. So, check the closet, make sure the skies are clear and delve in if you are ready to imagine the strange.
High School Nonfiction nominee, 2024

Impossible Creatures (Impossible Creatures, #1)

The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It's the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it's the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help. Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying.
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Kadooboo!: A Silly South Indian Folktale

Kadooboo! Golden brown, puffy, sweet, and crunchy, it’s fresh from the pan―a delicious treat! As soon as it’s ready, Kabir runs home with some to share.
He’s got to be quick, before the rain! But wait … can he remember the treat’s name? (His Amma is sure to ask!) This modern retelling of a South Indian folktale blends playful wordplay with delightfully quick pacing in a story about friends, family, and food―the perfect recipe for a satisfying story time.
Fiction Picture Book nominee, 2024

Kwame Crashes the Underworld

Kwame Powell refuses to acknowledge any feelings about his grandmother’s passing. And he certainly doesn't want to accompany his parents to her celebration of life ceremony in Ghana, where he knows he'll have to face his feelings about her death head-on. But when an aboatia – a mischievous monkey from Akan mythology – steals Kwame's grandmother’s dashiki, his last physical reminder of her, Kwame decides to take matters into his own hands. Soon Kwame finds himself embroiled with angry nature gods intent on destroying humanity. And, matters only get more complicated when he runs into none other than his grandmother herself... except in the underworld, she’s still a kid. And very much alive.
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

The Last Rhee Witch (The Last Rhee Witch #1)

Since her mother died when she was five years old, it’s always just been Ronnie Miller and her dad. As long as she has her dad and her best friend Jack, Ronnie is 99% certain she can get through anything. But as much as she wants everything to stay the same, the world—and her dad—have other plans. For a girl who wants everything to stay the same, nothing is scarier than all the changes sleepaway camp brings.

EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Lola

Ten-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before.EMG Speculative Fiction submission, 2024

Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried

Lola Reyes doesn’t want to leave Guatemala, a place full of warmth and sun, laughter and music—where her abuela and prima and tíos and tías surround her with love. Back at home... Lola can see, crystal clear, the empty place where Pop used to be. So Lola decides to bring a little bit of Guatemala—and Pop—back with her. She discovers his box of childhood worry dolls and sneaks them into her luggage, ignoring the warnings on the box not to use them. Later, when she tells them all her worries, from her friendship woes to the way Mama won’t talk about how sad she is, the worry dolls come to life! Worse—they escape!
EMG Speculative Fiction submission, 2024

Night Stories: Folktales from Latin America

From the Amazon basin comes the story of the Iara, a mermaid (or is she a pink dolphin?) who lures young men to her underground domain. From Chile and Uruguay comes the legend of La Lechuza , an enormous Owl with the face of a woman, who terrorizes those who venture out after dark. Finally, on the Argentine pampas, we witness two gauchos’ encounter with La Luz Mala , a spooky, evanescent light that terrorizes travelers.
Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novels submission, 2024

Nightmares in Paradise (Ring of Solomon #2)

Zach Darlington saved the world from total apocalypse and all he got was grounded. He’s not even allowed to watch his favorite horror movies anymore, and now his parents want to ship him off to boarding school!

But before Zach can talk some sense into his parents, his little sister, Naomi, lands in an unexplainable coma. Zach’s friend Ash (yep, Zach and the King of Demons are friends now) knows this was the work of Ash’s eternal nemesis, the Archangel Uriel. And the only way to revive Naomi is with the fruit from the Tree of Life. Yeah, that tree. The one in the Garden of Eden.
EMG Speculative Fiction submission

Our Divine Mischief

A sweeping YA fantasy inspired by Scottish history and folklore, Our Divine Mischief takes readers on a journey told in three voices: a determined heroine, an outcast young man, and a wish-granting canine. Their adventure spans an island fishing village to the king’s court in a story about identity, belonging, and the love between a human and her dog.
YA Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Bl…

Featuring an all-star group of thirty-seven powerful poetic voices, including such luminaries as Kwame Alexander, James Baldwin, Ibi Zoboi, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks, this riveting anthology depicts the diversity of the Black experience by fostering a conversation about race, faith, heritage, and resilience between fresh poets and the literary ancestors that came before them.
Poetry Collections nominee, 2024

The Selkie’s Daughter

Brigit knows all the old songs and legends by of Neve, the daughter of the see; of people who are not quite human. Brigit knows she’s the daughter of a selkie. A truth she must keep secret from everyone. When a villager starts killing young seals, the king of the selkie clan vows revenge. To protect those she loves, Brigit must find her way to the land of selkies to confront the Great Selkie and protect the young seals from harm.
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

The Serpent Rider

Tani dreams of fulfilling her destiny as a Serpent Rider, fighting alongside an elemental serpent to defend her village against monsters. More than anything, she wants to protect her little sister Ligaya. Tired of waiting for her bakunawa egg to hatch, Tani strikes a deal with a stranger who promises her a serpent of her own. But when her gamble puts her sister in major danger, Tani must find a way to save Ligaya before she's lost forever.
EMG Speculative Fiction nominee, 2024

Stories of the Islands

In Stories of the Islands takes three folk tales from her childhood in Indonesia and gives them back to the girl characters, following their hopes, dreams, and journeys for independence from malevolent forces—both natural and unnatural. Why should women in folk tales be sidelined or reduced to tropes? What if we tell their stories, instead?
Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novel, 2024

Thea and the Mischief Makers

At Pacific Academy, Thea is a star athlete, someone with friends and popularity. Not the invisible version of herself she wants to leave behind. While building a practice obstacle course, Thea wrecks a tree that is home to a pair of grumpy duwendes—Filipino goblins. She’s shocked that not only are duwendes real, but the two in her backyard want revenge. Can she fend them off before they destroy her entire neighborhood AND save her cool-girl image, too?
EMG Speculative Fiction submission, 2024

Tristan and Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights

When Merlin goes missing and Camelot falls under attack, King Arthur sends his estranged half-sister, Morgan le Fay, and esteemed Knights of the Round Table, Tristan and Lancelot, to find him. As the reluctant trio travels through Albion saving towns from treacherous foes and battling fae, their bonds deepen, and sparks fly between the two knights. Before they can sort through their complicated feelings, an unexpected dark force appears, bringing what just might be the end of Camelot.
Young Adult Graphic Novel nominee

Twelfth Knight

Viola Reyes is annoyed. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself. When a football injury leads the ever-annoying Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched.
Young Adult Fiction nominee, 2024

Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest

Young Hag has grown up hearing about the magic in Britain and the dragons, wizards, knights, round tables, and kings that pulled swords out of stones. She believed in in her the power of her Grandmother. But when tragedy strikes, and their world is shaken, Young Hag turns her back on magic. She is sick of the tales of family curses, faerie doors, lost magic, and ancient swords. If they are witches, where is their magic when they really need it?
Young Adult Graphic Novel nominee, 2024

Cultures represented in these books include: Afghani/Persian, Amazonian, British, Chilean, Filipino, Ghanaian, Indian, Indonesian, Jewish, Korean, Mexican, Pakistani, Paraguayan, and Scottish.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply