Cousins of Clouds: Elephant Poems by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Clarion Books Nominated by: Amy @ Hope Is the Word Poet Paul Muldoon said, “One will never again look at a birch tree, after the Robert Frost poem, in exactly the same way.” Readers of Tracy Vaughn Zimmer’s Cousins of Clouds can make a similar argument, because they will probably never …

All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon Atheneum Nominated by: Kate Coombs Just when you thought the world had enough books about the water cycle, along comes this fresh poetic treatment to make you say “Wow.” Lyon laces the sparse, tightly written text with delicious language surprises as she succinctly explains where water comes from and where …

Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger Amulet Nominated by: Madelyn Rosenberg Read this you must. The students of Ralph McQuarrie Middle School are back in the sequel to Tom Angleberger’s best selling middle grade novel The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, last year’s Cybils winner in this category. In Darth Paper, our hero, Dwight is …

Blackout by John Rocco Hyperion Nominated by: Jennifer Donovan When all the lights in Brooklyn go out one summer night, families are suddenly not busy, much to the delight of a young child. Without power, the family can’t dotheir many insular electronic tasks and have time to play games together, socialize with their neighbors and even look at the stars …

Elementary/Middle Grade Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch Amulet Nominated by: Els Kushner Mirka would much rather spend her time slaying dragons than taking knitting lessons from her stepmother. But there seems to be a lack of dragons in Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives. That won’t stop Mirka from outwitting a giant pig, making …

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1) by Susan Ee Feral Dream Nominated by: Lydia Dawson Angels have attacked the world, killing billions. Humans have gone savage in order to survive. There’s a seventeen-year-old girl in the middle of it all trying to keep her family together and find a place amid the madness where she can eke …

A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd by Patrick Ness Candlewick Press Nominated by: Monica Edinger The first night Conor is awakened by a monster he believes it is all a dream, but he soon discovers this monster is very real and very serious about getting the truth from him. But even Conor does not know the …

Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential Graphic Novel by Annie Fox Free Spirit Publishing, developed by Electric Eggplant Nominated by: Amy Jussel This is an app created especially for tweens and young teens. It’s a full-color cartoon-illustrated graphic novel with scenarios based on everyday situations many young people encounter such as hanging out with friends and …

Easy Readers Aggie Gets Lost (Aggie and Ben) by Lori Ries Charlesbridge Nominated by: Jeff Barger Aggie and Ben are back for a new adventure in the fourth installment of this endearing series. Ben takes a restless Aggie to the park for a game of fetch, but Aggie gets lost when the ball is thrown too far. Lost dog stories …