Hey folks, just a quick public service announcement. The same contest that launched me on the path to fame and fortune has started up again. The YA Novel Discovery Contest gets underway November 1st. It's free to enter, and the five finalists win a consult with literary agent Regina Brooks. Further details, plus my blithering, overly long testimonial, here. –Anne …
Results of the Cybils Challenge, Part 1: Charlotte’s Library
Well, golly. We got three entries for the Cybils challenge, and thought they were all awesome, so, um–we're featuring all three entries on the blog. Today we'll check out the first entry we received, from SFF Round 1 judge Charlotte Taylor of Charlotte's Library. In her post, Charlotte gave a bunch of excellent suggestions for MG Sci-Fi nominees, but it's …
REVIEW
Bugs and Bugsicles by Amy S. Hansen
How can you resist that title? Shirley Duke of the Simply Science blog found the book just as enjoyable as the title implied. Shirley, a teacher and children's writer, is one of our Round I judges for Nonfiction and Information Picture Books, and her blog explores a wide range of books that can be used in classroom science lessons. Her …
Quick snapshot
We have 1,289 nominated books this year. More than half — 59% — have been read by at least one panelist so far. About a third have been read by two or more panelists. Way to go, panelists! –Anne Levy, Cybils admin.
REVIEW
Calamity Jack, by Hale, Hale and Hale
Nicola Manning of Back to Books is definitely a Cybils regular in the Graphic Novels category–and we love her reviews here at the Cybils blog because she provides such a thoughtful and in-depth look at nominated titles. Nicola reads widely, compiles lots of booklists and has an impressive set of completed reading challenges to her name–just check her blog for …
Some off-topic news
I've signed with Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency in Brooklyn, New York. Yay, me. I've taken a giant leap forward on the path to publication for my manuscript. There were any number of reasons why it made sense to sign with Ms. Brooks, not the least of which is that I read and enjoyed her book. I won't …
REVIEW
Poetrees by Douglas Florian
Emma Carbone, also known as the cleverly named Miss Print, is one of our Round II Fantasy & Sci-Fi YA judges this year, but she reads widely beyond just the speculative fiction category. She also blogs widely–namely for the New York Public Library, where she works, and the Why Libraries Project, to name a few examples. One of her recent …
Cybils Author Love–Plus a Print Mention!
Yeah, we know YOU guys love us. 🙂 But it's always a teeny bit extra special when we get author props here at the Cybils. And this past week or two, we've learned that a few authors have been saying some pretty nice stuff about us: Our Lady Jane Yolen posted about us in her Facebook status, saying: "Just found …
REVIEW
Project Seahorse by Pamela S. Turner
You may know Susan Thomsen because she's our category organizer for Middle Grade and YA Nonfiction, or you may know her because of her excellent blog about books and life (and sometimes chickens), Chicken Spaghetti. OR, you might have seen her yearly Mother of Booklists to End All Booklists, also known as the Big List of Lists of the Best …
REVIEW
The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
Natasha Maw of Maw Books is in her second year as a Round I Judge on the Fiction Picture Books panel. Besides being an extremely prolific book blogger whose posts range from reviews and interviews to giveaways and even recipes, Natasha's list of accomplishments also includes being a photographer, a Master Gardener, and a mom to two young boys. Recently, …