Book summaries come from Goodreads. Clicking the book cover will take you there, should you want to add the book to your TBR. Now that we have “all the books,” these lists will include nominees and submissions. If you’re looking for Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction, check out last Saturday’s post. ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE-GRADE GRAPHIC NOVEL Rachael @ Goodreads – Dan Santat is a …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.11.2023
Anyone else hear the “do-do-dew-do” Twilight-ish music when they look at that date? Phew. Glad I’m not alone. If the walls could talk … Well, apparently the walls at Crossroad House hide all the secrets of the Carrefour Curse and there is something quite creepy about the house Jo just inherited from her grandmother. Horror fans, the day is your. …
Middle-Grade Monday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.6.23
Welcome to our first Middle-Grade Monday! Each Monday we plan to feature reviews from two books for tweens that our judges are reading. This week, we have nominees in the Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novels and Middle-Grade Fiction categories. Book summaries come from Goodreads. Clicking the book cover will take you there, should you want to add the book to your TBR. …
The Big Book (List) of 20 Questions: #CYBILS2023
What do you do when you have nominated books whose titles are questions? You make a list! This collection of “20 questions” explore some of kids’ favorite things (like weird animals and aliens); answer questions they ask themselves, help them process growing up and emotions, and, yes, a few talk about poo! (eww!) This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com …
2023 CYBILS Judges: Speculative Fiction Panels
Speculative Fiction takes us to realms of the imagination: places and times and realities where the rules of life may be different than our own and where the impossible and improbable become real. But good science fiction and fantasy does more than that: it asks, “What if?” It makes us think. Along with spells and space rockets, this is the …
2023 CYBILS Judges: Graphic Novel Panels
CHAIR: Kristen HarveyGraphic Novels (aka comics) are not just for reluctant readers. Complex storytelling with a rich combination of illustrations, color choices, and story-telling styles render information in new and interesting ways. They have evolved into a beloved genre of reading format and evolved into a unique form of story-telling. The sub-genres within Graphic Novels has also evolved, and there …
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 …
2023 CYBILS Judges: Fiction for Tweens and Teens
The Middle-Grade and Young Adult Fiction categories comprise books that are grounded in reality. The world as it was or is: contemporary or historical, funny or mysterious, romantic or adventurous, sport-centric or coming of age. These are the stories that nudge readers to self-discovery, open windows to others’ experiences, and let them see the world. It’s pain, its flaws, its …
Backlist Book List: Back to School
Or should we say “Backpack Book List?” Back-to-school season is in full swing! Some students are already back in school, others are heading into their new classrooms in the coming days. Some kids eased right back into the routine, others are still navigating their way. With that in mind, we dug into the CYBILS archive to find some books that …
#CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Terry Doherty
Can I let you in on a secret? I don’t read many books during the year. BUT. I do read lots of articles and blog posts. About books. Every day. So when CYBILS Awards nomination time rolls around, I have a handy-dandy list of books that fit my one criterion: each title looks like a book I’d have loved as …