Ever wonder what it takes to judge a literary award? Us too. Even as volunteers rolled in, we weren’t quite sure what to tell them. Some things we do know: Judging starts after the Top Five are announced on January 1; Judging ends, uh, at a date to be announced later, probably early February; Judges are expected to read all …
FAQs
You asked (griped, whined, hollered) — we heard. Here’s a few questions that have come my way: 1. Which books are eligible?Any children’s or YA book published in English in 2006, including translated and bilingual books. 2. How do I nominate a book? Type them into the comments section under each category. Categories are listed to your right, or scroll …
The nominating panels
You can feel safe knowing your lists of nominees will go to our trusty panelists, who will then have a good chuckle at your expense, toss your suggestions and vote for their best friends. Scared ya, didn’t I? The panelists are the finest group of unrepentent bookworms and kidlit fetishists to ever set their sticky fingers on a keyboard. What, …
Welcome to the Cybils
Just a friendly reminder from the Cybils team to nominate only one book per category. Thanks all.
Graphic Novels
From Babymouse to American Born Chinese, it’s been quite a year. Graphic Novels use both words and pictures to tell a story; and that story can be anything; superheroes, coming-of-age stories, historical fiction or non-fiction. Since a Graphic Novel can be just about anything — middle grade, young adult, funny, sad — what makes a great one? A great story; …
Non-fiction (Picture Books)
It’s a whole lot easier to say what these books aren’t — fiction — than to say what they are, because there’s so much that they can be. The universe is big and time is long, and every year writers and illustrators immerse themselves in the truth and sweat the details to put more of it within the grasp of …
Non-fiction (Middle Grade and YA)
Tell it like it is. Teens love true stories. Kids love true stories. Whether it’s history, how-to, science, or some other informative topic, nonfiction attracts readers of all ages. Sometimes they browse the vivid photographs and end up reading the text because they’re so drawn in. Other times the informative topic draws you to the book and you learn a …
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Experts keep predicting that the fantasy genre has run its course, but, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of fantasy are an exaggeration. Instead, the genre has grown and diversified, and today we have an incredibly varied menu to choose from. Science Fiction, while not as popular, has also matured into a deep, thought-provoking, literary genre. Fantasy and …
Fiction Picture Books
Picture Books can be funny, touching, beautiful, quirky, or just plain-ol’ breathtaking. Nominate your favorite 2006 picture book today, with one sentence explaining why this title is so very special. We’re looking for books that wow the kids, books they want to read just one more time. Keep in mind there’s a Poetry category, so no collections of verse for …
Poetry
"Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein, is so popular with children, librarians and teachers insist it is the book most frequently stolen from their schools and libraries," Jim Trelease notes in The Read-Aloud Handbook. Silverstein’s collection, first published in 1974, certainly deserves its wild popularity, but many books of poetry for children have been issued this year. 2006! Let’s …