We are concluding our series about the power of fREADom and the importance of book choice with a post from Melissa Fox. Her essay touches on each of the key elements of the fREADom concept. Melissa Fox has been part of the CYBILS Awards since its early days. In addition to being the Elementary/Middle-Grade Fiction chair, she is the Board …
D is for DISCOVERY | #fREADom guest post by Terry Doherty
Terry Doherty wears a few hats for the CYBILS Awards. She is the social media coordinator, she is the ‘librarian’ for our Goodreads shelves, and she is also the incoming president of our Board of Directors. Before volunteering more actively with the CYBILS, she was the creator and Executive Director of the Reading Tub, a nonprofit for family literacy. Some …
A is for AFFIRMATION | #fREADom guest post by Gary Anderson
Prior to joining the CYBILS Awards Board in 2023, Gary Anderson served as the YA Fiction chair, and was a judge in multiple categories [Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, YA Speculative Fiction, High School Nonfiction, and YA Fiction]. He is a retired high school English teacher, published author, and one-time “substitute librarian” at the high school where he once taught. …
E is for EMPATHY | #fREADom guest post by Tanita S. Davis
Tanita Davis is an award-winning author. She has written 8 novels for young readers, and her short fiction can be found in Hunger Mountain and Cicada magazines. She is currently the CYBILS Awards Board Vice President. When my book HAPPY FAMILIES was among the hundreds banned in 2023 by the Katy ISD, a public school district based in Katy, Texas, I wasn’t shocked. …
R is for RECOGNITION | #fREADom guest post by Charlotte Taylor
Charlotte Taylor is a CYBILS Awards board member, having recently served as Board President. She served as the Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction chair from 2009-2023, and this year is the chair for the High School Nonfiction category. Charlotte takes comfort in placing as many library holds as she can realistically read. If only her day job as a professional archaeologist, and …
What is fREADom?
fREADom is the belief that readers should have the opportunity to choose the books they read. It recognizes that a parent has the right to set boundaries for their own children, but not the youth population at large. The CYBILS Awards believes in the power of books, and we affirm the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, whose research showed how …
#CYBILS2024 Time for Publisher and Author Submissions
Dear publishers and authors, Thank you for your patience! We know you are very excited for the opportunity to get your books in front of our judges. Now that readers have had the opportunity to nominate their favorite titles, it is your turn. From 10/1 – 10/15/2024 you can submit your own eligible titles that could fill in the gaps …
Hey, look 👀It’s Reader Nomination Time! #CYBILS2024
Public Nominations #CYBILS2024 9/16/2024 to 9/30/2024 Yes, indeed! It’s the first date we circle on our calendar every year: the day you can finally nominate your favorite children’s and young adult books of 2024! Everything you need to know is in this post! To make the process easier and ensure books are nominated in the correct place and so you …
What’s next for #CYBILS2024?
We’re glad you asked! The Call for Judges is now closed and our category chairs are organizing their panels. We hope to announce the panels in the next week-ish. Chairs will reach out to individual applicants, so be sure to check your email. In the meantime, you can be getting ready for the Public Nomination period, which begins on 16 …
Attention Publishers: Change is Coming
First, thank you for your work championing books for young readers and your support of the CYBILS Awards. It is hard to believe that the 19th annual awards cycle is about to get underway. We appreciate you being on this journey with us year in and year out. On behalf of our Board, I wanted to make you aware of …