The last month has been amazing, watching the nominations come in. I thought that I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, but I had no idea there were so many excellent books in the genre published in one year. The nominating committee is having a great time reading all these good books, but it’s going to be difficult …
The Nominations
Graphic Novel
Graphic Novels fly off the shelves–in libraries, in bookstores, and in classrooms. It’s no surprise, then, that each year, more and more Graphic Novels are being written for children as young as six years old. Liz B. of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy coordinated the Graphic Novel category and presents a list of 35 titles. Some of …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Team Moon
Today’s review of the day is of a title nominated for the Non-fiction (Middle Grade and YA) category. Kimberly Pauley, of YA Books Central and a member of the Non-fiction (MG and YA) nominating committee, thinks Team Moon rocks (hah!) for a number of reasons. Here’s the why in her review: An inspiring look at the Apollo 11 Mission a …
The Nominations
Middle Grade Fiction
When we began setting up The Cybils and seeking coordinators for the various prize categories, selecting a chairperson for the Middle Grade Fiction category was, as the kids say, a no-brainer. Betsy, author of A Fuse #8 Production and a librarian at The Donnell Central Children’s Room in NYC, reviews a book a day, most often in the Middle Grade …
The Nominations
Non-fiction (Middle Grade and YA)
In the time of awards season, some of you may be wondering, why another children’s book award? We’ve already mentioned that we seek to strike a balance with our awards, by finding the best in kid-friendly, entertaining, and worthy books for the youngsters. But, there’s another reason behind The Cybils. Many genres are overlooked during awards season, most notably Poetry, …
The Nominations
Poetry
Susan, of Chicken Spaghetti, coordinated nominations for the Poetry category. Twenty-six books made the long list, featuring verse on everything from Blackbeard to Jazz. Here are the nominated titles:
The Nominations
Non-fiction Picture Books
It’s Nov 21 and nominations for The Cybils are now officially closed. Longlists of nominated titles are trickling in and we’ll be posting them all by the week’s end. First up–Non-fiction Picture Books. Chris Barton of Bartography has coordinated the Non-fiction Picture Books category, a job much more complicated than it first appeared. Think about it: What is Non-Fiction, especially …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Toys Go Out
Hi, everyone! This is Kelly Herold, organizer for the Picture Book (Fiction) category. I also am on the nominating committee for the Middle Grade Fiction award and have been reading, reading, reading. Here’s a review of a new title I’ve read recently: Toys Go Out. Toys Go Out, by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, is one of …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
This Jazz Man
Today’s Review of the Day is brought to you by our Picture Book Non-Fiction Committee Organizer, Chris Barton. Chris is a writer of Non-Fiction for Children and runs a wonderful blog about writing and books for kids at Bartography. Today Chris reviews a title nominated for a Non-Fiction Picture Book Cybil, This Jazz Man. **************************** The last time I wrote …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
The Lurkers
Our review of the day is by resident Sorceress of Fantasy, Michele Fry of Scholar’s Blog. Michele reads and reviews Fantasy titles for children and adults almost every day of the week. She’s also on the Cybils nominating committee for the, believe it or not, Fantasy category! Charles Butler’s brand new book, The Lurkers, is a disturbing tale of a …