Because graphic novels by their nature engage readers on multiple sensory levels. When a story is told through pictures, there is more on the page for readers to explore, and having “background music” can add to the reading experience exponentially. WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy Dial Books Finalist …
SONNY’S BRIDGE by Barry Wittenstein #CYBILS 📚🎶
SONNY’S BRIDGE:JAZZ LEGEND SONNY ROLLINS FINDS HIS GROOVE by Barry Wittensteinillustrated by Keith Mallett  Charlesbridge Publishing Finalist – Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction2019 CYBILS Awards The Book Elementary/Middle-GradeBiography, Black History, Music, Nonfiction  Sonny’s Bridge is a tribute to the prolific jazz musician Sonny Rollins. Sonny was born in the vibrant times of jazz music. As a kid, Sonny played the saxophone and …
2021 Panelists and Judges: Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Round 1 Debbie Tanner The Book Search Twitter: @imtanner2 Brenda Tjaden Log Cabin Library Twitter: @logcabinlibrary Valinora Troy Valinora Troy Twitter: @ValinoraW Katy Kramp alibrarymama Twitter: @alibrarymama Instagram: @alibrarymama Jennifer Miller Raise Them Righteous Twitter: @jlmiller516 Charlotte Taylor Charlotte’s Library Twitter: @charlotteslib Elakya Thirumoorthy Goodreads Round 2 Jenna Grose Falling Letters Twitter: @fallingletters Stacy Mozer It’s All About the Journey …
2021 Panelists and Judges: Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
Round 1 Sandy Brehl Unpacking the Power of Picture Books Twitter: @SandyBrehl and @PBWorkshop Instagram: @sandybrehl Genevieve Ford Goodreads Twitter: @genevieveford1 Kelly Karsner-Clarke  Kidlit Underground Twitter: @kellylkc Instagram: @kidlitunderground Mary Duffy  Just Read Journal Instagram: @JustReadJournal Susan Dobrodt Goodreads Twitter: @redcanoereader Instagram: @redcanoereader Heidi Grange  Geo Librarian Twitter: @GeoLibrarian Reshama Deshmukh Stacking Books Twitter: @Stackingbks Instagram: @Stackingbks Round …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List Summer: It’s a Wrap
Last week we posted our last Backlist Book List for 2021. We hope you have had as much fun exploring the curated lists as we had in creating them! Nine lists: 6 read-alike lists, 3 themed lists. Ten years of nominations, finalists, and winners. 154 recommended books for readers toddler to teen. What made them particularly fun was discovering books …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List: So You Want To Learn Magic
Charlotte Taylor, Chair for our Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category, has conjured this week’s Backlist Book List. And dare we say it? It’s magical. There. We said it. If you know a young reader who dreams of spells and wishes for magic skills, this is the book list for you. Meet Eva Evergreen! We’ll let Kristin Harvey, who blogs at …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List: Verse Novels
We’re turning over the Backlist Book List reigns to Gary Anderson, who chairs the Young Adult Fiction category. He has some recommendations for verse novels that, like Cybils 2020 Finalist Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, deal with tough contemporary societal issues. As Gary explains: This is not poetry for the butterflies and sunflowers set but tough …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List: Dino-might
Does anyone else remember that one-word exclamation from a 1970s show called Good Times? Here’s a little trivia for you: Jimmie Walker, the character who used that phrase, also used it in a series of Panasonic commercials for, wait for it … cassettes and 8-track tapes. [Source: Wikipedia] So, as you’ve probably already guessed, our “din-o-might” is a bit different …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List: Pivoting Pandemic Reads
It’s either emblematic of the COVID-19 pandemic or the most over-used word of 2020. Either way, we couldn’t resist using it for this week’s Backlist Book List! We promise it is more riveting than pivoting. Laurie Halse Anderson’s award-winning book Fever 1793 was published in 2000, six years before the Cybils Awards launched. It is a historical fiction novel about …
#CybilsAwards Backlist Book List: #BatterUp
In a little less than a week, baseball fans will be celebrating the 91st Midsummer Classic, also known as Major League Baseball’s 2021Â All-Star Game. Last year, because of the pandemic, this annual event didn’t happen. But this year, well … we’re ready! To help get ready for the big game, let’s have some fun with a little trivia. âš¾ …