Cybils 2023: Call for Judges

 

It's time for the 2023 Cybils!!! I am honored to be the Poetry Category Chair once again. 

The official Call for Judges has been announced and you have until Friday, September 8  to apply to be a panelist or judge. Read the Call for Judges here. Anyone who reads and reviews children's and young adult books via a social media platform (a blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads, TikTok, etc.) is eligible to apply. If you can't volunteer to be a judge, help spread the word about Cybils on social media and nominate your favorite books. Nominations open to the public on October 1.

I've served as a panelist 7 times...5 times in Poetry and 2 times in Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction. It's a fun process. You get to read lots of great books and discuss them with like minded people. I'm not going to lie: It's also a lot of work, but so rewarding. The beauty of Cybils is that nominations come from the public and the judges are a mix of teachers, librarians, parents, and book bloggers. I like the emphasis that is placed on kid appeal. Often I read major award winning books and I wonder about the amount of kid appeal (or lack thereof) that they have.

I'm going to list all the categories below, but forgive me for recommending my own category. Poetry is fun to read and discuss. It also usually has fewer nominations than the other categories. In 2022, Poetry had 60 nominations. 

Cybils Awards Categories

• Fiction Picture Books & Board Books 
• Easy Reader & Early Chapter Books
• Elementary/Middle Nonfiction 
• Middle Grade Fiction 
• Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction 
• Graphic Novels 
• High School Nonfiction 
• Poetry (Poetry Collections & Novels in Verse)
• Young Adult Speculative Fiction 
• Young Adult Fiction 

Find Cybils on Social Media

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• Facebook
• GoodReads

Cybils 2022: Call for Judges

 

It's time for the 2022 Cybils!!! I am honored to be the Poetry Category Chair once again. 

The official Call for Judges has been announced and you have until Friday, September 9 at 11:59pm EDT to apply to be a panelist or judge. Read the Call for Judges here. Anyone who reads and reviews children's and young adult books via a social media platform (a blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) is eligible to apply. If you can't volunteer to be a judge, help spread the word about Cybils on social media and nominate your favorite books. Nominations open to the public on October 1.

I've served as a panelist 6 times...4 times in Poetry and 2 times in Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction. It's a fun process. You get to read lots of great books and discuss them with like minded people. I'm not going to lie: It's also a lot of work, but so rewarding. The beauty of Cybils is that nominations come from the public and the judges are a mix of teachers, librarians, parents, and book bloggers. I like the emphasis that is placed on kid appeal. Often I read major award winning books and I wonder about the amount of kid appeal (or lack thereof) that they have.

I'm going to list all the categories below, but forgive me for recommending my own category. Poetry is fun to read and discuss. It also usually has fewer nominations than the other categories. In 2021 Poetry had 40 nominations. 

I've been rounding up titles eligible in the Poetry category for 2022 (October 16, 2021-October 15, 2022). So far there are about 60 if they all get nominated. 

Cybils Awards Categories

• Fiction Picture Books & Board Books 
• Easy Reader & Early Chapter Books
• Elementary/Middle Nonfiction 
• Middle Grade Fiction 
• Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction 
• Graphic Novels 
• High School Nonfiction 
• Poetry 
• Young Adult Speculative Fiction 
• Young Adult Fiction 

Find Cybils on Social Media

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• GoodReads
• YouTube
• TikTok

2021 Cybils Awards Finalists

The 2021 Cybils Awards winners will be announced Monday, February 14th. This year I've served as the Category Chair for Poetry and as a Round 2 Judge in Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction. While you wait for the winners announcement, here are the finalists in each category. 

Board Book Finalists

• Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman
• Big Bear, Little Bear by Marine Schneider
• Caution! Road Signs Ahead by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Chi Birmingham
• Circle Under Berry by Carter Higgins
• Comparrotives by Janik Coat
• This Is Still Not A Book by Jean Jullien
• Turn Seek Find: Habitats by Ben Newman

Fiction Picture Book Finalists

• Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr.
• Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder
• Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long
• Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
• Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long
• The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio
• Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

 

Easy Reader Finalists

• Chicken Little and the Big Bad Wolf by Sam Wedelich
• Fox at Night by Corey R.Tabor
• Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too! by Maggie P. Chang
• Kitty and Dragon (Volume 1) by Meika Hashimoto, illustrated by Gillian Reid
• See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
• Yasmin the Librarian by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly

 

Early Chapter Book Finalists

• A Long Road on a Short Day by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney,  illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
• Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish by Carter Higgins, illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann
• Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Deborah Hocking
• Too Small Tola by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu
• Yasmin the Scientist by Saadia Faruqi

 

Elementary Nonfiction Finalists

• Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
• Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars
• by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Brooke Smart
• Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature by Kristen Nordstrom, illustrated by Paul Boston
• Sakamoto’s Swim Club: How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory by Julie Abery, illustrated by Chris Sasaki
• The Elephants Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic, illustrated by Hadley Hooper
• The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang, illustrated by Jana Christy
• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frane Lessac

 

Middle Grade Nonfiction 

• Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
• Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing by Rochelle Melander, illustrated by Melina Ontiveros
• The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb by Candace Fleming
• The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin
• The World’s Most Pointless Animals: Or are they? by Philip Bunting
• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
• Welcome to Your Period! by Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang, illustrated by Jenny Latham

 

Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Finalists

• Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston
• Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera
• Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna
• The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
• The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
• Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

 

Middle Grade Fiction Finalists

• A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
• Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
• Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden
• Linked by Gordon Korman
• Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler
• Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas
• Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee

 

Poetry Finalists

• Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith
• Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
• Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
• Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
• Snow Birds by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Jenni Desmond
• Starfish Lisa Fipps
• You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves edited by Diana Whitney

 

Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel Finalists

• Borders by Thomas King, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
• Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
• Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby
• Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani
• Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu
• Salt Magic by Hope Larson, illustrated by Rebecca Mock
• The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor

 

Young Adult Graphic Novel Finalists

• Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
• by Alverne Ball, illustrated by Stacey Robinson, Reynaldo Anderson (Contributor), Colette Yellow Robe (Contributor)
• Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, illustrated by Val Wise, lettered by Oscar O. Jupiter
• In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks by Don Brown
• My Body in Pieces by Marie-Noëlle Hébert, translated by Shelley Tanaka
• My Last Summer with Cass by Mark Crilley
• Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney, illustrated by Robyn Smith
• The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

 

High School Nonfiction Finalists

• Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treuer
• In the Shadow of the Moon: America, Russia, and the Hidden History of the Space Race by Amy Cherrix
• Punching Bag by Rex Ogle
• The Power of Style by Christian Allaire
• The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Adapted for Young People by Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by Brandy Colbert and Jeanne Theoharis

 

Young Adult Fiction Finalists

• A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
• Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
• The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
• Why We Fly by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal

 

Young Adult Speculative Fiction Finalists

• Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis
• Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
• The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
• The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
• The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
• The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
• Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

Ideas for Cybils 2021 Poetry Nominations Part 2

Poetry is back as a category for the 2021 Cybils and I wanted to share books that are eligible to be nominated. Part 2 is for books for seventh through twelfth grade. Part 1 was for books for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Collections for Grades 7-9
You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves edited by Diana Whitney

Verse Novels for Grades 7-9
Muted by Tami Charles
Home Is Not a County by Safia Elhillo
Your Heart, My Sky by Margarita Engle
Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith
Alma Presses Play by Tina Cane
The Girl Who Became a Tree by Joseph Coelho
 
Verse Novels for Grades 10-12
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne
The Seventh Raven by David Elliott
Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough
Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narváez Varela

If you're looking for ideas for other categories or if you have a book you'd like to be nominated but you've already used that category, look no further than the Cybils Idea Boards. Here's a link with all the details.  

Ideas for Cybils 2021 Poetry Nominations Part 1

Poetry is back as a category for the 2021 Cybils and I wanted to share books that are eligible to be nominated. Part 1 is for books from kindergarten through sixth grade. Part 2 will be books for seventh through twelfth grade. (Links are to my reviews of the titles.)

Collections for Kindergarten
The Dirt Book: Poems about Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison
Delicious: Poems Celebrating Street Food Around the World by Julie Larios
Beyond: Discoveries from the Outer Reaches of Space by Miranda Paul
Girls and Boys Come Out to Play by Tracey Campbell Pearson
An Emotional Menagerie: Feelings from A to Z edited by Alain de Bottom
Snow Birds by Kirsten Hall
 
Collections for Grades 1-2
Coyote’s Soundbite: A Poem for the Planet by John Agard
The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastic by Susan Hood
Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons by Rodoula Pappa
If You Go Down to the Woods Today by Rachel Piercey
Hello, Earth! By Joyce Sidman
My Words Flew Away Like Birds by Debora Pearson
What Are Little Girls Made of? By Jeanne Willis
 
Collections for Grades 2-3
For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day edited by June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling
Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast: And Other Tasty Poems byJack Prelutsky
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!: An Animal Poem for Every Day of the Year edited by Fiona Waters
ICE! Poems about Polar Life by Douglas Florian
I Wish I Had a Wookiee by Ian Doescher
 
Collections for Grades 3-4
Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by LeslieBulion
I Am Odd, I Am New by Benjamin Giroux
My Thoughts Are Clouds by Georgia Heard
The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice by A. F. Harrold
The Best Ever Book of Funny Poems edited by Brian Moses
Dear Ugly Sisters: And Other Poems by Laura Mucha
 
Collections for Grades 4-6
They Only See Outside by Kalli Dakos
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
The Little Mermaid by J. M. Farkas
Carry On: Poetry by Young Immigrants edited by Rogé Girard
Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words edited by Lindsay Herriot and Kate Fry
37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M. S. St. Louis, 1939 by Barbara Krasner
New Royalty by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
What About Will? By Ellen Hopkins 

Verse Novels for Grades 3-4
Samira Surfs by Rukhsanna Guidroz
Reckless, Glorious, Girl by Ellen Hagan
The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Park
Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac
The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan
Love, Love by Victoria Chang
 
Verse Novels for Grades 4-6
The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
D-39: A Robodog’s Journey by Irene Latham
Recipe for Disaster by Aimee Lucido
Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz
Miles from Motown by Lisa Sukenic
We Belong by Cookie Hiponia Everman
Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine by K. A. Holt
The Lost Language by Claudia Mills 

If you're looking for ideas for other categories or if you have a book you'd like to be nominated but you've already used that category, look no further than the Cybils Idea Boards. Here's a link with all the details. 

Cybils 2021: Call for Judges

It's time for the 2021 Cybils!!! Poetry is back this year and I am honored to be the Poetry Category Chair once again. 

The official Call for Judges has been announced and you have until Wednesday, September 1 at 11:59pm EDT to apply to be a panelist or judge. Read the Call for Judges here. Anyone who reads and reviews children's and young adult books via a social media platform (a blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) is eligible to apply. If you can't volunteer to be a judge, help spread the word about Cybils on social media and nominate your favorite books. Nominations open to the public on October 1.

I've served as a panelist 5 times...4 times in Poetry and 1 time in Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction. It's a fun process. You get to read lots of great books and discuss them with like minded people. I'm not going to lie: It's also a lot of work, but so rewarding. The beauty of Cybils is that nominations come from the public and the judges are a mix of teachers, librarians, parents, and book bloggers. I like the emphasis that is placed on kid appeal. Often I read major award winning books and I wonder about the amount of kid appeal (or lack thereof) that they have.

I'm going to list all the categories below, but forgive me for recommending my own category. Poetry is fun to read and discuss. It also usually has fewer nominations than the other categories. In 2019 Poetry had 43 nominations. I've been rounding up titles eligible in the Poetry category for 2021 (October 16, 2020-October 15, 2021). So far there are 64 if they all get nominated. 

Cybils Awards Categories

• Fiction Picture Books & Board Books 
• Easy Reader & Early Chapter Books
• Elementary/Middle Nonfiction 
• Middle Grade Fiction 
• Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction 
• Graphic Novels 
• High School Nonfiction 
• Poetry 
• Young Adult Speculative Fiction 
• Young Adult Fiction 

Find Cybils on Social Media

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• GoodReads
• YouTube
• TikTok

2020 Cybils: The Winners

 The winners were announced on February 14. Have you read any of them? 

Cybils 2020 & Poetry Part 2

Due to the pandemic, the Poetry category is on hiatus for the 2020 Cybils. I wanted to highlight the titles that would have been eligible if the category was not on hiatus. These are collections (single author or anthology) and verse novels for children and teens. They were published between October 16, 2019 and October 15, 2020. This second post will list the titles for teens in seventh through twelfth grades.

Collections for Grades 7-9

• Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott

 

Collections for Grades 10-12

• When the Stars Wrote Back by Trista Mateer
• Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur

Verse Novels for Young Adults (Grades 7-9)

• Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan
• Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
• With a Star in My Hand by Margarita Engle
• Every Body Looking by Candace Iloh
• Kent State by Deborah Wiles

 

Verse Novels for Young Adults (Grades 10-12)

• Junk Boy by Tony Abbott
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
• The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
• I Am Here Now by Barbara Bottner
• Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew
• Apple: Skin to Core by Eric Gansworth
• What Goes Up by Christine
• Beauty Mark: A Verse Novel of Marilyn Monroe by Carole Boston Weatherford
• The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party by Allan Wolf
• Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Cybils 2020 & Poetry Part 1

The Poetry category for the 2020 Cybils Awards is on hiatus. This was due to the pandemic and the possible lack of judges and access to the books. It made me very sad as I was the Poetry Category Chair in 2018 and 2019, but I understand and am very hopeful that the Poetry category will return in 2021. 

I wanted to mention the books that would have been eligible if the category was not on hiatus. These are collections (single author or anthology) and verse novels for children and teens. They were published between October 16, 2019 and October 15, 2020. This first post will list the titles for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Link are to my reviews. 

Collections for Kindergarten

• Lift As You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell
• No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
• Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
• In the Woods by David Elliott
• Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari
• After Dark: Poems about Nocturnal Animals by David L. Harrison
• The B on Your Thumb: 60 Poems to Boost Reading and Spelling by Colette Hiller
• Construction People selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
• Night Wishes selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
• A Girl like Me by Angela Johnson
• Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems by Irene Latham
• Voices of Justice: Poems about People Working for a Better World by George Ella Lyon
• All Welcome Here by James Preller
• Follow the Recipe: Poems about Imagination, Celebration,and Cake by Marilyn Singer
• Thanksgiving, Here I Come! by D. J. Steinberg
• Leave a Message in the Sand: Poems about Giraffes, Bongos, and Other Creatures with Hooves by Bibi Dumon Tak
• Write! Write! Write! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
• Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
• R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul Carole Boston Weatherford

 Collections for Grades 1-2

• The Superlative A. Lincoln by Eileen Meyer
• Catch the Sky: Playful Poems on the Air We Share by Robert Heidbreder
• Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade
• Common Critters: The Wildlife in Your Neighborhood by Pat Brisson

 

Collections for Grades 2-3

• Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne
• Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence by Jacqueline Jules
• This Poem Is a Nest by Irene Latham
• A Hatful of Dragons: And 13.8 Billion Other Funny Poems by Vikram Madan
• A Portrait in Poems: The Storied Life of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas by Evie Robillard
• A World Full of Poems selected by Sylvia M. Vardell

 

Collections for Grades 3-4

• I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage compiled byLee Bennett Hopkins
• Amphibian Acrobats by Leslie Bulion
• Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

 

Collections for Grades 4-6

• Cast Away: Poems of Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye
• Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye

Verse Novels for Elementary (Grades 2-3)

• Blue Daisy by Helen Frost

 

Verse Novels for Elementary (Grades 3-4)

• Wishes, Dares and How to Stand Up to a Bully by Darlene Beck-Jacobson
• Love, Love by Victoria Chang
• When You Know What I Know by Sonja Solter
• I Wish by Toon Tellegen

 

Verse Novels for Middle Grade (Grades 4-6)

• Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math by Jeannine Atkins
• The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling
• Beyond Me by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu
• The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois
• All He Knew by Helen Frost
• Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins
• On the Horizon by Lois Lowry
• The Land of Cranes by Aida Salazar