Happy Cybils Day! As always, we want to thank all our judges for their reading, discussing, and ultimately deciding on our fantastic winners. And to our organizers who rose to the challenge of wrangling said judges, making sure everything ran smoothly, on top of everything else that was going on in life. (Life, it does get in the way of …
REVIEW: Infandous
Young Adult Fiction finalist title Infandous by Elana K. Arnold takes center stage in today’s featured blog review, which comes courtesy of Kirkus Reviewer and inveterate Cybil-ite Leila Roy. Leila, who blogs at Bookshelves of Doom, was a Round 1 judge this year in YA Fiction, and back in the spring she posted about Infandous for Kirkus and gave it …
REVIEW: All the Rage
It seems a little strange to be co-managing this blog and not mention at least one post from my own blog, right? Well, let’s remedy that, and move on with our lives. I share a blog with wonderful fellow YA author (and Cybils judge) Tanita Davis called Finding Wonderland, where we blog about writing stuff as well as reviewing mostly …
REVIEW: Everything, Everything
Our featured blog review of the day looks at YA Fiction nominee Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Earlier in the year, Round 1 YA Fiction judge Karen Jensen reviewed this book for her blog Teen Librarian Toolbox hosted at School Library Journal. Karen, a veteran Young Adult/Teen Services Librarian, gave this book a rave review: “This is a beautiful and …
REVIEW: All the Bright Places
Jenn Hubb, who blogs at Lost in a Great Book, is a self-described proud geek, lifelong book lover, and teacher-librarian in Ontario, Canada, as well as a Round 1 judge for YA Fiction this year. Earlier in the year she reviewed YA Fiction nominee All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, which has been ambitiously described as “The Fault in …
REVIEW: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Many of us know and love Cybils veteran Leila Roy from her long-running blog Bookshelves of Doom, or from her reviews as a columnist for Kirkus. This year she’s lending her expertise as a Round 1 judge for YA Fiction, and back in February she reviewed YA Fiction nominee Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for her Kirkus column. This …
Young Adult Fiction Category Description
The world as it was and is. Not as it could, or would, or should be. Send the dystopias and space operas, the fairies and angels, the blood-suckers, zombies, and alternate realities to Seculative Fiction. In YA Fiction we are looking for realistic fiction, be it contemporary or historical, funny or mysterious, romantic or adventurous. We want the real world …
Review: Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders
Today’s review of Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach comes from YA Fiction round one panelist Mindi. She’s a junior high literary coach who blogs at Next Best Book in her spare time. Of Fat Boys, she writes: Have you ever read a book that made you feel slightly uncomfortable because you know that it’s not that far off from the …
Review: Always Emily
Today’s review of the day comes from long-time Cybils’ panelist and judge, Leila Roy. A librarian tucked away in Maine, Leila blogs at both Bookshelves of Doom and Kirkus, where she releases her enthusiastic love (and snark) on books. Of Young Adult Fiction nominee Always Emily by Michaela MacColl, Leila writes: As the cover art and the name “Brontë” suggest, the book features plenty …
Young Adult Fiction – Category Description
The world as it was and is. Not as it could, or would, or should be. Send the dystopias and space operas, the fairies and angels, the blood-suckers, zombies, and alternate realities to Seculative Fiction. In YA Fiction we are looking for realistic fiction, be it contemporary or historical, funny or mysterious, romantic or adventurous. We want the real world …