If ever there was a “year in women’s sports,” 2024 would certainly rank among them. From the Summer Olympic games to the WNBA – and beyond – there is a surge of interest in female athletes. And not just among girls. Sports fans love their sports and the athletes who play the game. Introduce young readers with the women who …
Name that Food: A #CYBILS2024 Foodie’s Booklist
Apparently, we love reading about food as much as we enjoy eating it. This year there are nearly 50 books that dish out a food-ish element. Books with a food in the title. Books with characters with food-y names. Books about cooks and chefs. Books about growing, eating, and making food. Books that celebrate sharing food. All of the above. …
The 2024 #CYBILS Awards Gift Guide
Holiday shopping time is here. You want to give books. You want them to love it. We can help. Books make the best gifts, don’t they? Keeping it fresh, though, isn’t always easy. We love a crafting book pairs (as you know from this post and this one). We’re back again with a new take on book pairings: micro themes. …
Who’s Got Game?
Sure, these are books about sports, but at their heart, they are stories about people. About persevering in the face of _______. About overcoming obstacles, real and imagined. About finding purpose beyond sports. About realizing there is more to life than [sport.] From ball sports to track and field, wheel sports to ancient games. Explore a sport you love or …
From Classics to MMORPG: #CYBILS2024 Games & Puzzles Book List
Welcome to the #CYBILS2024 Game & Puzzle Emporium … book list style. Make your move on with classic puzzles like Rubik’s Cube, perennial favorite chess; online and roleplaying games, and, last but not least, adventurous quests and escape rooms. And in case you were wondering, there is (a lot) more to these stories than competition and winning. friendship challenges loyalty …
Indigenous Voices Book List #CYBILS2024
November is National American Indian Heritage Month, a time to “celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities.” As we have done in the past, we are celebrating the histories, rich cultures, and vast contributions of Native peoples in books for children and teens. This list includes books written and illustrated …
Read widely. Here’s why. | #fREADom guest post by Melissa Fox
We are concluding our series about the power of fREADom and the importance of book choice with a post from Melissa Fox. Her essay touches on each of the key elements of the fREADom concept. Melissa Fox has been part of the CYBILS Awards since its early days. In addition to being the Elementary/Middle-Grade Fiction chair, she is the Board …
D is for DISCOVERY | #fREADom guest post by Terry Doherty
Terry Doherty wears a few hats for the CYBILS Awards. She is the social media coordinator, she is the ‘librarian’ for our Goodreads shelves, and she is also the incoming president of our Board of Directors. Before volunteering more actively with the CYBILS, she was the creator and Executive Director of the Reading Tub, a nonprofit for family literacy. Some …
A is for AFFIRMATION | #fREADom guest post by Gary Anderson
Prior to joining the CYBILS Awards Board in 2023, Gary Anderson served as the YA Fiction chair, and was a judge in multiple categories [Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, YA Speculative Fiction, High School Nonfiction, and YA Fiction]. He is a retired high school English teacher, published author, and one-time “substitute librarian” at the high school where he once taught. …
E is for EMPATHY | #fREADom guest post by Tanita S. Davis
Tanita Davis is an award-winning author. She has written 8 novels for young readers, and her short fiction can be found in Hunger Mountain and Cicada magazines. She is currently the CYBILS Awards Board Vice President. When my book HAPPY FAMILIES was among the hundreds banned in 2023 by the Katy ISD, a public school district based in Katy, Texas, I wasn’t shocked. …