Speculative Fiction takes us to realms of the imagination: places and times and realities where the rules of life may be different than our own and where the impossible and improbable become real. But good science fiction and fantasy does more than that: it asks, “What if?” It makes us think. It holds up a mirror to our own society …
Young Adult Fiction – Category Description
The world as it was and is. Not as it could, or would, or should be. Send the dystopias and space operas, the fairies and angels, the blood-suckers, zombies, and alternate realities to Seculative Fiction. In YA Fiction we are looking for realistic fiction, be it contemporary or historical, funny or mysterious, romantic or adventurous. We want the real world …
Middle Grade Fiction – Category Description
Middle grade fiction encompasses a wide range of stories that do not have magical elements and are geared toward the 8 to 12 year old age group. These stories could be mysteries, histories, humor, sports, adventure and other tales set in the real world. Middle Grade readers’ tastes and reading abilities can vary widely, and getting them a book that …
Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction – Category Description
Inventive, wild, and wonderful–great speculative fiction for kids just keeps on coming! Along with the obvious wizards and aliens, this category includes books with talking animals, time-travel, ghosts, and paranormal abilities, and all the other books that might not have obvious magic or travel to distant planets, but which push past the boundaries of daily life into the realm of …
2014 Young Adult Speculative Fiction Judges
First Round Sheila Ruth Wands and Worlds @sheilaruth Karen Jensen Teen Librarian’s Toolbox @tlt16 Kim Baccellia Kim Baccellia @ixtumea Allie Jones In Bed With Books @wearedevilcow Kathy Burnette The Brain Lair @thebrainlair Maureen Kearney Confessions of a Bibliovore @mosylu Kimberly Francisco Stacked Books @kimberlymarief Second Round Tanita Davis Finding Wonderland Jennifer Rummel YA BookNerd @yabooknerd Cecelia Larsen Adventures of Cecelia …
2014 Fiction Picture Book Judges
First Round Carrie Charley Brown Carrie On… Together! @carriebrowntx Travis Jonker 100 Scope Notes @100scopenotes Teri Lesesne Goddess of YA @ProfessorNana Carol Munro Just Write Words @CarolMunroJWW Kristen Remenar Kristen Remenar @RemenarReads Jen Robinson Jen Robinson’s Book Page @JensBookPage Jennifer Wharton Jean Little Library jeanlittlelibrary@gmail.com Second Round Myra Bacsal Gathering Books @GatheringBooks Julie Larios Books Around the Table Dawn …
Meet the Organizers: Charlotte Taylor, Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Charlotte Taylor has been fan of fantasy since she started reading round about the age of two (Lowly Worm is still a favorite hero). When not reading (mostly middle grade speculative fiction, but other things too), she is a professional archaeologist, mother of two boys, president of her local library’s Friends group, and co-renovator with her husband (ethnomusicologist and Irish piper) of an old and …
2008 Fantasy & Science Fiction Finalists
Elementary/Middle Grade: Cabinet of Wonderswritten by Marie Rutkoski Macmillan Petra Kronos lives in a small Czech village with her father, an artisan who can move metal with his mind and work with invisible tools. When her father is commissioned by the prince to build a marvelous clock, he goes off to Prague–and comes back blinded. The prince has stolen his …
Review of the Day
Loving Will Shakespeare
Today’s book of the day is Loving Will Shakespeare, by Carolyn Meyer, a Young Adult Fiction title brought to us by Jackie from interactivereader. Jackie is a librarian who works with teens, and a prolific reader. She’s the interactive reader because she likes to share her feelings about whatever book happens to be passing through her hands. She blogs about …
Review of the Day
An Abundance of Katherines
Today’s review of the day is a title nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category: An Abundance of Katherines, by Printz-award winning author John Green. This review was cited by the author on his blog, where he called it "long and thoughtful (and nicely written, I think, although obviously I am biased because the review made me happy)". Who wrote …