Now that the excitement from the ALA Youth Media Awards have died down (we really are living in a super-fast news cycle!) (who are we kidding: we’re still excited!) we want to remind you that we’ll have yet ANOTHER reason to be excited about children’s literature: At 9:30 a.m. PST we’ll announce this year’s CYBILS winners!! You’ll want to come …
REVIEW: After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
Welcome to our last finalist review of the Cybils season before we announce the winning titles on Wednesday! (Be sure to visit the Cybils blog on Feb. 14th for the full list of 2017’s winners in each category.) Today’s featured finalist is from the Fiction Picture Books category: After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan …
REVIEW: Armstrong and Charlie
Today’s featured reviewer is Round 1 judge Sarah Sammis, a Cybils veteran who blogs about books for children, teens, and adults at Puss Reboots. A couple of months ago, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction finalist Armstrong and Charlie by Steven B. Frank, a historical fiction story set in Los Angeles: The plot takes place in two neighborhoods — Laurel Canyon …
REVIEW: Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
Elementary school librarian, School Library Journal reviewer, and Round 1 judge Heidi Grange wrote today’s featured blog review. She blogs at Geo Librarian, and a few months ago she reviewed Junior High Nonfiction finalist Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin: While the book focuses on football and the impact that the Carlisle Indian …
REVIEW: A Face Like Glass
Our Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category chair Charlotte Taylor wrote today’s featured review–she blogs at the long-running Charlotte’s Library, with a particular focus on sci-fi and fantasy books for children and teens. Some time ago, she reviewed finalist title A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge: It is both simple and complicated, and a really nice one to give to …
REVIEW: Beauty and the Beak
Round 1 judge Gary Anderson, who blogs at What’s Not Wrong?, was a Round 1 judge in this year’s contest and wrote up reviews of a wide range of nominees in the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category. One of his review posts looked at the finalist title Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald …
REVIEW: They Both Die at the End
Today’s featured blog review looks at Young Adult Speculative Fiction finalist They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. The review is from Round 2 judge C. Lee McKenzie, a writer and former teacher of Linguistics and Inter-cultural Communication at San Jose State University. In her Goodreads review, she said: Another reason I fell into this book was the …
REVIEW: Piecing Me Together
We’ve come back around to the Young Adult Fiction category for today’s finalist review, which comes courtesy of Round 2 judge Dahlia Adler. Dahlia is a YA/NA author, editor, and a blogger for B&N Teens. A while back, she posted a Goodreads review of YA Fiction finalist Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson: I love Renee Watson’s contemp YAs; I …
REVIEW: Bull
Our featured blog review for this Friday was written by Round 2 judge Rosemary Kiladitis, a children’s and YA librarian who blogs at Mom Read It. During this past year she looked at Poetry finalist Bull by David Elliott, a reimagining of the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. According to Rosemary’s review: There are inevitable Hamilton comparisons to be …
REVIEW: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
Today’s blog review features Middle Grade Fiction finalist The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya. Round 2 judge Greg Pattridge reviewed this one a while back–Greg is a teacher, mentor and writer from Colorado who reviews middle grade books at his blog, Always in the Middle. The story is both heartwarming and funny, but most of all it …