Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential Graphic Novel by Annie Fox Free Spirit Publishing, developed by Electric Eggplant Nominated by: Amy Jussel This is an app created especially for tweens and young teens. It’s a full-color cartoon-illustrated graphic novel with scenarios based on everyday situations many young people encounter such as hanging out with friends and …

Easy Readers Aggie Gets Lost (Aggie and Ben) by Lori Ries Charlesbridge Nominated by: Jeff Barger Aggie and Ben are back for a new adventure in the fourth installment of this endearing series. Ben takes a restless Aggie to the park for a game of fetch, but Aggie gets lost when the ball is thrown too far. Lost dog stories …

As you shop for holiday presents, don't forget that there's gold in the nomination lists! To help you find great holiday presents for the children or teens (or adults!) in your life, I've updated the 2011 nomination lists to include links to all panelist reviews so far. Better yet, any purchases made through the Amazon links in the nomination lists …

…it's time to send your baby out into the world. Or at least the first 250 words. My own YA manuscript, "The Temple of Doubt" was discovered thanks to a Gotham Writers' Workshop contest that's now become an annual event. I came in fifth, which was enough to nab me a wonderful agent. There's only two more days until the …

A childhood friend of mine has just been diagnosed for the FIFTH time with cancer, and she's taken my advice and begun a blog. She's called it You're Crying on My Cashmere, which pretty much sums her up.  She's one of the co-founders of the Young Survival Coalition and if she says she's going to "kick cancer's a–," well, she …

Welcome to the sixth annual Cybils Awards. Nominations are now closed and our first-round judges have begun their reading period. Short lists come out on New Year's Day 2012 and the winners will be posted on Valentine's Day 2012. Meantime, read more about us. If you like us and believe in what we're doing, please consider clicking on the "donate" …

By now, hardcore bibliophiles know the controversy over the mysterious sixth nomination to the National Book Awards. To make a long story short, the Young Peoples Literature category first came out last week with five nominees and then a sixth was added just afterward. Well, here's a sorry update about playing telephone, grown-up version. Wouldn't you know that the judges …

Part of a series introducing each genre, written by the organizer. From words that rhyme, words that flow and shape emotions on all different topics to poetic forms, the Poetry Genre is home to a veritable stew of entries. These books will appeal to the very young, middle grade and/or young adults. What belongs in Poetry? Poetry anthologies written by …

The world's average IQ just dropped a bunch of points with the death of Steve Jobs. What he gave all of us — whether it sits on your desk, your lap or in your purse or pocket — is nothing less than amazing. He was the Thomas Edison of our era. I'm a little sad today. Off to read the …

The following books have been nominated in the 2011 Young Adult Fiction category. 365 Days by KE PayneBold Strokes Books Nominated by: Nora Olsen A & L Do Summer by Jan BlazaninEgmont USA Nominated by: Pat Zietlow MillerReviewed by: jordynface Absolute Value of Mike, The by Kathryn ErskinePhilomel Nominated by: jama rattiganReviewed by: Paula Adios, Nirvana by Conrad WesselhoeftHoughton Mifflin …