Young Adult Nonfiction is experiencing a boon in great books. It is true that there is definitely more interest in great nonfiction, especially if you have a child in school, and that school district uses common core. Not known for being as glamorous as the fiction categories, for this librarian, great nonfiction is as much of a treat as any fiction book on any …
Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction Category Description
Kids are curious about the world around them and nonfiction is the perfect way to introduce them to that amazing world. History? Biography? Art? Science? Math? Animals? Sports? It’s all here and more besides! We’re looking for titles that are suitable for reading aloud or independently, including picture books and early chapters (nonfiction easy readers go to the easy reader category). We love text and illustrations …
2015 YA Nonfiction Judges
First Round Karen Yingling @msyingling Ms. Yingling Reads Sherry Early @semicolonblog Semicolon Karen Ball @batgirl_books Mrs. B’s Favorites Louise Capizzo @Lcapizzo Nonfiction Detectives Jennifer Rothschild @kidsilkhaze Biblio File Second Round Terry Doherty @thereadingtub The Family Bookshelf Katy Manck @BooksYALove Books YA Love Adrienne Gillespie @adrienneelva Books and Bassets Danyelle …
2015 Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction Judges
Round 1 Ellen Zschunke @ontheshelf4kids On the Shelf 4 Kids Bridget R. Wilson @bridgetrwilson What is Bridget Reading? Amy Broadmoore @delightchildbks Delightful Children’s Books Elisa Bergslien @DNAPL Leopards and Dragons Roberta Gibson @RobertaGibson Wrapped in Foil Reshama Deshmukh @stackingbks Stacking Books Laura Arnhold @literacious Literacious Round 2 Alyson Beecher @alybee930 Kid Lit Frenzy Julie …
List Fun: Cybils STEM Books
Samuel Beckett said “Try again, fail again. Fail Better”. Not only did Swiss #2 tennis champ Stan Wawrinka have these words imprinted on his forearm, but this has become a mantra in education all over the country. Silicon Valley culture embraces the culture behind failing fast and it seems to be paying off. So with STEM (short for Science, Technology, …
List Fun: I Like a Few Facts With My Poetry
Don Graves, father of the modern writing process, used to always say, “Poets are a lot like scientists. They both observe the world very, very closely.” Each of the books celebrates the merge of poetry with nonfiction. Perfect for science or social studies, as mentor texts for quick reports, or just plain old enjoyable reads for those of us who …
List Fun: Readable Nonfiction
As a teen/tween public librarian, I specialize in students from third grade through high school. My colleagues often will pull me in to help a teen or tween reader find books that will help them survive their school assignments. Usually without fail the one assignment I am called in to help with more times than not is when we have …
Interview with Candace Fleming
First off, congrats! We were all quite excited that The Family Romanov won. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for this book? CF: Thanks for the congrats, Melissa. I’m completely thrilled about The Family Romanov’s Cybils win. I’m also thrilled to be here talking about the book. To explain where the idea …
List Fun: Kid-Friendly Biographies
As a panelist, we always discuss all books on their merits both literary and kid appeal. Sometimes, librarians find picture book biographies to be a tough sell. Not me! I am fortunate in my school to have the opportunity to collaborate with some amazing classroom, special education, and special area teachers. The third grade team at my school has created …
Interview with Melissa Stewart and Sarah Brannen
First off, congrats! We were all very excited Feathers won. Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for this book? MS: Thanks so much! Sarah and I were thrilled to hear that our book had won. While I was doing research for another book, I stumbled across an article in Birder’s World (now …