Meet the Organizers: Pam Coughlan, Fiction Picture Books

Continuing with the Cybils as category organizer for Fiction Picture Books, Pam Coughlan writes the blog MotherReader and administers the website KidLitosphere Central. With two teenage girls headed into adventures in high school and (gulp) college, she appreciates the honest beauty and simplicity of picture books more than ever. She has worked in public libraries in northern Virginia giving readers …

Meet the Organizers: Charlotte Taylor, Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Charlotte Taylor has been fan of fantasy since she started reading round about the age of two (Lowly Worm is still a favorite hero). When not reading (mostly middle grade speculative fiction, but other things too), she is a professional archaeologist, mother of two boys, president of her local library’s Friends group, and co-renovator with her husband (ethnomusicologist and Irish piper) of an old and …

Meet the Organizers: Jennifer Wharton, Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

Jennifer has been involved with Cybils since 2009 and is excited to be chairing the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category for the third year. When not obsessively reading and blogging at one of her many blogs, including Jean Little Library, she is the head of the youth services department for the Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, WI. She has always enjoyed nonfiction for children but became …

Meet the Organizers Katie Fitzgerald, Easy Readers/Beginning Chapter books

Children’s librarian turned stay-at-home mom Katie Fitzgerald has been blogging at Story Time Secrets since 2011 and contributing to The Library Adventure since 2013. She served on the Cybils panel for Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books in 2011 and 2012, and she is thrilled to be the organizer for that category this year. Katie lives in the Maryland suburbs …

Meet the Organizers: Cathy Potter, Book Apps

Cathy Potter has served as a CYBILS panelist for the past three years and is thrilled to be chairing the Book Apps category this year. Cathy is K-5 school librarian at Falmouth Elementary School in Maine and enjoys finding innovative ways to use iPads with her students. If you walk into Cathy’s library you’re likely to find her recommending her …

Meet the Organizers: Melissa Fox, Blog Editor

Photo of Blog Editor Melissa Fox

An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Melissa’s true claim to fame is having read the highest total number of pages in the fourth grade. (Second only to her best friend.) Ever since then, she’s had her nose stuck in a book (it really doesn’t matter what the genre is), often letting mundane things such as homework …

Meet the Organizers: Jen Robinson, Literacy Evangelist and Social Media Guru

Jen Robinson is always on the lookout for great books. Although she has a PhD in engineering and co-owns a small software firm, her true passion lies in helping parents, teachers, and librarians to connect kids with books. She reviews books, ranging from picture books to YA, on her blog, Jen Robinson’s Book Page, where she also shares tips for …

Meet the Organizers: Sheila Ruth: Publisher Liason

Sheila Ruth is happy to have found her tribe in the Cybils. Where else can she geek out about children’s literature with other people who get it? She has been with the Cybils since the beginning, and has worn several different hats over the years: Category Chair, Publisher Liaison, and developer of the Cybils database, but her favorite part is …

Meet the Organizers: Anne Levy, Executive Director (aka Cybils Boss Lady)

I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that this is the 9th Cybils Awards. It began with a snarky remark on a friend’s post that maybe us smarty-pants blogger types should start our own literary awards. And here we are, still pinning virtual ribbons on authors and illustrators, and still snarking away. I’m returning to active Cybils duty …

Now Updated for 2014: Cybils Bling!

Cybils coffee mug from Cafe Press

We are pleased to report that Cybils bling, updated with our 2014 logo, is now available from the Cybils store at Cafe Press. We have buttons, mousepads, magnets, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and a lovely Cybils tote bag. All proceeds from your purchase of these Cybils-themed items help to fund the purchase of prizes for the Cybils winners. Buying Cybils swag …