Book Reviews: #CYBILS2023 YA Graphic Novel Finalists

Tuesday seems like a great day to enjoy Graphic Novels, yes? Yeah, you’re right. ANY DAY is an awesome day to dive into graphics. So let’s do it! 2023 WINNER In Limbo Deb JJ Lee First Second Books Nominated by: Kristen Tamara @ Bookish Things -The art in this is so gorgeous. It’s pretty much all in blue and gray …

Book Reviews: #CYBILS2023 Poetry Novel In Verse Finalists

Can a middle-grade verse novel about table tennis bring adults to tears? Yes. [Did you notice we said “adults” – plural.] If you are looking for fresh, captivating, thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud books, look no further than this year’s list of Poetry Novel in Verse finalists. While the books themselves are labeled for “middle grade” and “young adult” audiences, it is pretty …

Book Reviews: #CYBILS2023 Easy Reader Finalists

Today for your reading enjoyment we’ve got … 2023 WINNER Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends: Ready-to-Read Graphics Level 1 Kaz Windness, illustrated by Kaz Windness Simon Spotlight Nominated by: Kate Talbot Kirsten @ Goodreads – This is a wonderful story with colorful illustrations and panels that are sometimes put in the middle of another large panel, straying from the classic …

Announcing the 2023 CYBILS Awards Winners

Before we say “congratulations,” we want to shout out a big thanks to everyone who helped make the 2023 CYBILS Awards another great year! 💞 THANK YOU 💞  We can’t say enough about our judges … who can’t say enough about the great books you sent us for consideration. We were thrilled to have many books with positive representation that …

#CYBILS2023 Books by Previous Winners

Turning 18 has made us a bit nostalgic … and yet looking forward, too. That got us thinking … wouldn’t it be fun to see how many 2023 CYBILS Awards nominees are written by previous winners? So we dug into the archives to find which CYBILS Awards winners of yore who have new books being considered this year. Quite a …

VINCENT AND THEO by Deborah Heiligman a #CYBILS 📚🎶

vincent and theo deborah heiligman book playlist

VINCENT AND THEO: THE VAN GOGH BROTHERS By Deborah Heiligman Henry Holt Young Adult NonfictionArt & Creativity, Family, Mental Health Winner – High School Nonfiction2017 CYBILS Awards The Book   Vincent and Theo is a story of brotherly love. The Van Gogh children were raised to help and look out for each other. Theo, though younger than Vincent, took this …

REFUGEE by Alan Gratz CYBILS 📚🎶

2017 MGLit Fiction winner

REFUGEE by Shannon Stocker illustrated by Devon Holzwarth Scholastic Winner – Middle Grade Fiction 2017 CYBILS Awards The Book Middle Grade Fiction historical fiction, realistic fiction, war Three children, three countries, three points in history. Three stories in one. Refugee by Alan Gratz is an important story for our times. The writing is tension-filled and although the young characters are …

WATERCRESS by Andrea Wang #CYBILS 📚🎶

2021 picture book winner

WATERCRESS by Andrea Wang illustrated by Jason Chin Neal Porter Books Winner – Fiction Picture Book 2021 CYBILS Awards The Book Fiction Picture Book Culture & Tradition, Family, Realistic Fiction, Social Issues Watercress is a beautiful lyrical story that transports your mind and heart through words and images. It incorporates a universal childhood desire to fit in while at the …

EVERYWHERE BLUE by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz #CYBILS 📚🎶

ya verse novel fritz

Right after we launched our book playlist feature, Joanne Rossmassler Fritz contacted us to share the Spotify playlist her son created for her book EVERYWHERE BLUE. Riya describes it as “stunning.”   EVERYWHERE BLUE By Joanne Rossmassler Fritz Holiday House Winner – Poetry 2021 CYBILS Awards The Book Young Adult Climate Change, Family, Growing Up, Mental Health, Music, Mystery, Realistic Fiction …

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson #CYBILS 📚🎶

Because graphic novels by their nature engage readers on multiple sensory levels. When a story is told through pictures, there is more on the page for readers to explore, and having “background music” can add to the reading experience exponentially. WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy Dial Books Finalist …