What do you do when one of your favorite movies comes out in a comic-book sequel? A. Fortis at the group blog ReadingYA: Reader’s Rants approached Return to Labyrinth with some trepidation: Sorry if it sounds a little harsh, but the movie was one of those cherished pre-teen experiences that I didn’t want marred by some inferior fan-fic crapfest. At …
Sounds of the Cybils
As Cybils progressed from a gee-whiz comment on Kelly’s blog to a real event with 80 volunteers and nearly 700 books to read, I wondered what it would be like to meet some of the kidlit bloggers helping us. Who are you? What brought you to our contest? What would it be like to sit down and chat with some …
Review of the Day
The Looking Glass Wars
Erin is a "teenage girl [who] rants and raves about the important things: books, quotes, writing, reading, and life" at Miss Erin. And, she’s the youngest member of the Cybils team, serving on the Fantasy/Sci Fi nominating panel. Today she reviews Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars. —————————————————————– I went into this novel – "the true story of Alice in …
Festival of Lights
On behalf of Team Cybils, I’d like to wish all our Jewish readers and their families, friends, pets, co-workers, neighbors and casual acquaintances a Happy Chanukah, which begins at sundown tonight. Here’s hoping the latkes are hot, the doughnuts are fresh and there’s heaps of delicious books in crisp wrapping paper next to your menorah. We’ll see you throughout next …
Review of the Day
Flotsam
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn is a reader, a writer and a librarian. As an author of fiction and non-fiction for children ages four and up, she knows what’s happening in children’s books! Rebecca is currently reading for the Non-fiction (MG/YA) panel, but still has time to review books outside of her Cybils reading duties. Today she reviews a title nominated for …
Review of the Day
Loving Will Shakespeare
Today’s book of the day is Loving Will Shakespeare, by Carolyn Meyer, a Young Adult Fiction title brought to us by Jackie from interactivereader. Jackie is a librarian who works with teens, and a prolific reader. She’s the interactive reader because she likes to share her feelings about whatever book happens to be passing through her hands. She blogs about …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Immersed in Verse
Today’s review comes from Mindy, panel organizer for the Non-fiction (MG/YA) Cybil. Mindy is a librarian who writes excellent book reviews at propernoun.net. She keeps up with the best of the best each year and her blog is a wonderful resource when looking for new titles for children of all ages. Mindy reviews a Non-fiction title for the poetry-addled teen …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Sold
Author Carolyn Lehman (Strong at the Heart) reviews books and discusses writing and speaking to and about survivors of abuse at her blog, Strong at the Heart. The Cybils are thrilled she’s agreed to serve as a judge for the Non-fiction (MG/YA) category. This week Carolyn reviewed Patricia McCormick’s Sold, a novel nominated for the Young Adult fiction Cybil. Here …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Robert Cormier: Daring to Disturb the Universe
Today, Kimberly Pauley reviews Robert Cormier: Daring to Disturb the Universe, a book nominated in the Non-fiction (MG/YA) category. Kimberly writes for the popular site, Young Adult (& Kids) Book Central. And, she was impressed. Here’s her review: —————————————————————– If you’ve read my past reviews, you know that Cormier books are not my favorite reads. I’m not saying they aren’t …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1
Today’s review of the day comes from Emily of Swarm of Beasts. Emily is, in her own words, a "librarian, a writer, a linguistic auto-didact, and generally a dilettante." ———————————————————– The Astonishing Adventures of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1 Yesterday, I read a comment to a blog post that said: if Octavian Nothing is a YA novel, …