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 …
The Nominations
Graphic Novel
Graphic Novels fly off the shelves–in libraries, in bookstores, and in classrooms. It’s no surprise, then, that each year, more and more Graphic Novels are being written for children as young as six years old. Liz B. of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy coordinated the Graphic Novel category and presents a list of 35 titles. Some of …
The Nominations
Middle Grade Fiction
When we began setting up The Cybils and seeking coordinators for the various prize categories, selecting a chairperson for the Middle Grade Fiction category was, as the kids say, a no-brainer. Betsy, author of A Fuse #8 Production and a librarian at The Donnell Central Children’s Room in NYC, reviews a book a day, most often in the Middle Grade …
The Nominations
Non-fiction (Middle Grade and YA)
In the time of awards season, some of you may be wondering, why another children’s book award? We’ve already mentioned that we seek to strike a balance with our awards, by finding the best in kid-friendly, entertaining, and worthy books for the youngsters. But, there’s another reason behind The Cybils. Many genres are overlooked during awards season, most notably Poetry, …
The Nominations
Young Adult Fiction
I (Jen Robinson) was privileged to be the coordinator for this year’s Young Adult Fiction category. After reshuffling nominations better suited to the Middle Grade or Fantasy/Science Fiction categories, and dropping a few nominations that were not eligible for this year’s awards, we’re left with a marvelous list of 80 titles. Many thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions for this …
The Nominations
Poetry
Susan, of Chicken Spaghetti, coordinated nominations for the Poetry category. Twenty-six books made the long list, featuring verse on everything from Blackbeard to Jazz. Here are the nominated titles:
The Nominations
Non-fiction Picture Books
It’s Nov 21 and nominations for The Cybils are now officially closed. Longlists of nominated titles are trickling in and we’ll be posting them all by the week’s end. First up–Non-fiction Picture Books. Chris Barton of Bartography has coordinated the Non-fiction Picture Books category, a job much more complicated than it first appeared. Think about it: What is Non-Fiction, especially …
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 …