Today we meet Kelly Fineman, organizer of the Poetry category: Dear Madam, It is with some trepidation that I respond to your request for a biography of Mrs Kelly Fineman, as one is not often asked for such details about the life of another–and in such a public forum! Mrs Fineman is, I believe, an authoress, and I know her …
2009 Nominations
Young Adult Fiction
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. You'll find no dragons or magic, robots or vampires here. Just real people, in the real world, in real situations. In a good YA novel teens will find themselves and discover their world. A great YA novel …
New FTC rules for bloggers & open thread
Just passing along an article that may or may not affect us here at Cybils. Follow this link to a NYT article on new FTC rules affecting bloggers who get free stuff to review. In a nutshell: you're going to have to disclose your arrangements with your advertiser. That extends to disclosing what free books you get from publishers, as …
2009 Nominations
Middle Grade Fiction
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. The middle grade years are those with the most potential to turn a child into a reader for life. It's often the books you read between the ages of 8-12 that you remember long into adulthood as …
Introducing Jone MacCulloch, Non-Fiction Picture Books
Today we meet the organizer for our Non-Fiction Picture Books category, Jone MacCulloch: "Too many books, too little time" is a favorite quote of mine. And yet, as an elementary library media specialist, I have to know something about all books regardless of genre. Lucky me, last year, when I requested the poetry category for Cybils (which I love, love, …
2009 Nominations
Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. When children learn to read, they start with very simple "easy readers" and move up to short books with chapters. Easy readers are the small 6"x9" books with short simple sentences. Easy readers have 8-64 pages, a …
2009 Nominations
Fantasy and Science Fiction
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. Science fiction and fantasy takes us to realms of the imagination: places and times and realities where the rules of life may be different than our own and where the impossible and improbable become real. But good …
2009 Nominations
Fiction Picture Books
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. A good picture book is a pleasing merger of text and artwork. A great picture book is a celebration of story and illustration, with lasting appeal for kids and/or adults. The best picture books completely excel in …
Young Adult Fiction Panel
Fiction for young adults is what these bloggers are all about–at least during the Cybils. Check out our panelists and judges for the YA fiction category. Panel Organizer: Jackie Parker, Interactive Reader Panelists (Round I Judges): Sally Kruger, Reading Junky's Reading Roost Jackie Parker (see panel organizer) Tirzah Price, The Compulsive Reader Leila Roy, Bookshelves of Doom Amanda Snow, A …
2009 Nominations
Graphic Novels
While nominations are open in all categories, we're also featuring a few genres at a time over the first few days — Eds. The graphic novel is one of the most versatile categories of children's literature, combining pictures and words to form a seamless flow of story on almost any topic imaginable. Unlike standard 32-page picture books, targeted largely to …