If you're over a certain age, the title Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs brings back memories of the unforgettably-illustrated children's classic, but it also happens to be the blog of Amanda Blau, one of our Round II Judges for the Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books category. Amanda is a children's librarian in the Chicago area who posts reviews …
Another Cybils Panelist Gets Award Love–W00t!
Longtime Cybil-ite Tanita Davis, who is one of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy panelists this year, has received some serious props for her YA novel Mare's War (which was a Cybils YA Fiction nominee). Namely, she's one of only five nominees for an NAACP Image Award in Youth/Teen Literature (in excellent company along with a few other Cybils nominees, we can't …
REVIEW
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
We're getting back to posting reviews here on the Cybils blog, while the judges are busy poring over the lists of finalists–but just so you know, we're ONLY posting reviews that were written prior to the judging period. Today's finalist review comes from GN Round I panelist Nicola at Back to Books. Middle Grade Graphic Novel finalist The Secret Science …
The Best of the Best: A Cybils List-tacular
During the nominations reading period, hundreds of books were devoured and discussed by our faithful panels of Round I judges, so that we could bring you the fabulous list of Cybils finalists. In the process, a lot of our panelists generated their own lists of favorite books from 2009–not predictions, DEFINITELY not hints, and probably not prophecies, but certainly a …
Celebrating Jon Scieszka
We would be remiss if we didn't join the chorus of thanks to our first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka, as he finishes out his last day at the post. Tomorrow a new ambassador is announced, but today, the kidlitosphere thanks him for his superhuman efforts on behalf of young readers everywhere. Check out the the roundup …
A fascinating discussion …
… is going on at the blog Black-Eyed Susan's about race, publishing and Cybils. I'm at work (night shift again, alas) but will post more on this — plus other reactions to the Cybils short lists from around the Web. Perhaps it will lead to a better understanding of the role race plays in what books we, as readers and …
2009 Finalists: A terrific, heavenly, so good, not bad list
–A note from Anne Levy, Cybils Administrator: I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad problem assembling this year’s Cybils finalists. Most of our first-round judges decided to sign their summaries for the short-listed titles. That meant inserting links to their blogs. And that meant meandering through their recent posts, catching up with old friends, making some new discoveries…and …
10 … 9 … 8 …
Happy New Year, everyone! I just came down from the roof–literally–where I was watching some fireworks in a neighboring city. (I work nights and our office has a rooftop viewing deck.) We're just about 6 hours away from posting the 2009 finalists. I promise they're worth getting out of bed early for. See you all in the New Year, and …
2009 Finalists: Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
Candor by Pam Bachorz Egmont USA Nominated by: Chelsea Campbell Oscar Banks has fooled the town of Candor, Florida, into thinking he’s the perfect son. Even his father, the town’s founder, believes that the subliminal messages he invented and that are carried by ever-present music, have brainwashed Oscar into becoming one more “good kid” among many. Oscar, though, knows about …
2009 Finalists: Middle-Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass Scholastic Nominated by: Maggi Idzikowski Amanda’s 11th birthday is the worst ever, and when she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that she and her ex-friend Leo are doomed to repeat the same day over and over–and over! Amanda and Leo’s attempts to live the day the “right” way to break the spell are …