Having been part of the Graphic Novels category myself in previous years, I can attest that it's always an adventure discussing what makes a quality nominee, and sometimes, what makes a graphic novel a graphic novel! Thanks to GN category organizer Snow Wildsmith of Good Comics for Kids, we're getting a sneak peek into what the nominating and judging panelists …

Thanks to category organizer Fiona Bayrock of Books and 'Rocks, we have the opportunity to get to know the intrepid panelists for the Non-Fiction Picture Books category. Just about everything kids ever want to know about the world can be found in the pages of a good picture book, and our panelists are just as hungry to find the best, …

If you joined us last Thursday for Part I of our YA Fiction panelist roundtable, you're no doubt eager to hear what else the nominating panelists have to say (and probably wishing you could be a fly on the wall for their discussions of nominated titles!). YA Fiction category organizer Jackie Parker (Interactive Reader) chimes in with three more revealing …

That's right, we're back with another revealing roundtable with our 2008 Cybils nominating panelists–this time we find out what makes the YA Fiction panelists tick. Since they've got a lot to tell you, we're dividing it up into two posts: one today and one on Tuesday. (Tune in to the blog tomorrow for another book review.) Props to YA Fiction …

If you had a chance to read the first installment of Meet the Panelists, you'll remember that this is your opportunity to get to know the various judges and nominating panelists just a bit better–a peek behind the scenes and into the minds of the decision-makers behind the Cybils process. Today, courtesy of Fantasy and Science Fiction category organizer Tasha …

One of the most innovative aspects of the Cybils–something that differentiates it from other children’s and YA book awards–is the fact that it’s a grassroots effort to find the best in kids’ books. Our nominations are drawn from the internet public, and our nominating and judging panelists comprise a broad cross-section of bloggers with a common interest in recognizing quality …

Hey all.  I just thought up that title you see above.  Hope you like it.  Not that we’re scaling Everest here, even if the TBR pile does seem mountainous at times.  I see my role as a mere pointer-outer-of-hazards and seeker-of-safe-routes.  Leaders are people who bark orders and managers crack the whip to get it done.  I just say, "Let’s …

Today we meet Mindy Rhiger, organizer for the Non-Fiction MG/YA category: I’m Mindy Rhiger, organizer for the Young Adult and Middle Grade Non-Fiction category.  I’ve been involved with the Cybils since the first year, and I’ve been blogging about books at propernoun.net since 2005.  I read and review all over the map.  My strongest ties are to YA Fiction, as …

Today we meet Kerry Millar, category organizer for Middle Grade Fiction: Hello fellow Cybilers: nominators, panelists and judges! I’ve been teaching Grade 5 for three years, so I’ve got some solid first-hand know-how about what’s going on out there in Middle-Grade-land–what’s cool, what’s old, what has true kid appeal and what doesn’t. Before teaching, I was part pastry chef, part …