Wonderfully inventive and full of unforgettable people and places–this year’s speculative fiction books for kids are better than ever! Along with the expected spells and space rockets and aliens, this is the category for books with talking animals, time-travel, ghosts, and paranormal abilities, and all the other books that might not have obvious magic on every page, and which are set here …
Middle Grade Fiction Category Description
Middle grade fiction encompasses a wide range of stories that do not have magical elements and are geared toward the 8 to 12 year old age group. These stories could be mysteries, histories, humor, sports, adventure and other tales set in the real world. Middle Grade readers’ tastes and reading abilities can vary widely, and getting them a book that …
YA Nonfiction Category Description
Young Adult Nonfiction is experiencing a boon in great books. It is true that there is definitely more interest in great nonfiction, especially if you have a child in school, and that school district uses common core. Not known for being as glamorous as the fiction categories, for this librarian, great nonfiction is as much of a treat as any fiction book on any …
Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction Category Description
Kids are curious about the world around them and nonfiction is the perfect way to introduce them to that amazing world. History? Biography? Art? Science? Math? Animals? Sports? It’s all here and more besides! We’re looking for titles that are suitable for reading aloud or independently, including picture books and early chapters (nonfiction easy readers go to the easy reader category). We love text and illustrations …
Book Apps Category Description
Book apps have become increasingly popular as developers have found creative ways for readers to interact with stories. You may wonder how book apps differ from e-books. The biggest difference is that book apps allow readers to interact with the story in a variety of ways: by reading the text on the page, swiping, tapping, recording, listening to narration and …
Graphics Category Description
When I ask my college students if they’ve ever read a graphic novel of them, most of them look confused. You mean superhero comics? Well, yes– of course! But there’s more. There are always a few whose faces light up as they tell me about having read Watchmen, or Maus, or more recent stories like Smile or War Brothers. Using …
Fiction Picture Books Category Description
Ah, fiction picture books. Their skinny spines create a kaleidoscope on bookshelves that is mesmerizing. On each shelf, you are likely to find the tall one next to the short one, the orange one next to a purple or green one, and sweet script cowering next to BIG BOLD TITLES. Fiction Picture Books are a show and tell art form. …
Easy Reader/Early Chapter Books Category Description
The Easy Reader / Early Chapter Book category of the Cybils covers the whole spectrum of titles for early elementary kids who are learning to read, from the very basic books for emergent readers to longer, illustrated titles for kids who are not quite ready for novels. What we’re looking for in easy reader nominations are leveled readers with controlled …
2015 Graphics Judges
Round 1Nicola Mansfield@Niagara_NikkiIt’s all Comic to Me Sharon Levin@sharonreaderLife Literature Laughter Matt Esenwine@MattForrestVWRadio, Rhythm & Rhyme Samantha Silva@readinghappilyReading. Happily.Gary Anderson@AndersonGLWhat’s Not Wrong? David Elzey@delzeyGuys Lit Wire Liz Jones@lizjonesbooksLiz Jones Books Round 2Emma WeilerNo Flying No TightsAlysa Stewart@evereadEveread Blooey Singson@sumthinblueBookmarked! Mike Lewis@145lewisLewis5 Emily Mitchell@emilyreadsEmily Reads
2015 Poetry Judges
Round 1 Nancy Bo Flood The Pirate Tree Irene Latham @irene_latham Live Your Poem Jone Rush MacCulloch @JoneMac53 Check It Out Margaret Simon @MargaretGSimon Reflections on the Teche Tricia Stohr-Hunt @missrumphius The Miss Rumphius Effect Carol Wilcox @carwilc Carol W’s Corner Sylvia Vardell @SylviaVardell Poetry For Children Round 2 Linda Baie @LBaie Teacher …