It’s almost Halloween! In the spirit (see what I did there?) of the spooky season, today’s featured blog review looks at YA Graphic Novels nominee Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner. Round 1 judge John Mutford reviewed this one earlier in the month on his blog The Book Mine Set: AJ is newly starting grade six. Internally, he compares himself unfavourably …
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 Alan Gratz
Was Refugee always set up as three person narrative? Were their stories always connected? Refugee began for me with the story of the MS St. Louis. For those who haven’t read Refugee yet, the St. Louis was a passenger ship that left Nazi Germany in 1939 with more than 900 Jewish refugees on board, bound for Cuba. The St. Louis didn’t end up …
REVIEW: Armstrong and Charlie
Today’s featured reviewer is Round 1 judge Sarah Sammis, a Cybils veteran who blogs about books for children, teens, and adults at Puss Reboots. A couple of months ago, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction finalist Armstrong and Charlie by Steven B. Frank, a historical fiction story set in Los Angeles: The plot takes place in two neighborhoods — Laurel Canyon …
REVIEW: Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
Elementary school librarian, School Library Journal reviewer, and Round 1 judge Heidi Grange wrote today’s featured blog review. She blogs at Geo Librarian, and a few months ago she reviewed Junior High Nonfiction finalist Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin: While the book focuses on football and the impact that the Carlisle Indian …
REVIEW: A Face Like Glass
Our Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category chair Charlotte Taylor wrote today’s featured review–she blogs at the long-running Charlotte’s Library, with a particular focus on sci-fi and fantasy books for children and teens. Some time ago, she reviewed finalist title A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge: It is both simple and complicated, and a really nice one to give to …
REVIEW: Beauty and the Beak
Round 1 judge Gary Anderson, who blogs at What’s Not Wrong?, was a Round 1 judge in this year’s contest and wrote up reviews of a wide range of nominees in the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category. One of his review posts looked at the finalist title Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald …
REVIEW: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
Today’s blog review features Middle Grade Fiction finalist The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya. Round 2 judge Greg Pattridge reviewed this one a while back–Greg is a teacher, mentor and writer from Colorado who reviews middle grade books at his blog, Always in the Middle. The story is both heartwarming and funny, but most of all it …
REVIEW: Spirit Hunters
Round 1 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction judge Katy Kramp is a public librarian who blogs at A Library Mama, and she brings us our featured review of the day. A couple of months ago she reviewed finalist title Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh: Here’s a super-creepy book by We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh for those who want to …
REVIEW: Beyond the Bright Sea
Our featured Cybils review for today comes from Round 2 Middle Grade Fiction judge Tara Smith, a sixth grade teacher in suburban New Jersey who blogs at A Teaching Life. Over the summer, she looked at Middle Grade Fiction nominee Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk: On the surface, Beyond The Bright Sea reads like is a suspenseful mystery, …