Round 1 Kirstine Call @kirsticall Kirstine Call Michelle Lockwood @blogslikeagirl Blogs Like a Girl Leila Roy @bkshelvesofdoom Bookshelves of Doom Madeline Rudawski @hey_librarygirl Hey, Library Girl! Karen Jensen @tlt16 Teen Librarian Toolbox Jenn Hubbs @lostingreatbook Lost in a Great Book Round 2 Wendy Gassaway @WendyGassaway Mrs. Gassaway Reads Too Much Sara Grochowski @thehidingspot The Hiding Spot Sarah Gross @thereadingzone …
2015 YA Nonfiction Judges
First Round Karen Yingling @msyingling Ms. Yingling Reads Sherry Early @semicolonblog Semicolon Karen Ball @batgirl_books Mrs. B’s Favorites Louise Capizzo @Lcapizzo Nonfiction Detectives Jennifer Rothschild @kidsilkhaze Biblio File Second Round Terry Doherty @thereadingtub The Family Bookshelf Katy Manck @BooksYALove Books YA Love Adrienne Gillespie @adrienneelva Books and Bassets Danyelle …
List Fun: Listening to the Cybils
School is almost out – time to make your summer reading lists. Whether you have a preference for audio books or you want to see what all the fuss is about I’ve got you covered! When I was a round one judge for the 2013 Cybils I was thankful that audio books were an acceptable way to “read” the nominees, …
Interview with Matt de la Peña
First off, congrats!! We are all thrilled The Living won! Could you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for this book? MdlP: I’m so honored that The Living won! Thank you, thank you, thank you! The book was a bit of an experiment for me. First of all, I was coming off four much quieter novels, …
Interview with Brandy Colbert
First off, congrats! Pointe is a terrific first novel! Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration for it? BC: Thank you so much—I’m honored! Pointe was initially a kidnapping story. I was inspired by the abduction of Steven Stayner in the 1970s, whose experience was later told in a TV movie called I Know My First Name Is Steven. I …
List Fun: YA Graphic Novels with Diverse Characters
My very first time as a Cybils judge was in 2006, as a part of the Graphic Novels round 1 panel. I’ve participated every year since then (not always in Graphic Novels, but often), and one of my favorite aspects of Cybils judging is having the opportunity to read such an immense variety of books with intriguing, diverse characters and …
List Fun: Cybils Books with Latino Flair
I’m very passionate about diversity in YA and children’s literature. As a former bilingual teacher, I found a huge discrepancy on what was out there during the 1990s/2000s especially stories with Latin@ protagonists. This was the driving force behind me writing Earrings of Ixtumea which has a Latina protagonist being thrust into a parallel world where she has to confront the …
List Fun: Young Adult High Fantasy
Game of Thrones returns to television this week, and in celebration, here’s a list for those who can’t get enough high fantasy. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) defines high fantasy as “Fantasies set in Otherworlds, specifically Secondary Worlds, and which deal with matters affecting the destiny of those worlds.” In essence, high fantasy stories are set in fully imaginary worlds …
Review: Death Sworn
Young Adult Speculative Fiction Judge Cecelia, who blogs at Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia, is a voracious reader of all types of books, from adult down through middle grade. Back in April of last year she reviewed her category finalist Death Sworn, by Leah Cypess, writing: I own Leah Cypess’ two previous novels, but I never made a concerted effort to …
Review: Pointe
Today’s review of Young Adult Fiction finalist Pointe, by Brandy Colbert comes from round one panelist Brandy, who blogs at Whimscially Yours. She gushed about Pointe, writing: This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I know. But, it’s the truth. You know how some books just speak to you? How from the moment you open them you know …