Classics. The stories that are timeless and have been read and re-read for generations. Reading of Romeo and Juliet for ninth grade English doesn’t count, but what about Pride and Prejudice? Or Beowulf? Or children’s stories like the Three Little Pigs and nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty? Well, in 2023 those stories – and more – have been refreshed and …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.25.2023
Magic carpets? Check. Time loops? Double Check. This week we have – according to the reviewers – two un-put-downable books. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday! Book summaries come from Goodreads. Click the book cover image to add it to your own TBR. ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE-GRADE SPECULATIVE FICTION Gina @ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – I’m telling you, I was …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.18.2023
What do two of our judges say about today’s selections? That if if weren’t for being CYBILS Awards judges, they would not have discovered books they characterized as “gems” and “one of my favorite books of the year.” The authors and illustrators may be familiar to you – Eoin Colfer, Francis Hardinge, PJ Lynch – but their latest works are …
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. …
#CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Gary Anderson
“Hey, I know Gary! He’s the YA Fiction chair.” Yes, he was. And during the COVID CYBILS, he was co-chair for both YA Fiction and YA Speculative Fiction! Introducing Gary Anderson, CYBILS Board Member Gary served as a judge for a number of CYBILS Awards categories before becoming YA Fiction Chair. His panels are as diverse as his reading: graphic …
#CYBILS2023 Speculative Fiction Recommendations from Charlotte Taylor
Speculative Fiction by another name is science fiction and fantasy. Introducing Charlotte Taylor, EMG Speculative Fiction Chair Charlotte has been a fan of fantasy and reading all her life. Just ask her sisters – she preferred escaping into a book to playing with them. As Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction chair, it is easy for Charlotte to combine her love of those …
#CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Sarah Jamila Stevenson
Sarah may claim that she may be invisible, but we see her. She knows all the magic spells and uses them to create all kinds of amazing things, like our logo, print flyers, and our website. So wherever you go on the website? It’s safe to conclude that “Sarah was here.” All kidding aside, we couldn’t have this wonderful resource …
Graphic Novels & More: #CYBILS2023 Recommendations from Kristen Harvey
Okay, comics fans! Are you ready to topple that TBR? Don’t you just love that visual (pun intended)! This week’s list of Boy-I-Hope-These-Get-Nominated titles includes fiction and nonfiction, realism and fantasy, and starts with a learn-to-draw title! Introducing Kristen Harvey Kristen has participated in the CYBILS Awards since 2013 and is returning for her third year at the helm of …
#CYBILS2023 YA Speculative Fiction Recommendations from Sondra Eklund
Yes friends, we are launching a new feature on the CYBILS Awards blog! Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some of the books our Category Chairs hope to see nominated this year. It complements the work that our Early Call judges finding and reading all the books. The best part? You might find a book you didn’t know about …
#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 …