SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 12.16.2023

Is it too corny to say this week’s SpecFic Saturday selections are out of this world? Probably not if you ask our reviewers! Whether it was Alysa Wishingrad’s Between Monsters and Marvels or Sacha Lamb’s When Angels Left the Old Country, the words “wonderful,” “delightful,” and “rich” repeated shemselves within reviews and across them. Read on. See for yourself. Summary …

Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.12.2023

Happy National Gingerbread House Day and Gingerbread Decorating Day! Before you head over to the icing table, we hope you’ll check out this week’s featured nonfiction selections. Meet Mahani, an acclaimed concert pianist who learned to play on Rapa Nui (Easter Island’s) only piano. Then head to the Pacific Northwest to learn about the endangered Southern Resident orcas. And last, …

Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.5.2023

Are we late for celebrating Native American heritage? We don’t think so. Here at the CYBILS Awards, we think every day is an opportunity to honor and recognize the life experiences of others and, by extension, learn from those stories. Today’s selections in corporate history, innovation, athletes, activists, and indigenous culture through biography and hands-on learning. Does it feel like …

2023 CYBILS Judges: Nonfiction Panels

Children and students of all ages are curious about a variety of subjects. Nonfiction titles can feed their thirst, whether they want to learn about someone’s life, history, math, science, current events, social justice, activism, journalism, and so much more. These books are filled with illustrations, photographs, and accurate back matter to highlight concepts to wow students and adults alike …

#CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Gary Anderson

2023 book recommendations

“Hey, I know Gary! He’s the YA Fiction chair.” Yes, he was. And during the COVID CYBILS, he was co-chair for both YA Fiction and YA Speculative Fiction! Introducing Gary Anderson, CYBILS Board Member Gary served as a judge for a number of CYBILS Awards categories before becoming YA Fiction Chair. His panels are as diverse as his reading: graphic …

#CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Tanita S. Davis

Uh, huh. THAT Tanita Davis. Author of MARE’S WAR, her NAACP Image Award-nominated and Coretta Scott King Award-winning young adult novel. She’s also a long-time member of the CYBILS Awards board, helping us continue our work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and outreach. Introducing: Tanita S. Davis, Board Secretary Tanita describes herself as being an asocial hermit, who, like most of us …

Graphic Novels & More: #CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Kristen Harvey

kristen harvey 2023 recommendations

Okay, comics fans! Are you ready to topple that TBR? Don’t you just love that visual (pun intended)! This week’s list of Boy-I-Hope-These-Get-Nominated titles includes fiction and nonfiction, realism and fantasy, and starts with a learn-to-draw title! Introducing Kristen Harvey Kristen has participated in the CYBILS Awards since 2013 and is returning for her third year at the helm of …

#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List Summer: It’s a Wrap

Last week we posted our last Backlist Book List for 2021. We hope you have had as much fun exploring the curated lists as we had in creating them! Nine lists: 6 read-alike lists, 3 themed lists.  Ten years of nominations, finalists, and winners. 154 recommended books for readers toddler to teen. What made them particularly fun was discovering books …

REVIEW: March Forward, Girl

After a bit of a hiatus earlier this week, our featured blog reviews are back with Junior High Nonfiction nominee March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine, a memoir written by civil rights activist Melba Pattillo Beals and illustrated by Frank Morrison. One of our Round 1 judges, Rebecca G. Aguilar, reviewed this book on her blog, …