I’m not even sure where to begin … Readers will move through time and space, both literal and figurative. They’ll meet characters with whom they will feel a kinship – and others who will draw out other emotions they may not know how to unpack. Big themes, big emotions, and still lots of joy, laughter, adventure, and brave new worlds. …
Fri-YA | #CYBILS2023 Books 1.19.24
How much did our judges love these books? One added a title to her Christmas Wish List to have her own personal copy. One put it on her purchase list to make sure she has it available for all her classes. Another, who doesn’t normally like poetry for storytelling, really enjoyed a novel in verse. A Fri-YAY, indeed! Have a …
The IN be-TWEEN | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 01.17.24
We won’t keep you … there are a lot of fascinating, I-want-to-read-that books on the list. Including a novel in verse!! One thing we will also want to point out is that several reviewers recommended listening to the audio editions … and not just fiction! Summaries excerpted from Goodreads. Click the book cover to go to see more details. Middle-Grade …
#CYBILS2023 The Ones That Got Away: Middle-Grade Edition
Remember when we said our judges read more than 1,240 books for the 2023 CYBILS Awards? Well, more than 350 of those books were written for the middle-grade audience. As you might expect, there were some books that judges crossed their fingers and toes for in hopes *that book* making the finalist list – that weren’t on those lists. HOWEVER. …
Fri-YA | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 01.12.24
If it’s Friday, it’s time for YA. We love all the books, so it just makes sense that we go into the weekend with some ooh-I-want-to-read-that titles for our weekend entertainment. Let’s go! The weekend is calling! PS – It’s not all fiction, either!! We’ve got some high school nonfiction for you, too. Summaries via Goodreads. Click book covers to …
The IN be-TWEEN | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 01.10.24
Wednesday. That day in the middle between weekends!! See where we’re going here? The perfect day to share books for tweens, aka the middle-grade audience. The weekly collection will include selections from the Middle-Grade Fiction, Middle-Grade Nonfiction, Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novel, and Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction, and Poetry categories. Book summaries from Goodreads. Click the book cover to view the full summary …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.30.2023
Alrighty friends and bookworms! We are here. The last collection of book reviews for 2023. We’re shifting gears and polishing up the finalist lists, which will be announced Monday, 1 January 2024 at 9:00 am Pacific Time | 12:00 pm Eastern Time. So let’s dive in! Summary excerpts come from Goodreads. Click the cover to add this book to your …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 12.23.2023
What do the disappearance of a grandfather and vanishing letters have in common? They are at the heart of two captivating speculative fiction stories that take readers deep into page-turning stories of family ties, secrets, and the power of love. ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE-GRADE SPECULATIVE FICTION Mark @ Mark My Words – This book focuses on the haunted Finch House and the author …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 12.16.2023
Is it too corny to say this week’s SpecFic Saturday selections are out of this world? Probably not if you ask our reviewers! Whether it was Alysa Wishingrad’s Between Monsters and Marvels or Sacha Lamb’s When Angels Left the Old Country, the words “wonderful,” “delightful,” and “rich” repeated shemselves within reviews and across them. Read on. See for yourself. Summary …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.9.2023
Family magic. Family secrets.Curses. Ghosts.Mystery. History. Racism. Social Justice. Although these are not time-travel novels, Speculation and Blood Debts take readers through time and bring them face-to-face with historical and present-day racism, as well as cultural appropriation. As you’ll see in their reviews, our judges found the audiobook versions of the books a wonderful way to read these books. Summaries and book covers …