Cybils for the Holidays

Here at the Cybils, we are always in favor of giving books for the holidays. We believe that you can’t give anyone, but especially a kid, anything better. And so, in that spirit, our panel coordinators will, over the next few weeks, give out some of their suggestions (in each of their respective categories) as to the best Cybils books …

Indie Next Revisit & Rediscover and the Cybils

I was going through my feed reader the other day, and I noticed a press release from the American Bookseller’s Association announcing their new Revisit & Rediscover initiative, highlighting older (called backlist in the industry) titles.  They describe it as this: Each quarter, the Kids’ Indie Next List will highlight three backlist titles each, plus bookseller blurbs, for picture book, middle …

Review: Mr. Pants: Trick or Feet!

Tomorrow’s Halloween, so you kind of knew today’s review would be Halloween-themed, right? The one that jumped out at us was Graphic Novels nominee Mr. Pants: Trick or Feet!, by Scott McCormick, reviewed by Gary, a first round Graphics judge who blogs at What’s Not Wrong?. He writes: Mr. Pants: Trick or Feet! is a wacky Halloween-themed adventure featuring the cockeyed cat Mr. …

REVIEW: Another Kind of Hurricane

 The recent news about Hurricane Patricia has got me thinking about the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Ten years out, there were several good books published about that event this year including Middle Grade Fiction nominee Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith. Our review comes from first round Middle Grade Fiction judge Debbie, who blogs as The Booksearch.  She …

Last Call for Nominations!

Public nominations end today, and so you have one last chance to nominate books for this year’s Cybils award. Your favorite book already nominated? We have lots of suggestions of books we’d like to see. We hope you’ve nominated!   For some suggestions, check out the following posts: Wands and Worlds Ms. Yingling Reads Charlotte’s Library Si, Se Puede Bibliofile …

Need a Nomination Suggestion?

We are about halfway through the nominating period, and the judges and organizers have come up with lists of great books that we’d really love to see nominated. If you haven’t put your two cents in on the nominating form, please consider using one of these suggestions.  From Stacked Books, a list of YA Speculative Fiction A list of fiction picture …

The 2015 Cybils are OPEN!

Welcome to the TENTH annual Cybils awards! The nominations are now open! Some quick reminders: First off,  be sure to check out our category descriptions. If you don’t know where the book should go, please read through the descriptions to help you decide. If you’re still not quite sure, make your best guess, and we can straighten things out behind the scenes. Take a minute …

Nominations Open TOMORROW

If you’re anything like me (which I know you’re not, but roll with it for a minute), you’ve been scrolling through your Goodreads list of books you’ve read since the last Cybils nomination cycle, writing down your favorites (and second and third favorites) so that when the Cybils nomination form goes live at midnight pacific time on October 1, you’re …

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 …

Young Adult Speculative Fiction Category Description

Speculative Fiction takes us to realms of the imagination: places and times and realities where the rules of life may be different than our own and where the impossible and improbable become real. But good science fiction and fantasy does more than that: it asks, “What if?” It makes us think. It holds up a mirror to our own society …