Echo Mountain (Amazon, IndieBound) by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz The Great Depression impacts twelve-year-old Ellie and her family. Losing everything forces them to move from town to the wilds of Echo Mountain. Her father, a tailor by trade, must now learn a new life and become a rugged “mountain man.” Her mother …
2020 Finalists: Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction
A Wish in the Dark (Amazon, IndieBound) by Christina Soontornvat Candlewick Press Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz In this mix of magic and Thai culture, with inspiration from Les Miserables, orphaned Pong escapes the prison where he was born with the help of his friend Somkit, who doesn’t make it out. Pong is now a fugitive from the government, …
2020 Finalists: Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels: Black Heroes of the Wild West (Amazon, IndieBound) by James Otis Smith, Introduction by Kadir Nelson TOON Graphics Publisher/ Author Submission Bold and action-packed, this graphic novel features three short vignettes about important black heroes from the Old West. With broad appeal for young and old readers alike, Smith paints a different picture than we often …
The 2020 Cybils Finalists!
It’s January 1st, our favorite day of the year! (And not just because 2020 is over!) We have gotten the nominations, read the books, debated, and chosen ones to be finalists! It’s time to Celebrate!! Now, because we know you’re curious, we have some stats for you. We had 987 books nominated across all categories (that’s fewer than years past, …
2020 Finalists: Elementary Nonfiction
Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist (Amazon, IndieBound) by Linda Skeers, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns Sourcebooks eXplore Nominated by: Alysa Stewart This elementary biography featuring beautiful full-page illustrations introduces young readers to the original paleontologist, a woman called Mary Anning. Through her love of science, history, and learning, Mary discovered the first dinosaur bones …
2020 Finalists: Young Adult Speculative Fiction
Burn (Amazon, IndieBound) by Patrick Ness Quill Tree Books Nominated by: Wendy Fans of Patrick Ness will rejoice over this newest title—now he’s bringing us stories about DRAGONS! In this novel, he creates a realistic world set in Cold War America. Sarah Dewhurst and her father have been struggling to keep their small farm operating after the death of Sarah’s mother. …
2020 Finalists: Fiction Picture Books
Dozens of Doughnuts (Amazon, IndieBound) by Carrie Finison illustrated by Brianne Farley G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Darshana Khiani This delicious read-aloud pairs perfect rhyme with expressive illustrations to create the ideal recipe for heart and humor. LouAnn is generous with her doughnuts, but she gets “FED UP” with sharing when there aren’t any left for …
Our Favorite Day is Coming! Tomorrow!!
The 2020 Cybils Finalists will be announced tomorrow! We can’t wait! However, there is first some business to take care of. One of the things we at the CYBILS have taken seriously this year is representation. We had diversity training for the board, the chairs, and the judges because we wanted to make sure everyone is aware of what good …
Support the Cybils AND Do Holiday Shopping!
As the holiday shopping season picks up speed (though, honestly, I’ve been shopping since October…), we issue our annual plea to help support the Cybils! There are several ways this year: Get your gear from our CafePress store! So many fun things there: totes! Coffee mugs! T-shirts! Something for everyone. And for your bookish needs: please consider shopping through our …
Publisher and Author Submission Deadline Extended!
Just a quick note to say that because October 25th falls on a Sunday this year, we are extending the deadline for publisher and author submissions to end at 11:59 pm PDT on October 26th. You can find more information on submissions here.