Deb Marshall, one of our Round 1 judges in Middle Grade Fiction, is today's featured blogger. As for her area of expertise, her blog name says it all: Just Deb: Reading and Writing for Children and Teens. She's a 25-year veteran of public library youth services as well as a professional storyteller in Alberta, Canada. Fun fact: she's got some …
REVIEW
Ichiro by Ryan Inzana
Jennifer Wharton, our Nonfiction Picture Books category chair, blogs about books at Jean Little Library–but she also has another blog, Flying Off My Bookshelf, where she uses a really neat flipcard feature to showcase book reviews in a colorful, cover-art-oriented fashion. Today's featured review is from one of those flipcards–a couple of months ago Jennifer looked at Teen Graphic Novels …
Some Worthy YA Titles that Missed the Shortlist
Continuing the series of posts highlighting our Round 1 judges' personal favorites, we've got a couple from the Young Adult Fiction category (which is another one that always gets a ton of nominees)–check out some worthy books that didn't quite make it onto the shortlist this year: Kendall Kulper of Blogging for YA shares her Ten Hidden Gems from the …
REVIEW
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds
Amy Uptain, who blogs at Hope Is the Word, is a Cybils veteran, Round 2 judge in Nonfiction Picture Books–and today's featured blogger. A former teacher and librarian, she currently is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of three young children. She blogs about her life, parenting, and home education as well as about the books she reads. Fun fact: she hosts …
REVIEW
Every Day by David Levithan
Today's featured blogger comes to us from all the way Down Under–Christchurch, New Zealand, to be specific. Zac Harding is a children's librarian who blogs at My Best Friends Are Books, and he's a Round 2 judge this year for YA Fantasy and Sci-Fi. He also blogs at the Christchurch City Libraries blog and the Christchurch Kids Blog, posting about …
The Ones that Got Away, Part II: Electric Boogaloo
We've got a few more lists of favorites that didn't quite make it onto the shortlists this year–all from Fantasy and Sci-fi, which is not a surprise when you consider the sheer number of submissions in that category. So if you're looking to add to your TBR pile, check out these worthies from our Round 1 judges: Sheila Ruth, our …
REVIEW
Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes
Catherine Nichols, aka The Cath in the Hat, is a Round 2 judge on our Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books team this year, and today's featured blogger. Her blog focuses exclusively on books for the early reader, and in her day-to-day life, she's a children's writer and editor. Fun fact: She's written books about an incredible range of topics, from bugs …
REVIEW
Where Do Balloons Go? by Jamie Lee Curtis
Elizabeth LeBris, who blogs at LeBrisary, is our featured reviewer for the day. As you might have guessed, she's a librarian–specifically, she's the Director of Library and Technology Services at The Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, Illinois. She's also a Round 2 judge for Book Apps this year. Fun fact: Those cute little puppies in her blog header are Pembroke …
A Project from our Publisher Liaison
Our hardworking publisher liaison is Sheila Ruth, who not only spends oodles of time making sure Cybils judges get the review copies they need, but also devotes even more time to being the Fantasy and Science Fiction category chair. You probably know she blogs at Wands and Worlds, but you might NOT know that she also owns a small press …
REVIEW
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Full disclosure: today's featured review comes courtesy of my co-blogger over at Finding Wonderland, YA author Tanita Davis. We've been co-writers and co-conspirators over there since (gasp) 2005, and she writes the most in-depth and carefully considered reviews of mainly YA titles, particularly those with a SFF and/or multicultural bent. She was a Round 1 judge this year for YA …