I know we're on tenterhooks around here, just bursting with the news–to be revealed TOMORROW!–of this year's Cybil Award winners. I hope you're as excited as we are. If you need a refresher, Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader, one of our Round I Poetry judges, has put together a really nice roundup post with handy links to all the …
REVIEW
The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
Kyle Kimmal, one of our Round I judges for Middle Grade Fiction, blogs at The Boy Reader. He's a third grade teacher, so he looks at a lot of books of interest to younger readers, but he also reviews other titles of interest to boys. (And getting more boys to read is definitely a good thing!) Kyle recently posted about …
REVIEW
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Today's featured review comes from Tasha Saecker's long-running blog Kids Lit, which has been active since 2003. Tasha, who is the director of the Menasha Public Library in Wisconsin, is an old hand around the Cybils, and she's been a category organizer as well as a judge. She reviews everything from board books to YA novels, and this year she's …
REVIEW
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According To Susy) by Barbara Kerley
Jone MacCulloch is our category organizer for Nonfiction and Information Picture Books, so of course she reads a lot of great Cybils-worthy titles and blogs about them at Check It Out. She's a regular participant in Nonfiction Monday and Poetry Friday, and also blogs about life from the perspective of an elementary school librarian. One of her recent Nonfiction Monday …
REVIEW
Mercury by Hope Larson
I'm so happy to see this one as a finalist that I'm going to do something a little gauche and post a link to my own review on Finding Wonderland, the YA literature and writing blog I share with author and fellow Cybils judge Tanita S. Davis. (Bonus fact of the day: Hope Larson will be doing the graphic novel …
REVIEW
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
Tess Goldwasser, aka Ms. Tess, is a blogger at the Kid's Book Blog, which is a readers advisory blog updated and maintained by the children's staff of St. Mary's County Library in Maryland. She's a children's librarian, and she's also a Round II judge in Fiction Picture Books this year. Back in December, Tess reviewed what she deemed her favorite …
REVIEW
The Dark Game: True Spy Stories compiled by Paul Janeczko
The blog Mrs. B's Favorites is the online home of Karen Ball, who is so prolific at quick, informative reviews that we've decided to feature her again on the Cybils blog. Karen is a middle school teacher and a Round I judge for Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction. Back in November, she reviewed several Cybils finalists-to-be, including The Dark Game: True Spy …
Congrats to Poetry Judge Bruce Black!
We love to share the writing-related successes of our hardworking Cybils volunteers, and today we extend our hearty congratulations to Round 1 Poetry judge Bruce Black of Wordswimmer–this April, Rodmell Press is publishing his book Writing Yoga: A Guide to Keeping a Practice Journal. Described as "[p]art memoir, part writing guide," it sounds like the perfect book for writers who …
REVIEW
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
A mom and a bookseller, Tanya Zavestoski Turek has been blogging since 2008 at Books 4 Your Kids, where she highlights amazing but possibly overlooked children's books, especially picture books and chapter books. This year she's a Round II judge for Elementary and Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction. Recently, Tanya reviewed SFF finalist Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes, …
REVIEW
Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors by Joyce Sidman
Today's featured review comes courtesy of Wild Rose Reader's Elaine Magliaro, Round I Poetry panelist and children's poet in her own right. And the review is rather special, since the Cybils finalist author in question is Joyce Sidman–not only is she a past Cybils winner, she's got two–count 'em, TWO–titles on the finalist list this year. Way back in the …