Cybils veteran, category organizer, and YA Speculative Fiction judge Charlotte Taylor wrote our featured review for today–a few weeks ago, she looked at YASF nominee Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre on her blog, Charlotte’s Library: There’s smart-alecky bantering to lighten the mood, some moments where I was deeply moved, and intellectual pleasure from guessing where the …
REVIEW: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Our featured blog review for today looks at Young Adult Fiction nominee I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez. Round 1 judge Gary Anderson, a writing professor and tutor as well as educational consultant, reviewed this title on his blog What’s Not Wrong: With this important book, author Erika L. Sánchez gives readers an authentic look …
REVIEW: Just Like Jackie
Today’s featured review looks at Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard, a nominee in our Middle Grade Fiction category. Earlier this year, Round 1 judge Julie Williams reviewed it on her blog Reading by the Pond. Julie is a teacher librarian from Maine who works at a K-5 school, and she’s a Cybils returnee. About this book, she said: Robinson …
REVIEW: A Fall Ball for All
Friday’s review looked at a seasonal winter title, but fall isn’t over yet! Today’s featured blog review looks at Fiction Picture Books nominee A Fall Ball for All, written by Jamie Swenson and illustrated by Chiara Fedele. Round 1 judge Sandy Brehl reviewed it earlier this fall–she’s an education outreach presenter who works specifically with picture books, and she blogs …
REVIEW: Winterhouse
As the seasons change and start moving toward winter, it seems appropriate to feature a somewhat seasonal book for today’s featured review: Winterhouse, written by Ben Guterson and illustrated by Chloe Bristol, a nominee in our Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category. It was reviewed this past week by Round 1 judge Katy Kramp, a public librarian, reader, and mom who …
REVIEW: Beneath the Citadel
Today’s featured review is a nominee in the Young Adult Speculative Fiction category: Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria, author of Iron CastGreat Imaginations. Round 1 YA Speculative Fiction judge Kara Malinczak reviewed this title for the blog , where she reviews books from a wide range of genres. About this one, she said: I really liked the idea of …
REVIEW: Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All
Round 2 judge Adrienne Gillespie is a Cybils returnee, 6th grade teacher, and former school librarian who blogs at Books and Bassets. Over the summer, she reviewed Young Adult Fiction nominee Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All, a series of stories written from the viewpoint of Henry and his various wives by seven excellent YA authors: M. …
REVIEW: Boy Bites Bug
Our featured blog review for today comes courtesy of middle school librarian Brenda Kahn, a Round 1 judge for Middle Grade Fiction who blogs at Prose and Kahn. Middle Grade Fiction nominee Boy Bites Bug by Rebecca Petruck covers some serious topics like racism and privilege while also telling an entertaining story about friendship, wrestling, and bug-eating: The mixture of …
REVIEW: Dactyl Hill Squad
Today’s featured nominee is from the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category: Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older. Greg Pattridge, a Cybils veteran and Round 2 judge in Middle Grade Fiction, reviewed this book a couple of days ago on his blog, Always in the Middle: [T]his interesting new series combines fantasy and real life events for readers. It’s a …
Interview with Renée Watson
What inspired Jade’s story? I wanted to tell a story that explored the intersections of race, class, and gender. Jade is a little bit of me, a little bit of the girls I met when I worked as a mentor, and a lot of my imagination. I also wanted to set her in Portland, Oregon, where I grew up. The …