A first-round Elementary/Middle Grade Non-fiction panelist, librarian and parent, Ellen, still manages to find time to blog at On the Shelf 4 Kids. She recently read nominee Elementary/Middle Grade nonfiction nominee Viva Frida, by Yuyi Morales. She writes: I like the way the visuals flow through Frida’s boisterous life and into a dreamlike state. Much like the wounded deer she often …
Review: Girls Like Us
Author and blogger Lyn reviews at The Pirate Tree, along with a handful of other bloggers interested in children’s literature and social justice issues. A first round Young Adult Fiction panelist, Lyn reviewed nominee Girls Like Us by Gail Giles. She writes: Gail Giles’s narrative alternates between Biddy and Quincy as they tape-record their tumultuous first months together—a time when Quincy …
Review: The Family Romanov
Blogging at The Fourth Musketter , librarian and Young Adult Nonfition panelist, Margo specializes in historical fiction for young people. She reivews Young Adult Nonfiction nominee The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, by Candace Fleming, writing: Fleming expertly weaves together the intimate life of Russia’s last czar and his family with the saga of the revolution brewing …
Review: Strange Sweet Song
Kimberly, half of the dynamic duo at Stacked, is a first round Young Adult Speculative fiction panelist. And, as anyone familiar with the Cybils knows, that means she’s doing a LOT of reading. She recently highlighted a few books she finished, along with Speculative fiction nominee Strange Sweet Song, by Adi Rule. She writes: This book lives up to its title. …
Review: Shh! We Have a Plan
Travis Jonker, Cybils veteran and elementary school librarian, knows his way around picture books. Of nominated fiction picture book Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton, Travis writes: Admission: I’ve edited books on the fly. In a school library setting, the clock is king, and I’ve had to trim a sentence or paragraph when running out of time with …
Review: El Deafo
Long-time Cybils volunteer and round one panelist Alysa Stewart at Everead has today’s review of the day. She reviewed Graphic Novel nominee El Deafo, by Cece Bell, with her son. Their final word? This is a landmark book. It feels very true-to-life, gives you all the feels, and helps you sympathize with the deaf and hard of hearing. Two thumbs …
Review: How I Became a Pirate
Today’s review comes from Cathy, a librarian in Maine. She usually blogs at the Nonfiction Detectives, but she frequently reviews book apps at the School Library Journal. Recently she reviewed Book App-nominated How I Became a Pirate. Cathy writes: Sound and animation have been added to this version of the story. A sea chantey plays in the background on opening the app—setting …
Review: Kinda Like Brothers
Mark, a sixth grade language arts teacher, first round Middle Grade Fiction panelist, and one of the few male presences around the Cybils blogs at the wonderfully alliterative Buxton’s Blog O’ Books. He recently reviewed Kinda Like Brothers, by Coe Booth, writing: Many books deal with stepfamilies, but foster children are kind of like temporary stepfamilies. Devon is treated like …
Review: Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle
New first round Middle Grade fiction panelist, Brenda, who blogs at Log Cabin Library. A speech pathologist by profession, she says has a weakness for middle grade fiction with pretty covers and fairy-tale retellings. She reviewed the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative fiction nominee Gabriel Finely and the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen, saying: Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle is also about being …
Review: Brown Girl Dreaming
Today’s review comes from Jennifer, an elementary school librarian and first time Fiction Picture Book judge, who blogs at Reederama. She reviewed Jacquline Woodson’s National Book Award shortlist-making book Brown Girl Dreaming. She writes: This is a story that is at once universal and unique. For this reader, born in the same year as Jacqueline Woodson and raised in the inner …