I have to admit, I was drawn to the title of this book right away–I attended Emerson Elementary (AN Emerson Elementary, anyway!). The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan is today’s featured finalist in the Poetry category. The review was written by blogger Katharine Manning, a Round 2 Poetry judge as well as a mom, reader, and …
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: 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: Allie, First at Last
What if it felt like everyone in your family was a winner except you? Allie Velasco, the protagonist of Allie, First at Last by Angela Cervantes, comes from an exceptional family–and now it’s time for her to prove herself, too. This Middle Grade Fiction nominee was reviewed by Round 1 judge (and Cybils veteran) Sarah Sammis of the blog Puss …
REVIEW: Princess Princess Ever After
Today’s featured nominee is not your typical princess story. In this one, two princesses team up to rescue a prince, and end up finding their own happily ever after. Round 1 Graphic Novels judge Alexandra Cenni (For the Sake of Reading) reviewed Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill earlier this year on her Goodreads feed, and said: “There’s a lot …
REVIEW: The Wild Robot
Today’s review is kind of a hybrid–it’s a nominee in the Audiobooks category, but the review is specific to the print version. The reviewer is Adrienne Gillespie, Round 2 Audiobooks judge and blogger at Books & Bassets. The book is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, a middle grade novel about Roz the robot, who gets stranded on an island …
REVIEW: In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
Randomly Reading is a book review blog by Middle Grade Fiction Round 2 judge and former 4th grade teacher Alex Baugh; many of us know her from her blog Alex’s Bookshelves/The Children’s War, which focuses on books for young people that include World War II themes. Just last month, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction nominee In the Footsteps of Crazy …
REVIEW: Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom
Today’s featured review is from Brandy Painter, Round 1 judge in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction. She is a homeschooling mom and English teacher who blogs at Random Musings of a Bibliophile. She reviews realistic and speculative fiction for middle grade and young adult readers, and earlier this year she reviewed Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom by David Neilsen. …
REVIEW: All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook
Karen Yingling is our Middle Grade Fiction Category Chair this year, as well as a Round 1 judge, middle school librarian, reviewer for SLJ and YA Books Central, and, of course, blogger at Ms. Yingling Reads. Earlier this year, she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction nominee All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor, a family story with …
REVIEW: Bera the One-Headed Troll
Today’s featured reviewer is Round 1 Graphic Novels judge and first-time Cybils participant Benedict Hutchinson, who blogs at A Goblin Reviews Graphic Novels. (Plus–PSST!–he is the son of our very own EMSF category organizer!) As a Round 2 judge in Graphic Novels, I’m looking forward to seeing what he and the rest of the panel pick for us. One of …