Most of us at Team Cybils have spent this holiday season with our noses deep in a book. We’d like to come up for air long enough to wish you all a happy holiday, whereever you are and however you celebrate. We’re sure there’ll be a stack of books under your tree. But if you’re stuck on what to get, …
Review of the Day
Return to Labyrinth
What do you do when one of your favorite movies comes out in a comic-book sequel? A. Fortis at the group blog ReadingYA: Reader’s Rants approached Return to Labyrinth with some trepidation: Sorry if it sounds a little harsh, but the movie was one of those cherished pre-teen experiences that I didn’t want marred by some inferior fan-fic crapfest. At …
Sounds of the Cybils
As Cybils progressed from a gee-whiz comment on Kelly’s blog to a real event with 80 volunteers and nearly 700 books to read, I wondered what it would be like to meet some of the kidlit bloggers helping us. Who are you? What brought you to our contest? What would it be like to sit down and chat with some …
Festival of Lights
On behalf of Team Cybils, I’d like to wish all our Jewish readers and their families, friends, pets, co-workers, neighbors and casual acquaintances a Happy Chanukah, which begins at sundown tonight. Here’s hoping the latkes are hot, the doughnuts are fresh and there’s heaps of delicious books in crisp wrapping paper next to your menorah. We’ll see you throughout next …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Tour America
It’s a rare reviewer who can capture a book’s soul, not just sum up its plot, book-report style. A review must bring the work to life — its themes, its language, even what’s written between the lines — but it must be done in the reviewer’s unique voice. For an example of this difficult art at its loveliest, we’re offering …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Life As We Knew It
Science Fiction and Fantasy takes us places we cannot go by plane, train or even space shuttle. The Cybils organizers expected it to be a popular category, and fans didn’t disappoint, nominating 87 titles! Today’s pick from that list gives us an alternate view of our own era after an apocalyptic calamity. The reviewer, Kim Baccellia, adds personal details to …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Freedom Walkers
Two reviews for MG/YA non-fiction today, both short and sweet. Ida Walker of Sweet Tea and Magnolias and Emily M. of EmilyReads took on Russell Freedman’s Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Here’s Ida’s review: The story is told in a manner that keeps the reader interested. Though factual, it’s not dry. The photographs enhance the text, …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
The Year of the Dog
Like many of our volunteers, Andi at A Wrung Sponge is a children’s librarian, and the name of her thoughtful blog is meant to suggest how she soaks up all she reads: So here I am, wringing it out. Just wanted a place to reflect … and see if anyone else is reading the same things. In this review of …
Nominations are now closed
Thanks to the many hundreds of people who stopped by to list a favorite book in any of our eight categories. You can look forward to reading the full lists over the course of the coming days–just in time to start your holiday shopping! All the book titles will be linked to Amazon, and we earn a microscopic commission from …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
The Softwire
In March 2002, while much of the rest of the world was still on dial-up, author Gail Gauthier was starting her blog, one of the very first on children’s literature. She’s been posting her penetrating essays and reviews ever since, becoming one of the most influential bloggers in our sunlit corner of Internet. Why she isn’t as big by now …