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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

TeacherDance is the blog of Round 2 poetry judge Linda Baie–a teacher, mother, grandmother, and literacy coach in Denver, Colorado. She's our featured reviewer of the day, and she blogs about–of course–poetry, frequently participating in Poetry Friday. Fun fact: she provides a helpful list of her favorite read-aloud titles. In the fall, she reviewed Cybils Poetry finalist Water Sings Blue …

Today's featured review comes from Stephanie Charlefour, Round 1 judge for MG/YA Nonfiction. She blogs at Love.Life.Read about books for children, teens, and adults, but her favorite genre is YA contemporary/realistic fiction. She's a public librarian specializing in youth and teen books. Fun fact: she plans to participate in SIXTEEN reading challenges this year. Last month, she reviewed NFMGYA finalist …

Oh, we had so many wonderful Cybils submissions this year–and, like every year, there were plenty of books we loved that just didn't quite make the shortlists (or, as our SFF organizer Sheila put it, had to be "sacrificed to the gods of compromise"). Our volunteer judges often choose to honor their personal faves by giving them a shout-out on …