Blackout by John Rocco Hyperion Nominated by: Jennifer Donovan When all the lights in Brooklyn go out one summer night, families are suddenly not busy, much to the delight of a young child. Without power, the family can’t dotheir many insular electronic tasks and have time to play games together, socialize with their neighbors and even look at the stars …
2011 Finalists: Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch Amulet Nominated by: Els Kushner Mirka would much rather spend her time slaying dragons than taking knitting lessons from her stepmother. But there seems to be a lack of dragons in Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives. That won’t stop Mirka from outwitting a giant pig, making …
2011 Finalists: Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult))
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1) by Susan Ee Feral Dream Nominated by: Lydia Dawson Angels have attacked the world, killing billions. Humans have gone savage in order to survive. There’s a seventeen-year-old girl in the middle of it all trying to keep her family together and find a place amid the madness where she can eke …
2011 Finalists: Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd by Patrick Ness Candlewick Press Nominated by: Monica Edinger The first night Conor is awakened by a monster he believes it is all a dream, but he soon discovers this monster is very real and very serious about getting the truth from him. But even Conor does not know the …
2011 Finalists: Book Apps
Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential Graphic Novel by Annie Fox Free Spirit Publishing, developed by Electric Eggplant Nominated by: Amy Jussel This is an app created especially for tweens and young teens. It’s a full-color cartoon-illustrated graphic novel with scenarios based on everyday situations many young people encounter such as hanging out with friends and …
2011 Finalists: Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books
Easy Readers Aggie Gets Lost (Aggie and Ben) by Lori Ries Charlesbridge Nominated by: Jeff Barger Aggie and Ben are back for a new adventure in the fourth installment of this endearing series. Ben takes a restless Aggie to the park for a game of fetch, but Aggie gets lost when the ball is thrown too far. Lost dog stories …
Neener Neener Neeners
The lists of finalists are streaming in from our panels and I'm as thrilled as ever. Some exciting stuff awaits you at 12:01 am Mountain Time (2:01 am Eastern, 11:01 am Pacific) on January 1st. There's a good mix of familiar authors and new discoveries, plus at least one self-published title in the mix. Hints? Spoilers? Keep dreaming. See you …
Review
“The Mockingbirds” by Daisy Whitney
We at Cybils hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and there were lots of books under your tree or magically appearing in your Nook/Kindle/iPad or whatever. Welcome back! Today's review is of a book that's kind of a downer, so don't read on if you don't like books about Bad Things That Happen. That's a heckuva lot of YA …
Teen Fantasy Roundup
I met Maureen Kearney at Kidlit Con in September and was relieved to find another 'Zonie (short for Arizonan) shivering in what Seattle calls early autumn. Maureen is another Cybils veteran and this year is judging in teen Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her regular gig is at Confessions of a Bibliovore, where she's been doing some brief roundups of the …
Review
“Blackout” by John Rocco
I was a kid when New York City had its big blackout in the 1970s. Stories of looting gave the Big Apple a big, black eye for decades. By the time a power outage hit again a few years ago, the city had returned to a more civilized, neighbor-helping-neighbor kind of place. Blackout by John RoccoHyperion Natalia Ortega-Brown reviews a …