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, …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Tour America
It’s a rare reviewer who can capture a book’s soul, not just sum up its plot, book-report style. A review must bring the work to life — its themes, its language, even what’s written between the lines — but it must be done in the reviewer’s unique voice. For an example of this difficult art at its loveliest, we’re offering …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Life As We Knew It
Science Fiction and Fantasy takes us places we cannot go by plane, train or even space shuttle. The Cybils organizers expected it to be a popular category, and fans didn’t disappoint, nominating 87 titles! Today’s pick from that list gives us an alternate view of our own era after an apocalyptic calamity. The reviewer, Kim Baccellia, adds personal details to …
Review of the Day
An Abundance of Katherines
Today’s review of the day is a title nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category: An Abundance of Katherines, by Printz-award winning author John Green. This review was cited by the author on his blog, where he called it "long and thoughtful (and nicely written, I think, although obviously I am biased because the review made me happy)". Who wrote …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Angelmonster
Angelmonster Today’s review of the day comes courtesy of Mindy Rhiger, creator of propernoun.net, and our own Cybils MG and YA Non-Fiction coordinator. Mindy started her blog way back in 2003 (the dark ages as far as the kidlitosphere is concerned), as a way to help her to remember more about the many books that she reads. She works for …
REVIEW OF THE DAY
Freedom Walkers
Two reviews for MG/YA non-fiction today, both short and sweet. Ida Walker of Sweet Tea and Magnolias and Emily M. of EmilyReads took on Russell Freedman’s Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Here’s Ida’s review: The story is told in a manner that keeps the reader interested. Though factual, it’s not dry. The photographs enhance the text, …
The Nominations
Fiction Picture Books
This is it, everyone! The long list for the eighth category–Fiction Picture Books–is finally complete. What took so long, you may ask? Well, there are 111 titles nominated for a Cybil in the Fiction Picture Books Category. I’ll no longer waste your time with an introduction here. On to the list… Kelly Herold, Fiction Picture Book coordinator and Cybils co-creator
The Nominations
Fantasy/Sci Fi
The last month has been amazing, watching the nominations come in. I thought that I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, but I had no idea there were so many excellent books in the genre published in one year. The nominating committee is having a great time reading all these good books, but it’s going to be difficult …