Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Smith, Colby Cedar Andrews McMeel Publishing Nominated by: Alyssa Colman Call me Athena is an enchanting verse novel in multiple voices that captures the reader into the tumultuous time period of the 1930s in Detroit as well as World War I. The different time periods and voices are woven together with lyrical and …
2021 Finalists: High School Nonfiction
Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Treuer, Anton Levine Querido Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask: This candid, conversational, illuminating text invites readers to ask questions and question assumptions about Native American culture, history, and lived experience. …
Are You Ready?
I think we are! The big announcement of all our finalists is tomorrow, Janary 1, 2022 (which seems weird to write) at 9 a.m. PST! Hope to see you there! (We’re super excited, if you couldn’t tell.)
#CybilsAwards Book Lists: Space
This week, the Sunday before finalists are announced (check back on January first), let’s celebrate everything SPACE! Astronauts, astronomers, stars, night sky, our own plant hurtling through space, current and future space travel… there’s SO much out there! Beyond: Discoveries from the Outer Reaches of Space by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Sija HongMillbrook Press Hello, Earth!: Poems to Our Planet …
#CybilsAwards Book Lists: Spies, Secret Agents, and Other Adventure Books
There are so many good books nominated this year, it’s been fun coming up with lists! We’ve been noticing, as we have gone through the lists, that there are a number of books about spies and secret agents, some non-fiction, but many of them “just” for fun. I mean, no we can’t all be Bond or Alex Rider, but who …
#CybilsAwards Book Lists: Dinosaurs and Dragons!
Ah, two timeless animals, one real, but has mythical status; the other mythical, but we wish were real. Dragons: the beasts from mythology, large, fire-breathing, flying monsters that we love to imagine as both terrifying and benevolent and that appeal to all kids, no matter age, size, or gender. And Dinosaurs: the beasts from Earth’s past, large, fire-breathing, flying monsters …
#CybilsAwards Booklists: Food-y Books, Part 2
Shall we have some more food-y books? Of course! Last week was non-fiction, picture books, and poetry. This week let’s look at all the middle grade, graphic novels, speculative fiction, and YA books that have something — possibly tangential in some cases — to do with food! Time Villainsby Victor PiñeiroSourcebooks Young Readers Time Villians includes a diverse cast of …
#CybilsAwards Booklists: Food-y Books Part 1
Food! Most of us love it. Love to eat it, love to cook it, and (if you’re anything like me) love to read about it. It seems we have a ton of food-, cooking-, and eating-inspired books this year on our nomination lists, so why not celebrate as many as we can! In fact, we’re going to split this up …
#CybilsAwards Booklists: Indigenous Voices
It is American Thanksgiving this week, a time for families to get together, eat lots of food, maybe watch football, and reflect on what they are grateful for. This year, though, we wanted to take a moment to highlight Indigenous voices, their stories, and how vital they are to the world. The books on this list are written by Indigenous …
#CybilsAwards Booklists: Mindfulness, Peace, and Hope
It’s been a heck of a year (or two) for pretty much everyone, and that’s been reflected in the publishing world as well. There is a bunch of books on mindfulness, hope, having empathy for others, and peace in general. It’s not just for kids: we could all use a little more of that every day! My Thoughts Are …