Who isn’t fascinated by the idea of giant squid? It certainly makes a great topic for a picture book–like today’s featured book, a finalist in Elementary/Juvenile Nonfiction. Giant Squid by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann, was reviewed last year by Round 2 Judge Alyson Beecher. Alyson, an educator and writing mentor for elementary students, blogs at Kid Lit Frenzy. …
REVIEW: Save Me a Seat
Today’s featured finalist review comes from Round 1 Middle Grade Fiction judge Jenna Grose, a writing and ESL tutor in Canada who blogs at Falling Letters. Occasionally she posts a recurring feature called Family Reads, where she and a family member read and discuss a book together. Last month, one of the books Jenna and her sister read was Middle …
REVIEW: March: Book Three
On the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, it seems like the perfect time to feature March: Book Three, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. March: Book Three is a finalist in this year’s YA Graphic Novels category, and it continues the compelling story of the civil rights movement as experienced by the iconic Congressman …
REVIEW: They All Saw a Cat
Today’s featured review can be found on Literary Hoots, the blog of Round 2 Fiction Picture Books judge Emily Andrus. Emily is a stay-at-home mom and children’s librarian who posts book reviews, library musings, booklists, literacy info, and more. A few months ago, she reviewed Fiction Picture Books finalist They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel: “This book has been …
REVIEW: The Infamous Ratsos
One of our Round 1 judges this year in Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books is Kristi Bernard, who is well known around the Kidlitosphere as a longtime proponent of diversity in children’s books on her blog Kristi’s Book Nook. Last month she reviewed Easy Reader finalist The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Matt Myers. About the book, Kristi said: …
REVIEW: A Study in Charlotte
Our featured blog review for this January Monday comes courtesy of Round 2 YA Fiction judge Jessica Holland, who is a freelance fiction editor, writer, curriculum developer, and blogger at Tales Between the Pages. This past year, she reviewed YA Fiction Cybils finalist A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro: “Just when you think she’s a carbon copy of Sherlock, …
REVIEW: The Goblin’s Puzzle
Round 1 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction judge Sherry Early wrote our featured review for today–she’s a homeschooling mom and longtime Cybils judge (and, one could add, a fixture of the Kidlitosphere) who blogs at Semicolon. In the fall, she reviewed Cybils EMSF finalist The Goblin’s Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Alice …
REVIEW: Fresh Delicious
Our featured finalist review for today comes from Round 1 Poetry judge Carol Wilcox, a reading coach and literacy intervention teacher (and Cybils veteran) who blogs at Carol’s Corner. A couple of months ago, she reviewed Poetry finalist title Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmers’ Market by Irene Latham, illustrated by Mique Moriuchi: “I was talking with a group of …
REVIEW: In the Shadow of Liberty
Happy Cybils Round 2 and Happy 2017, everybody! If you haven’t had a chance to check out our finalists announcement, go have a look. From this point forward, we’ll be featuring reviews of finalist titles (and, to avoid any conflicts, the reviews were all written prior to the announcement of the shortlists). Today’s featured review looks at Young Adult Nonfiction …
REVIEW: Infandous
Young Adult Fiction finalist title Infandous by Elana K. Arnold takes center stage in today’s featured blog review, which comes courtesy of Kirkus Reviewer and inveterate Cybil-ite Leila Roy. Leila, who blogs at Bookshelves of Doom, was a Round 1 judge this year in YA Fiction, and back in the spring she posted about Infandous for Kirkus and gave it …