Round 1 Jennie Rothschild Biblio File @kidsilkhaze Karen Ball Mrs. B’s Favorites @batgirl_books Kelly Jensen Stacked @veronikellymars Jen Naughton Viking Academy @Viking_Academy Julie Williams Reading By the Pond @JulieWilliams89 Round 2 Rebecca J. Allen The Winged Pen @RebeccaJ_Allen Wendy Gassaway Falconer’s Library @WendyGassaway Sussu Leclerc A Novel Without Further Ado @bookriders1 Thomas …
Cybils 2016: Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Judges
Round 1 Sherry Early Semicolon @semicolonblog Kristen Harvey The Book Monsters @bookgoil Brandy Painter Random Musings of a Bibliophile @brandymuses Charlotte Taylor Charlotte’s Library @charlotteslib Brenda Tjaden Log Cabin Library @logcabinlibrary Round 2 Mark Buxton Say What? Nicole Brinkley YA Interrobang @nebrinkley Heidi Grange Geo Librarian @geolibrarian Rosemary Kiladitis MomReadIt @roesolo Tasha Saecker Waking Brain Cells @tashrow
Interview with Kevin Sands
First off, congrats! We really loved The Blackthorn Key. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?Thank you! I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the Cybils. The idea for The Blackthorn Key actually came during one of those times where I was specifically trying to think up new ideas (which almost never works). It …
List Fun: Ghost Stories for All Ages
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, stories that feature these ethereal characters are a creepy delight for readers of all ages. These ten books, selected from past Cybils nominees/finalists/winners, highlight the best tales about ghosts. Some of the ghosts are friends, others are foes; some stories are pretty funny while others are downright terrifying. There’s something for every reader! …
Interview with Joel Ross
First off, congrats! We adored The Fog Diver. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the book?It’s the same old story you’ve heard a hundred times: I was trying to write about pirate raccoons. I wasn’t making much progress though, until I went for a walk one morning in a misty field. The fog …
The 2015 Cybils WINNERS!
Happy Cybils Day! As always, we want to thank all our judges for their reading, discussing, and ultimately deciding on our fantastic winners. And to our organizers who rose to the challenge of wrangling said judges, making sure everything ran smoothly, on top of everything else that was going on in life. (Life, it does get in the way of …
REVIEW: Listen, Slowly
Round 1 judge Debbie Tanner of The Book Search is a former classroom teacher, current elementary school librarian, who created her site and blog as a way to help people find books that match the skills they want to teach. A few months ago she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction finalist Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai, the National Book Award-winning author …
REVIEW: Roller Girl
Today’s featured review looks at Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel finalist Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, a Newbery Honor Book which has been described as a great read for kids who loved Smile by Raina Telgemaier. The review is from NoHigh5 News, the blog of Massachusetts 5th grade teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator Mike Lewis. His blog is just one of …
REVIEW: The Fog Diver
Today’s featured review comes from the blog Log Cabin Library, which is the online home of Round 1 judge Brenda Tjaden, on the panel this year for Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction. Brenda is a speech language pathologist by day, as well as an aspiring novelist with a particular interest in middle grade books. A few months ago, she reviewed EMSF …
REVIEW: Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall
Our blog review of the day looks at Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction finalist Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey. This fascinating look at the life of the naturalist who brought chimpanzees into the limelight makes a fascinating contrast to the graphic novel Primates, says EMNF category chair Jennifer Wharton. She reviewed the book last summer on her …