Melissa has gained the reputation at work for being overly excitable… as evidenced by her squeals when 1) a new Middle Grade or YA book comes out, 2) when she gets to do a fun story time, 3) she gets to meet a cool author, or 3) whenever she finds a new (YA or Middle Grade, mostly) book she loves. …
Meet the 2015 Organizers: Sarah Stevenson, Co-Blog Editor
Sarah Stevenson–a YA author, freelance writer, artist, and graphic designer–has been a part of the Cybils since its inaugural year in 2006, and was blog editor for the 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 Cybils. She’s also helped out behind the scenes with the Cybils logo and flyers, and as a judge in various categories. Last year she stepped aside from …
Meet the 2015 Organizers: Jen Robinson, Literary Evangelist and Social Media Guru
Jen Robinson loves reading, listening to, and recommending books. Although she works in the high tech industry, she feels that she can actually make a difference in the world if she helps parents, teachers, and librarians to connect kids with books. She does this by purchasing books for as many kids in her life as possible, and by reviewing books …
Meet the 2015 Organizers: Sheila Ruth, Publisher Liason
It all started with Harry Potter and homeschooling. After bonding over reading Harry Potter together, kidlit became a family activity. Dad wrote a book, mom (Sheila) published it, and mom and son started a book website, Wands and Worlds, as a homeschooling activity. Blogging followed soon after, which in turn led to the Cybils, which Sheila has been passionately involved …
Meet the 2015 Organizers: Anne Levy, Executive Director
I’m the Cybils spokes-model, getting paid big bucks to show off my glamorous self and sell these sleek awards. Only I don’t get paid, and I’m in my PJs, and the awards are free. I’m not really sure why organizers keep me around a decade after co-founding the awards, actually, except as some sort of mascot. I wave a lot …
Meet the Organizers: Stephanie Charlefour, Young Adult Nonfiction
A lifelong reader, some of Stephanie’s most vivid memories from her childhood are centered around books–from volunteering in her middle school library, curling up with a great book on a rainy day and sharing books with her best friends at recess. Now as a tween and teen librarian, Stephanie gets to share her love of reading focusing on those in …
Meet the Organizers: Jackie Parker, Young Adult Fiction
Jackie fully believes that her ability to consume great quantities of literature in short periods of time was first fostered by the elementary school program “Book It” which promised a button and free Pizza Hut to those who read enough. It served her well in college, and then again, in 2006 during the inaugural year of the Cybils. Since then, …
Meet the Organizers: Karen Yingling, Middle Grade Fiction
A middle aged, middle school librarian from the Midwest, I’ve been blogging since 2006 at Ms. Yingling Reads. When first hired at my school, I vowed to read every hard cover fiction book in the library so that it’s easier to get the right book for the right child at the right time. It was sad when I finished because …
Meet the Organizers: Liz Jones, Graphics
Liz Jones has been involved with the Cybils since 2007… and always with graphics! Her blog hasn’t been updated much due to a freshly minted art studio, Liz Jones Arts which opened during the Cybils period last year. This has turned out to be a whole new way to get kids interested in graphics.. even when the local schools don’t carry them, …
Meet the Organizers: Pam Coughlan, Fiction Picture Books
Continuing with the Cybils as category organizer for Fiction Picture Books, Pam Coughlan writes the blog MotherReader and administers the website KidLitosphere Central. With two teenage girls headed into adventures in high school and (gulp) college, she appreciates the honest beauty and simplicity of picture books more than ever. She has worked in public libraries in northern Virginia giving readers …