Our featured review for today comes from Round 1 judge for YA Speculative Fiction Rebecca J. Allen, a middle grade author in Connecticut who blogs at The Winged Pen. Back in January, she reviewed YASF nominee Caraval by Stephanie Garber: Scarlett must follow the clues in Legend’s game to find her sister, but winning won’t be easy. In Caraval, no …
REVIEW: Elizabeth and Zenobia
Our featured reviewer for today, Jenna Grose, is a Round 2 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction judge and aspiring librarian from Canada. She blogs about a variety of books for children and adults at her blog, Falling Letters. Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica Miller is a nominee that follows the spooky Gothic tradition; in her review, Jenna said: A delightful tale …
REVIEW: Landscape with Invisible Hand
The featured blog review for today comes courtesy of my very own co-blogger at Finding Wonderland, Round 1 YA Speculative Fiction judge Tanita Davis. Tanita is a YA author, blogger, and woman of many talents, and a particularly perspicacious reviewer. Earlier this year, she wrote about YA Speculative Fiction nominee Landscape with Invisible Hand by M.T. Anderson: This novella-length satire …
REVIEW: Lockwood & Co., Book Five: The Empty Grave
In honor of Halloween tomorrow, here’s a review of a spooky spec fic nominee for the Elementary/Middle Grade SF category. Lockwood & Co., Book Five: The Empty Grave, by Jonathan Stroud, is the latest installment in the series, and is sure to please fans of the Lockwood books. Our Middle Grade Fiction category chair, middle school librarian Karen Yingling, reviewed …
Interview with Joshua Khan
Lily is a strong heroine, both determined and intelligent, yet in Shadow Magic both the political power she ostensibly has, and the magical power that’s forbidden to women which she’s beginning to realize she has lots of, are not yet fully hers to wield. I assume that as the series progress, she will gain more actual power….Was it hard to hold Lily in …
REVIEW: Shadow Magic
This year’s winning title in the category of Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction is Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan, a tale of outlaws, sorcery, adventure…and a giant bat. Round 1 judge Brandy Painter reviewed this one back in the fall on her blog Random Musings of a Bibliophile: “The world Khan created for the book is incredibly interesting and the way …
REVIEW: The Inquisitor’s Tale
We’ve got a review of one of our winning titles for you today: the inaugural winner in our brand-new Audiobooks category. The book is The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz, a funny and fantastical medieval adventure. Audiobooks Round 2 judge and Cybils blog co-editor Melissa Fox reviewed this one just last …
REVIEW: When the Moon Was Ours
Today we’re featuring a review of YA Speculative Fiction finalist title When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. The review comes from Original Content, the long-running blog of Round 2 Speculative Fiction judge Gail Gauthier: “When the Moon Was Ours is elegantly written with lush language that’s carried through the whole work. In addition to being a Cybils finalist, …
REVIEW: When the Sea Turned to Silver
Today’s featured review comes from Round 2 Elementary/Middle Grade Spec Fic judge Mark Buxton, a retired teacher in Ohio who blogs at Say What? One of the fun things about his blog reviews is that he posts, in part, in the voices of book characters themselves. He also, of course, adds his own comments. Regarding finalist title When the Sea …
REVIEW: The Goblin’s Puzzle
Round 1 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction judge Sherry Early wrote our featured review for today–she’s a homeschooling mom and longtime Cybils judge (and, one could add, a fixture of the Kidlitosphere) who blogs at Semicolon. In the fall, she reviewed Cybils EMSF finalist The Goblin’s Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Alice …