Even if you haven’t yet seen this week’s books, you probably recognize the authors: Ben Hatke and Kelly Yang. Both are well-known and much-loved among the tween set for their stories of family, friendship, and resilience. FINALLY SEEN and THINGS IN THE BASEMENT are very different books. Yet, as our reviewers point out, young readers can see themselves and gain …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.25.2023
Magic carpets? Check. Time loops? Double Check. This week we have – according to the reviewers – two un-put-downable books. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday! Book summaries come from Goodreads. Click the book cover image to add it to your own TBR. ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE-GRADE SPECULATIVE FICTION Gina @ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – I’m telling you, I was …
Poetry Friday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.24.2023
Ready for some poetry? We sure are! In lieu of a Poetry Collection nominee, we’re sharing an interactive book with haiku designed for young listeners. While the haiku may not rhyme, the title does: Peek-a-Boo Haiku. This week’s novel in verse wraps the journey of a young girl coping with a debilitating disease in multiple forms of poetry, giving readers …
Wee Ones Wednesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.22.23
Snuggle. Cherish. Sweet. Those are three words that popped out to us in the reviews we’re featuring this week. And, perfectly timed for tomorrow’s feasting: books about family and being together. Book summaries come from Goodreads. Click the book cover image to add it to your own TBR. BOARD BOOK Gina @ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – This charming board …
Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.21.2023
Happy Feast Week! Today’s featured nonfiction nominees were chosen with family dinner conversation in mind. Fun, interesting tidbits humorously told. These books have lots of factoids that you can drop onto the table when those inevitable long, silent pauses kick in. Oh! And we brought desert: after dinner, you can enjoy some poetry. Summaries via Goodreads. Click the cover to …
Middle-Grade Monday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.20.2023
Consider yourself warned: we are going back to ancient times with this week’s featured books. Well, at least to life in the world before the Internet. Mexikid is a graphic novel memoir that is a nostalgic road trip through the 1970s. Simon Sort of Says is set in a time where the internet exists, but Simon and his family move …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.18.2023
What do two of our judges say about today’s selections? That if if weren’t for being CYBILS Awards judges, they would not have discovered books they characterized as “gems” and “one of my favorite books of the year.” The authors and illustrators may be familiar to you – Eoin Colfer, Francis Hardinge, PJ Lynch – but their latest works are …
Fri-YA | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.17.23
Fiction with all the feels? It must be Fri-YA! Let’s go! Book summaries come from Goodreads. Click the book cover image to add it to your own TBR. YOUNG ADULT FICTION Gina @ G’s Reading Spree – You think the book can’t make you cry until you get to the author’s note 😭The things Heera sees and experiences are things …
Wee Ones Wednesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.15.2023
This week’s featured books, though very different in subject, have a common thread: Acceptance. For yourself and of others. Book summaries come from Goodreads. Click the book cover image to add it to your own TBR. Board Book Sam @ Little Cub Literacy – “This book tackles an important—and sometimes tough—topic with little ones and get them to really be …
Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.14.2023
No historical events. No biographies. Today we’ve got some here-and-now, science-y nonfiction selections. Wild Maps for Curious Minds is a great option for readers who don’t feel the need (or want) to start on page 1. Odds are readers will take a similar approach to How It Happened! Sneakers. They’ll look for their favorite brand of shoe first, then settle …