Sheila took on a new challenge this year, as she ran for a seat on the Baltimore County Council. She didn’t win her primary, but she did earn 43% of the vote, made a lot of new friends, and learned a lot in the process. A lifetime of reading fantasy prepares one surprisingly well for entering the political arena! Sheila …
Meet the 2018 Organizers: Stephanie Charlefour, President
A lifelong reader, some of Stephanie’s most vivid memories from her childhood are centered around books including: volunteering in her middle school library, curling up with a great book on a rainy day, trying not to run into walls while walking with a book in front of her face, and sharing books with her best friends at recess. Having worked …
A Heartfelt Goodbye (and Thank You!)
As the saying goes, change is really the only thing you can count on in life. And although we usually have some shifts in volunteers, this year, there are some big changes. It’s with heavy hearts we say goodbye to our founder, President, and Fearless Leader, Anne Levy. Life changes has made it such that she needs to step back …
Cybils Logo Bonanza!
They’re here! Thanks a million to our co-blog editor, Sarah, for the design. Feel free to snag and share and post!
Call for Judges: Come Be a Part of the Fun!
As we head into another fall Cybils season, we want to express our gratitude in advance. We know that the blogging landscape has changed over the 12 years we’ve been and we want to say a huge THANK YOU to those who have volunteered to help us with this award. We appreciate your willingness, your time, and your expertise. And …
You’ve Missed Us, Haven’t You?
And you knew we’d be back about this time of year, didn’t you? We’ve been doing some moving and shaking and discussing and recruiting and we’re almost ready for the 2018 Cybils season! Keep an eye on this space: we’re going to be calling for panelists and judges (and nominations) SOON!
Interview with Martin Sandler
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted via phone by our Junior High/Senior High Non-Fiction Chair, Jennie Rothschild. We’d like to thank her for her time in putting this together! I was lucky enough to talk to Martin Sandler on the phone about his winning book, The Whydah. Below is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. In …
Interview with Dori Hillestad Butler
You write a lot of mystery stories for emerging readers. What are the challenges in creating a satisfying mystery for that reading level? Creating a simple mystery isn’t really a challenge for me, but sometimes I struggle with word count. There’s a pattern to the King & Kayla books. Each one has five chapters. The first chapter sets up the …
Interview with Deborah Heiligman
What drew you to the story of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother, Theo? I was on a trip to Amsterdam and visited the Van Gogh Museum because I’ve always loved his art. While there, I read a small note about Theo supporting Vincent, and I knew that someday I would write about these brothers. When I presented the idea …
Interview with Scott Westerfeld and Alex Puvilland
How did the creative process work for the two of you in putting the book together? Was there a lot of back-and-forth, or did you do your parts independently? SW: My strip was pretty detailed, but Alex was always keen to suggest new pages, mostly in sequences set in the Zone. Thanks to him, we spend more time exploring that …