Wonderfully inventive and full of unforgettable people and places–this year’s speculative fiction books for kids are better than ever! Along with the expected spells and space rockets and aliens, this is the category for books with talking animals, time-travel, ghosts, and paranormal abilities, and all the other books that might not have obvious magic on every page, and which are set here …
Middle Grade Fiction Category Description
Middle grade fiction encompasses a wide range of stories that do not have magical elements and are geared toward the 8 to 12 year old age group. These stories could be mysteries, histories, humor, sports, adventure and other tales set in the real world. Middle Grade readers’ tastes and reading abilities can vary widely, and getting them a book that …
2015 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Judges
Round 1 Charlotte Taylor @charlotteslib Charlotte’s Library Brenda Tjaden @LogCabinLibrary Log Cabin Library Melissa Fox @book_nut Book Nut Kristen Harvey @bookgoil The Book Monsters Stephanie Whelan @TesseractViews Views from the Tesseract Annamaria Anderson @bookstogether Books Together Katy Kramp @alibrarymama alibrarymama Round 2 Kim Aippersbach Dead Houseplants Hayley Beale @bibliobritish bibliobrit Heidi Grange @GeoLibrarian GeoLibrarian Guinevere Thomas @aravere Twinja Book Reviews …
2015 Middle Grade Fiction Judges
Round 1 Michael Gettel-Gilmartin @MGMafioso Middle Grade Mafioso Pamela Groseclose Tween You & Me Brandy Painter @brandymuses Random Musings of a Bibliophile Sarah Sammis @pussreboots Puss Reboots Debbie Tanner @imtanner2 The Booksearch Libertad Thomas @afrocubansista Twinja Book Reviews Julie Williams @juliewilliams89 Reading by the Pond Round 2 Alex Baugh @randomlyreading Randomly Reading …
2015 Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction Judges
Round 1 Ellen Zschunke @ontheshelf4kids On the Shelf 4 Kids Bridget R. Wilson @bridgetrwilson What is Bridget Reading? Amy Broadmoore @delightchildbks Delightful Children’s Books Elisa Bergslien @DNAPL Leopards and Dragons Roberta Gibson @RobertaGibson Wrapped in Foil Reshama Deshmukh @stackingbks Stacking Books Laura Arnhold @literacious Literacious Round 2 Alyson Beecher @alybee930 Kid Lit Frenzy Julie …
List Fun: Middle Grade American Historical Fiction
Reading historical fiction as a kid is one of the reasons for my long love of history. Through historical fiction, I could connect with interesting people of the past who struggled against and overcame huge challenges. In the Cybils Elementary and Middle Grade Fiction Category, there are about 100 historical fiction nominees, finalists, and winners that bring a variety of time …
List Fun: Cybils Authors We Can’t Stop Reading
I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the Cybils periodically from 2006 through 2014. Whether I’ve been on round 1 or 2, I’ve always discovered a wonderful new book or author that I continue to share with my family, friends, and those kids who I help when I volunteer in the elementary school library. Every book can’t be a winner, …
List Fun: Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Deserves it’s Own Book Club
There’s nothing I love better than getting lost in a new world. Bonus points if there’s a pirate or a map or a glossary or a new language! For those moments that I’m reading speculative fiction, I’m no longer trapped in my body: I’m on adventures, I make new friends, and sometimes I conquer fears. For a long time middle …
Interview with Paul Durham
First off, congrats!! We all really enjoyed The Luck Uglies. Could you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for it? PD: Thank you so much for your kind words. It was a complete surprise and a total delight to learn that I had received the Cybils Award for MG Speculative Fiction. The Luck Uglies …
List Fun: Fun and Funny Fantasy Read Alouds for the Whole Family
Family story time is a special time and if, like me, you have a wide span of years between your kids, finding a book that will satisfy all those young minds and hearts can be a challenge. Here are some books that combine fun adventure and humor sure to appeal and entertain everyone from the youngest kids able to listen …