 |
| FINALISTS!!! |
Isn't that better?
Remember that the judging criteria were:
1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness or whose humor or content felt more appropriate for an older or adult audience did not make the cut.
2. It (hopefully) goes without saying that you must follow the contest rules - there were very specific instructions about the opening line which almost all of you followed to the letter... but a couple of strong entries did not. I thought the instructions were clear because of the multiple examples given... but one entry in particular caused serious debate among the judges as to whether the rules had been followed or not - the opening line was clearly modeled on the song but did not follow the pattern spelled out. In the end, we did not add that entry to the finalist list because some people who weren't sure emailed for clarification and this author did not, and about 90 of the 96 entries followed the correct pattern flawlessly. So... executive decision... although we weren't entirely happy about it.
3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a true story arc, and unfortunately there were quite a few lovely, well-written entries that failed to meet this criteria.
4. Quality of writing - use of language, correctness of tense, spelling and grammar, quality of rhyme and meter for the poetry entries, and overall impression of writing were factored in.
5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.
We cut 84 entries to leave you with these 12. It was very hard! We did the best we could. There were a number of stories where the judges loved the concept, but the rhyme/meter needed too much work to make the finals. And there were some that modeled the song beautifully with perfect meter and rhyme that failed to tell a story. In any case, I hope you'll all find at least one of your favorites on the list below.
#1 CITY CRITTER CHRISTMAS
#2 Red Berries in the Snow
Rabbit spied red berries poking through the snow. “The Giver will be here
soon,” he squealed. Then a heavy branch dropped snow on his head. Rabbit’s
whiskers froze into tiny icicles.
ground near the door. Thump, Thumpity-Thump, Thump. “I saw red berries in the
snow!” Rabbit hollered down the hole. “Please tell the Giver that I’d like a warm
scarf this year. I’m going home to thaw my whiskers.”
his way through his dark tunnel and popped out next to Mouse’s tidy nest. “Red
berries in the snow,” Mole announced. “Kindly tell the Giver that Rabbit would
like a scarf to keep his whiskers warm. And I would like a lamp for my tunnel. I’m
going to sit in my favorite chair until my aching head feels better.”
“Rabbit and Mole are so impatient. Red Berries in the snow! Scarves and lamps!
I’ve no time to waste.” She scurried up an oak tree and teetered on a tiny
branch. “Good evening Owl,” she said. “It’s the sharing season and we must send
the Giver a message. Tell him that Rabbit would like a warm scarf and Mole would
like a bright lamp. Since I never seem to have enough time, I would like a
watch.”
flew North until he saw the tallest evergreen in the woods. He circled it three
times and landed deep within its boughs.
switched on his lamp and Mouse admired her watch. Beside each present lay a
note that read: Your greatest gift will be found just outside your door. “Hooray!”
said Rabbit, and he threw open his door. Mole and Mouse were staring back at
him, and he knew the Giver’s words were true.
Of the mall - both hands held tight,
'Cause Mom and Dad are really mad
About "the incident" tonight.
To sit on Santa's knee
So I could tell him all the things
I hoped he'd bring for me.
Went far past Santa's sleigh,
I knew somewhere, someway, somehow,
I had to get away.
'Cause I think it's so unfair,
For kids to wait instead of play
When toys are everywhere.
Down aisles, and through a store.
I figured it was better than
that long line - what a bore!
It was filled with frilly things,
Stuff that grown-up ladies wear,
NO TOYS like Santa brings.
I knew it wasn't good.
So I hid inside a clothes rack
Like any smart kid would.
Mom reached in and grabbed my collar
While Dad stood with his lips pinched tight,
trying not to holler.
Past holiday displays,
Down the escalator,
And 'round people like a maze.
I thought I saw him grin -
I guess I'll send a letter
About how good I've been.
#5 The Christmas Seed
#6 Randolph, Not A Reindeer
Randolph was thinking about when Santa had told him that Randolph had not been chosen to pull the sleigh. “It’s not that you’re not fast enough, Randolph,” Santa had said, his eyes sad. “It’s…”
“Yes, I know, Santa,” Randolph had said, blinking back the tears. He had heard the rumours already. How all the children had cried, because Randolph had melted all the snow as he flew by.
Because Randolph was not a reindeer, but a raindeer, it rained wherever he went.
So instead of singing with the elves and reindeer, Randolph was doing what he did best: cleaning.
The elves started to chatter about the snowstorm that had taken place the night before in Canada.
“I’ve heard the snow is all the way to the rooftops,” said one elf.
“Santa is bringing extra food along,” said another.
The Christmas sleigh flew off , and everyone listened to the radio as it gave updates on Santa’s progress. All was well.
Then Santa hit Canada. The radio crackled, “Santa here, over. We’ve got an emergency, over. Send over everyone, over.”
Santa wanted everyone? Even Randolph?
Randolph flew high in the sky. Faster, faster, faster until he reached Santa and his sleigh.
Snow was not only up to the rooftops, but it was also covering the chimneys. That meant that Santa could not deliver the presents and food!
Elves were digging out the chimneys as fast as they could, but it was not fast enough. Randolph knew what he must do.
He flew over a house. The rain from the raindeer’s clouds melted the snow from the roof. Soon the chimney was exposed.
“Ho ho ho, well done, Randolph,” laughed Santa.
Santa went down the chimney, and then Randolph flew to the next house. And the next one.
“Packing up the presents at the North Pole workshop.” The elves and reindeer sang as they worked, and this time Randolph sang along.
#7 No Peeking!
#8 The Gift Of The Magpie (And Friends)
#10 Clucking Christmas
Blog: Susanna Leonard Hill (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing contests, finalists, writing practice, writing fun, 5th Annual Halloweensie Contest, Add a tag
Darlings?
Is that you?
I can't see that far...
...from my spot on the floor...
I'm delirious after an agonizing weekend of trying to choose 10 finalists out of more than 10 times that number of entries, all of them wonderful in one way or another! (And no. We did not choose 10. We chose a baker's dozen - 13 for Halloween!)
The fact that I am flat on the floor is nothing to worry about. Really. I'm fine. And so are the other judges. You just can't see them because they crawled off to bed in the wee hours and have yet to emerge.
Seriously. There is no need to worry about us. But we won't say no to chocolate if you wish to send some our way and help us recover :)
We had the biggest turn out we've ever had in terms of number of entries - 145! - and the overall quality of the entries was fantastic. Really, it is readily apparent that the quality of entries in these contests is improving every time. This means there are fewer obvious standouts, almost none that are easy to cut, and there a LOT of very good ones that we have to get very nit-picky over! It is agony, I tell you!
Before we get to the actual list of finalists, I have a couple things to say. (I know you're shocked :))
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!
Second, I'd also like to thank EVERYONE - writer, reader, or both - who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! :)
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 100 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Now. Onto the judging criteria which were as follows:
1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness did not make the cut.
2. Halloweeniness - the rules stated a Halloween story, so entries that failed to mention anything Halloween-y did not make the cut even if they were well-written.
3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a character and a true story arc.
4. Quality of Writing: we took note of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. In addition, for the rhymers, we looked at rhyme and meter (for which we are sticklers!) We also looked at overall writing quality and use of language.
5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.
A surprising number of this year's entries were amazingly written... but failed to really tell a story! They were more descriptions, lists, or mood pieces. So as awesome as they were, we had to make some very hard calls.
Without further ado, I present to you the 2015 Halloweensie Contest Finalists. A mix of poetry and prose, stories for younger readers and slightly older (but still kid) readers, funny, spooky, and cute. Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite. To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I'd like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the pumpkin ballerina or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
#1. Leila's First Halloween
“I’m an American now, an American flag!”
2015 Halloweensie Contest
Tune in Thursday November 5 to see THE WINNERS!!!
(And we will have a regularly scheduled Would You Read It on Wednesday too!)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lie on the couch and eat bonbons all day.
Okay.
Not really.
I'm actually driving to Vermont as we speak and will be in the car all day, so forgive me if I don't reply to your blog comments until later!
But don't worry - I have plenty of miniature Halloween chocolate bars to keep my sustained whilst I drive... and A Clash Of Kings on audible to listen to (yes, I'm officially hooked on the Game of Thrones series! :))
Have a marvelous Monday everyone!!!
Blog: Susanna Leonard Hill (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contests, finalists, writing practice, writing fun, 4th Annual Halloweensie Contest, Add a tag
Holy Jack-O-Lanterns, Batman!
Look at me! A mere shadow of my former self!
A pumpkin who has fallen off her creaky broomstick!
Wrung out and harrowed after an entire weekend of trying to decide how to rank the incredible entries y'all submitted for Halloweensie 2014. What a job!!!
It's a miracle I'm even here to tell the tale!
Thank goodness for the sustaining chocolate provided (via Face Book) by Joanna and Kathy :) Thank you both, from the bottom of my chocolate-loving heart! (And no, they did not receive "special consideration" for their entries as a result - they are both just lovely people who didn't want me or my assistant judges to keel over :))
And speaking of the assistant judges, I had to call in a fourth! I'm not kidding!
Because here's the deal: we had the biggest turn out we've ever had in terms of number of entries - 132! - and the overall quality of the entries was fantastic. Really, it is readily apparent that the quality of entries in these contests is improving every time. This means there are fewer standouts, almost none that are easy to cut, and there a LOT of pretty good ones that we have to get very nit-picky over! It is agony, I tell you!
Before we get to the actual list of finalists, I have a couple things to say. (I know you're shocked :))
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!
Second, I'd also like to thank EVERYONE - writer, reader, or both - who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! :)
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 100 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Now. Onto the judging criteria which were as follows:
1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness did not make the cut.
2. Halloweeniness - the rules stated a Halloween story, so entries that failed to mention anything Halloween-y did not make the cut even if they were well-written.
3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a true story arc.
4. Quality of Writing: we took note of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. In addition, for the rhymers, we looked at rhyme and meter (for which we are sticklers!) We also looked at overall writing quality and use of language.
5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.
This time around, 5 entries sadly had to be cut because of rule problems: one was 3 words over the word limit (I counted 6 times, by hand and with Microsoft Word's word count tool, because it was otherwise a strong entry! but 131 other people managed to stay at 100 or under so I had to be strict!); two used "broom" but not "broomstick"; and 2 did not use "creak" in any form. (And yes, I checked the word count on all 132 entries and made sure the required words were present.)
After that, the going really got tough. Some of the stronger stories were written in rhyme where the meter didn't work as well as it needed to. Some of the most beautiful rhyming entries with great use of language were more mood pieces than stories. So we had to make some very hard calls.
Without further ado, I present to you the 2014 Halloweensie Contest Finalists. A baker's dozen - 13 for Halloween! :) A mix of poetry and prose, stories for younger readers and slightly older (but still kid) readers, funny, spooky, and cute. Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite. To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I'd like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the pumpkin ballerina or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
#1 Halloween SMS (Short Messaging Scariness)
#2 Creaky Cackle
Ah ha ha…hack…cough, cough…
Hallowe’en hijinks were hindered.
Broomstick in hand, she wobbled into the witch doctor’s office.
“Whoa,” said the doctor as she peered into Winnie’s mouth. “It looks like you’ve got a frog in your throat.”
“Chew this pumpkin lozenge,” the doctor decreed.
“Yuck,” Winnie gagged. Splutter, cough, cough…
Out bounded a bullfrog.
“Ba–ruump,” protested the frog and hopped off.
Ahhh ha ha ha ha…Winnie Witch whooped.
“Stay out of creeks,” the doctor yelled as Winnie Witch bounded off on her broomstick.
Owls are hooting, bats fly by.
Goblins groaning give you fright.
Up the steps, he hurries fast.
Milo’s sneaking,
Across the moonlit porch.
Past the cat,
Past the broomstick,
Past the rat.
Waiting for their cowering prey.
He doesn’t even turn around.
Ring the doorbell, if you dare!
Better not run.
Now, let’s have some fun!
#4 Home Alone Halloween
I came home from school very excited. Halloween, my favorite day of the year.
#6 This Year's Halloween Mascot
#7 Halloween Chase
#8 Halloween Hide-and-Go-Seek
It’s Halloween! It’s dark, it’s spooky, it’s perfect for a game of Halloween Hide-and-Go-Seek!
Blurp! Bloop! Blub!
Are you in the cauldron?
No, just some toadstool stew.
Rustle! Swish! Swoosh!
Are you in the closet?
No, just an old broomstick.
Creak! Crack! Bang!
Are you behind the curtains?
No, it’s just the wind blowing the windows open and closed.
Scritch! Scratch! Raow!
Are you behind the chair?
No, just the cat settling down.
Giggle, Giggle
Are you upstairs?
Sssshhhhhhh!
Are you in the bedroom?
Hmmmmm.
Boo!
There are my little pumpkins!
You’ve had your trick, now how about your treat?
#9 The Shadow
a rocker creaked,
the wind sighed, Soon….A Shadow stole across the lawn
and stopped upon the stair.
They rang each bell
for tricks or treats.
As they approached they didn’t see
the Shadow waiting there.
not knowing where
the Shadow crept.
They stumbled over Shadow and
their screeches pierced the air.
poor Shadow fled
into the night.
On Halloween a small black cat
should NOT sit on the stair!
Now that you've had a chance to read through the finalists, please vote for the entry you feel deserves to win in the poll below by 5PM EST Wednesday November 5.
2014 Halloweensie Contest FinalistsTune in Thursday November 6 to see THE WINNERS!!!
(And we will have a regularly scheduled Would You Read It on Wednesday too!)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap.
Okay.
Not really.
I'm SO not a napper.
But I might have some leftover Halloween candy :)
Have a marvelous Monday! :)
Blog: Susanna Leonard Hill (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contest, finalists, fractured fairy tales, writing fun, March Madness Writing Contest, Add a tag
I know you've all been on tenterhooks, waiting with bated breath, counting the minutes until you find out which of the amazing fractured fairy tales entered in the March Madness Writing Contest made the finals!
Well, I'd love to tell you, but we couldn't decide.
We agonized.
Seriously.
We've done nothing but eat, sleep and breathe fairy tales for the last 3 days solid. (Well, not counting a school visit on Tuesday which took me out of the judging room for a large portion of the day.) And we stayed up WAY past our bedtimes last night (which is likely to result in a challenging school visit today!), evaluating and re-evaluating, weighing kid-friendliness, story quality, creativity, and originality, good beginnings, good endings, and clever twists, stories for youngest readers, middle grade readers, and teen readers.
Any of you who had a chance to read through the entries will know how fantastic they were. Across the board you guys should all be so proud of yourselves! Not only did you show up, you delivered! And like I said, the choice was incredibly hard.
So, without further ado...
... let me give you a few statistics that I'm sure you'll find thrilling :)
In case you were wondering (admit it, you were), the fairy tale entries broke down as follows:
Tortoise & Hare: 1
Also, the human eye blinks an everage of 4,200,000 times a year... since we're talking statistics :)
And now, without further ado...
Wait. One more thing.
There were so many great entries we DID after much tearing of hair and rending of garments come up with a finalist list, but in order to do so we had to be incredibly picky about minute details. Many of the stories we cut were fantastic... but for one tiny detail which dropped them out of contention. So on Monday, when we announce the winners, we will also announce a list of 12 Honorable Mentions (a nice even dozen :)) who almost made the list and truly deserve recognition, and they will probably qualify for a little prize of some kind which I will think up over the weekend :)
VOTING: Please read through these 10 amazing stories, choose the one you think most deserves to win, and vote for it in the poll below. Stories are listed by number and title only - author's name deliberately omitted to help with objectivity in voting. If you'd like to share this post on FB, twitter etc. so that the deserving finalists get more reads and votes, you are encouraged to do so, but I ask that you please not attempt to influence the vote by requesting people to vote for specific numbers or titles. That is not in the spirit of the competition, and if I find out you've done it you will be disqualified.
And now, really without further ado...
...here are the 10 Finalists:
#1 The Three Wiggly Worms Bluff
#2 Sweetie Witch
#3 The Princess And The Stinky Cheese
#4 The Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster
#5 Little Red Riding Hood And The Tiny Rude Bunny
By: brettdl,
on 12/31/2012
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
Dear Book Nerds:
You already know why you're here. It's not for the fab party, the football scores or to watch the ball drop. No, you won't find Cybilians indulging in those overly exhuberant displays of normalcy. Hanging out at the Cybils site is by far the best New Year's tradition, and here are just a few reasons why:
- You do not have to dress up. In fact, you do not have to dress at all;
- We will not try to corner you in an awkward conversation;
- We will not scream like banshees at overgrown boys in plastic armor tossing an animal hide at each other;
- There are no commercial interruptions, ever;
- You do not have to brave the cold, the crowds or the litter of Times Square;
- You will not throw up afterwards.
See? There is no need to be anywhere else today. Welcome to this year's Cybils short lists, brought to you by the hardest-working kidlit and YA book bloggers in existence.
Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books
Fantasy and Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Non-Fiction: Middle Grade & Young Adult
Add a CommentBlog: Schiel & Denver Book Publishers Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: btba 2012, finalists, Add a tag
April 10, 2012—On Tuesday evening, the poetry and fiction finalists for the 2012 Best Translated Book Awards were announced during a special event at the University of Rochester, and on Three Percent, the university’s translation-centric website (www.rochester.edu/threepercent).
“In previous years, there was much less consensus than we saw this year when choosing a list. That eleven very different readers have all found these books so exceptional speaks volumes about the incredible appeal of the shortlist—this is some of the best fiction of the year, in any language,” said fiction committee member Jeff Waxman.
Highlights from this year’s fiction list include Jean Echenoz’s Lightning, translated from the French by Linda Coverdale; Magdalena Tulli’s In Red, translated from the Polish by Bill Johnston; and Enrique Vila-Matas’s Never Any End to Paris, translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean.
Notable poetry finalists include Anja Utler’s engulf—enkindle, translated from the German by Kurt Beals; and Amal al-Jubouri’s Hagar Before the Occupation, Hagar After the Occupation, translated from the Arabic by Rebecca Gayle Howell with Husam Qaisi.
“We had an especially strong selection of books this year,” said BTBA poetry committee member Idra Novey, “and from a wider ranger of presses, many of them publishing translations of contemporary poets for the first time, including Alice James and Canarium Books, both of which ended up with a finalist on this year’s list.”
The Best Translated Book Awards launched in 2007 as a way of bringing attention to great works of international literature. Original translation (no reprints or retranslations) published between December 2010 and December 2011 are eligible for this year’s award. Quality of the original book and the artistry of the English translation are the criteria used in determining the winning titles.
Overviews of the ten fiction finalists can be found at the Best Translated Book Award website, and the poetry finalists will be featured there and on Three Percent beginning next week. Also available on besttranslatedbook.org are promotional posters and shelf-talkers that booksellers can download for free.
The BTBA winners will be announced on Friday, May 4 at 6:00pm at McNally Jackson Books as part of the PEN World Voices Festival. More details about the celebration will be available in late April.
Once again, Amazon.com is supporting the BTBA this year through its giving program (www.tinyurl.com/amazongiving), providing the prize money so that the winning authors and translators will each receive a $5,000 cash prize. The BTBA is one of several non-profit programs supported by Amazon.com that is focused on bringing more great works from around the world to English-language readers. Other recipients include the PEN American Center Translation Fund, Worlds Without Borders, Open Letter, the Center for the Art of Translation, Archipelago Books, and the Ledig House International Writers Residency.
This year’s fiction judges are: Monica Carter (Salonica), Gwendolyn Dawson (Literary License), Scott Esposito (Conversational Reading and Center for the Art of Translation), Susan Harris (Words Without Borders), Annie Janusch (Translation Review), Matthew Jakubowski (writer & critic), Brandon Kennedy (bookseller/cataloger), Bill Marx (PRI’s The World: World Books), Edward Nawotka (Publishing Perspectives), Michael Orthofer (Complete Review), and Jeff Waxman (Seminary Co-op and University of Chicago Press).
The poetry judges are: Brandon Holmquest (poet, translator, editor Asymptote Journal), Jennifer Kronovet (poet, translator), Erica Mena (poet, translator, host of the Reading the World Podcast), Idra Novey (po
Add a Comment
By: Kathy Temean,
on 3/22/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: awards, Author, SCBWI, Children's Books, Contests, Finalists, Competition, Crystal Kite Awards, Add a tag
Congratulations to the finalists for the 2011 Crystal Kite Award. New Jersey is proud to see two of our members make the list – Linda Bozzo and Alison Formento.
You have until April 15th to vote in round two. Winners will be notified the following week, and formally announced on April 30th, 2011.
To cast your vote, simply log in with your email address and password, then click the link on your member home page that says “See What’s Going on in Your Region!”
| PENNSYLVANIA/DELAWARE/NEW JERSEY/WASHINGTON DC/VIRGINIA WEST VIRGINIA/MARYLAND | |
| Title | Author |
| Freestyle | Monica Baker |
| Mockingbird | Kathryn Erskine |
| Service Dog Heroes | Linda Bozzo |
| The Strange Case of Origami Yoda | Tom Angleberger |
| The True Story of Sea Feather | Lois Szymanski |
| This Tree Counts! | Alison Ashley Formento |
Alison Ashley Formento is the author of This Tree Counts!, This Tree, 1, 2, 3 and in 2012, These Bees Count! (Albert Whitman & Co.). She has written several plays, short stories and poetry and was a co-writer of the romance/thriller, Pandora. Alison has written for several national publications including The New York Times, The Writer and Parenting. She’s a proud member of the SCBWI and the KidLit Authors Club. Besides writing about trees, Alison enjoys climbing them, too, and dreams of living in her own magic tree house. Alison visits schools and libraries across the country, sharing her writing and books with kids and donates a portion of her book sales to AmericanForests.org to help plant more trees. www.alisonashleyformento.com
It was when I started reading picture books to my children that I felt compelled to write and submit my work to magazine and book publishers. I spent endless hours on the internet and at the library learning everything I could about writing. It wasn’t long before I joined the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators. After I attended my first writing conference, I was hooked. Okay, I became obsessed!
It was only a few months after I started writing that I received my first acceptance. I was thrilled to find out that Babybug magazine was going to publish my poem, Playground Fun.
I write every day and I’m always working on something new while polishing so
By: aquafortis,
on 1/15/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, Finalists, Add a tag
SimplyScience is an indispensable blog for any teacher looking for great kids' books to incorporate into classroom science curriculum--Shirley Smith Duke not only reviews books but also provides suggestions for lessons and activities to accompany each one. Shirley is a Round II Judge this year for Non-Fiction Picture Books.
Today's featured review is Shirley's post about The Day-Glo Brothers, written by Chris Barton (who's been a longtime blogger over at Bartography) and illustrated by Tony Persiani. The book traces the accidental discovery and development of Day-Glo paint by the Switzer brothers. Shirley says in her review:
Click here to read the rest of the review. Add a CommentExplanations about light, fluorescence, and refraction fit nicely into the narrative of the brothers’ lives as Barton details the steps of their progress. The quality writing in this glowing nonfiction makes the story readable and the interesting stages along the way keep the pace brisk.
By: aquafortis,
on 1/15/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, Finalists, Add a tag
SimplyScience is an indispensable blog for any teacher looking for great kids' books to incorporate into classroom science curriculum--Shirley Smith Duke not only reviews books but also provides suggestions for lessons and activities to accompany each one. Shirley is a Round II Judge this year for Non-Fiction Picture Books.
Today's featured review is Shirley's post about The Day-Glo Brothers, written by Chris Barton (who's been a longtime blogger over at Bartography) and illustrated by Tony Persiani. The book traces the accidental discovery and development of Day-Glo paint by the Switzer brothers. Shirley says in her review:
Click here to read the rest of the review. Add a CommentExplanations about light, fluorescence, and refraction fit nicely into the narrative of the brothers’ lives as Barton details the steps of their progress. The quality writing in this glowing nonfiction makes the story readable and the interesting stages along the way keep the pace brisk.
By: aquafortis,
on 1/13/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, Finalists, Add a tag
Tasha Saecker, who blogs at Kids Lit, is not only a Round II Judge in Fantasy and Science Fiction, but was also the category organizer last year. Her blog is a familiar fixture to many of us kidlitosphere "old-timers," who enjoy reading her impressions of kids' and YA books from the perspective of a longtime children's librarian and public library director.
Well before the Cybils really kicked off, Tasha took a look at YA Fantasy and Sci-Fi finalist Sacred Scars (A Resurrection of Magic, Book 2) by Kathleen Duey. The first book, Skin Hunger, was a Cybils finalist in 2007, and the sequel is no less thrilling:
Click here for the full review. Add a CommentDuey excels at creating characters with depth and dimension, then immersing them into a twisted story. It makes for a book that is not only impossible to put down but makes it difficult to breathe deeply while reading.
By: aquafortis,
on 1/11/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, Finalists, Add a tag
If you're over a certain age, the title Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs brings back memories of the unforgettably-illustrated children's classic, but it also happens to be the blog of Amanda Blau, one of our Round II Judges for the Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books category. Amanda is a children's librarian in the Chicago area who posts reviews of a variety of kids' and YA books.
During the fall, Amanda posted a review of one of the Cybils finalists: Good Dog, Aggie, written by Lori Ries and illustrated by Frank W. Dormer. This tale features the classic pair of a boy and a dog, and is well-suited to beginning or struggling readers:
Read the rest of the review here. Add a CommentRies manages the fine art of storytelling in short sentences and with short words. This book is very friendly to beginning readers. The stories are simple, but filled with action. The pictures support the story showing the action described in the text which is helpful for readers who may struggle with the words.
By: brettdl,
on 1/1/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
--A note from Anne Levy, Cybils Administrator:
I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad problem assembling this year's Cybils finalists. Most of our first-round judges decided to sign their summaries for the short-listed titles. That meant inserting links to their blogs. And that meant meandering through their recent posts, catching up with old friends, making some new discoveries...and generally running out the clock on 2009.
Seriously, I could raise procrastinating to an art form.
I wanted to leave comments thanking each of you for your hard work, but then this list would've been posted sometime in March. So let me point out how this year's panelists outdid even the amazing job done by last year's bunch.
From our database:
- Total eligible books across all categories: 939
- Books read by at least 1 panelist: 931 which is 99.1% of the books
- Books read by at least 2 panelists: 894 which is 95.2% of the books
- Unread books: 8 which is 0.9% of the books
Eight books. That's it. We only failed to read eight books--less than one percent of the nominated titles. One word: Wow.
Like last year, I'm posting links to each page of finalists. If you have trouble seeing a page, leave me a comment below.
Finalists listed after the jump, of course ...
Easy Readers & Short Chapter Books
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction Middle Grade/YA
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction
By: brettdl,
on 1/1/2010
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
--A note from Anne Levy, Cybils Administrator:
I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad problem assembling this year's Cybils finalists. Most of our first-round judges decided to sign their summaries for the short-listed titles. That meant inserting links to their blogs. And that meant meandering through their recent posts, catching up with old friends, making some new discoveries...and generally running out the clock on 2009.
Seriously, I could raise procrastinating to an art form.
I wanted to leave comments thanking each of you for your hard work, but then this list would've been posted sometime in March. So let me point out how this year's panelists outdid even the amazing job done by last year's bunch.
From our database:
- Total eligible books across all categories: 939
- Books read by at least 1 panelist: 931 which is 99.1% of the books
- Books read by at least 2 panelists: 894 which is 95.2% of the books
- Unread books: 8 which is 0.9% of the books
Eight books. That's it. We only failed to read eight books--less than one percent of the nominated titles. One word: Wow.
Like last year, I'm posting links to each page of finalists. If you have trouble seeing a page, leave me a comment below.
Finalists listed after the jump, of course ...
Easy Readers & Short Chapter Books
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction Middle Grade/YA
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction
By: brettdl,
on 2/14/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: kidlit, books, Cybils, children's literature, Finalists, bloggers, winners, Add a tag
What is it about kids' books that gets us? For me, it's about peals of giggles and excited pointing. It's about the dog-earred, juice-stained, crayon-enhanced pages held together by reams of scotch tape and hope.
Cybils is a comfort zone for the similarly obsessed, where no one has to apologize for preferring the manga version of Shakespeare, and it's always okay to just look at the pictures. Even those who don't have kids--or who don't work with them--can curl up with a trashy teen romance or a goofy science fiction spoof. It's all good.
We had our fun reading and judging, and now it's your turn. The winners below are a gift from our hearts to you and the kids you love, even if you're just indulging an inner child.
--Anne Boles Levy, Editor
The winners' descriptions are courtesy of the judges in each genre. Where possible, we've included a link to the reader who originally nominated the book.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Elementary/Middle Grade:
The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re- named it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve-year-
old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother--accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and
a slightly illegal hovercar--and realizes that there's more at stake
than just her mother's whereabouts. A terrific satire with a touching
ending and spot-on illustrations by the author, the novel is
heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. Gratuity's narrative
voice as she struggles to define "the true meaning of Smekday" will
draw readers in.
Nominated by jennifer, aka literaticat.
Young Adult:
Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
On her first day as a Lady’s Maid, Dashti finds herself locked in a
tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for
refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Thus begins a life-and-death battle against evil and time. Lyrically written and set
in ancient central Asia, this novel retells a little-known Brother’s
Grimm fairy tale with desperate, heart-wrenching emotion. Readers
will be drawn in by the beautiful language and fighting spirit of
Dashti, whose faith, spunk and ingenuity affect not only the
darkness of her tower, but also the hearts and futures of kings.
Nominated by Sarah Miller.
Fiction Picture Books
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
by Janice N. Harrington; illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
Mama says NO, but this farm girl seems determined to
keep right on chasing chickens, especially poor Miss
Hen, the one chicken that always gets away. This
lively story is told in the first-person voice
of our full-of-the-devil young lady, using language
that sings with the vernacular and cadence of true
country storytelling. The illustrations are a perfect
match in spirit, and they move the tale along with
equal verve, using the rich texture of collage,
skilled brush strokes, celebratory colors and
charming whimsy. Best of all, we learn that even the
wildest hearts are capable of warmth and growth.
Nominated by Megan.
Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade:
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel
written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
illustrated by Giovanni Rigano and Paolo Lamanna
Hyperion
The comics format proves a good match for Eoin Colfer's tale of war between fairies and an obsessed young genius, already popular around the world in novel form. The energetic, manga-influenced drawings capture
the book's technologically heavy action and many magical creatures. The book's creative team uses comics techniques from character profiles to changes in lettering to lead readers through the novel's shifting points
of view and sympathies. A truly over-the-top adventure.
Nominated by Brandon.
Young Adult:
The Professor's Daughter
written by Joann Sfar; illustrated by Emmanuel Guibert
First Second
In late Victorian London, the frustrated daughter of an archaeologist and the repressed son of an Egyptian pharaoh fall in love. That he's been dead for many centuries is the least of their problems. The twisting,
fast-paced story that follows takes readers to many landmarks of classic English adventure tales, from the British Museum and Scotland Yard and into the private study of Queen Victoria herself. While the panel layout is the same on nearly every page, the scenes inside those boxes jump from slapstick action to tender reminiscences to deadly danger.
Nominated by Liz B.
Middle Grade Novels
A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda Urban
Harcourt Children's Books
A genuinely funny middle-grade reader; how nice to read a book that
isn't depressing or heavy, yet has its own emotional weight. This book is guaranteed to make even reluctant readers smile, with
sufficient details to hold the interest of more advanced readers too.
If the point of the Cybils is to balance kid-friendly qualities
with literary panache, then Urban's first novel has that. And
while some may protest that it's not a terribly deep story, it has
heart, love, a good storyline, and characters you can get behind.
Readers are bound to fall in love with its stunning voice, the amazing
details that Urban shares of 11-year-old Zoe's life, and the lovely
relationships that occur between Zoe and her music teacher, her Dad
and Mom, and her friends.
Nominated by Kelly Fineman.
Nonfiction MG/YA books
Tasting the Sky:
A Palestinian Childhood
by Ibtisam Barakat
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Tasting the Sky is beautifully written and conveys the fear, confusion and
tumult of war, but it's also an
excellent memoir of childhood in any culture: the broad injustices, the
importance of trivial things, the mysteries of the adult world. The setting is both vital to the story--in terms of the war
and the political situation--and strangely unimportant, when it comes to
classic childhood themes of sibling rivalry, loss of a pet and going to
school. The committee felt that Tasting the Sky had the best balance between
high literary merit and kid appeal; the story is timely, and one kids will relate to and enjoy reading. Barakat's narrative is
gripping and remarkably devoid of anger and hate. We were impressed how she
kept the narrative through her young eyes, choosing not to zoom out and give
an overview of the situation to reassure the reader about the bigger picture
or what lay ahead. Barakat never does, and the reader is left to experience
events from the height of a three-year-old, frightened and unsure.
Nominated by Brooke.
Nonfiction Picture Books
Lightship
by Brian Floca
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Gin rummy, wave-tossed trips to "the head," and a cat that can't get used to the deck-shaking horn are among the intriguing details in Floca's nuanced, well-rounded view of life on board this now-retired Coast Guard vessel. The story he tells is simple yet captivating because a lightship is likely nothing you've ever heard of and you just keep on turning the pages to find out more about this curious ship. Floca's art--rich in variety and intricately detailed-- complements the humor in his spare, poetic text. Shine a light and gather a crew for this fabulous read-aloud.
Nominated by Susan Thomsen.
Poetry
This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin
Everyone messes up. The characters in Sidman's original, funny, and heart-wrenching book certainly do. But in individual poems spoken in utterly believable and age-appropriate voices, by turns hilarious and piercing, this collection offers poems of apology and response that build to an overarching story that will knock your emotional socks off. Kids can read this book straight through like a short story, flip back and forth between the poems of apology and response, study the form and style of a favorite poem, follow one of the appealing, diverse characters, or lose themselves in the expressive and clever illustrations. And if they are suddenly overcome by the urge to write their own imperfect, but perfectly honest, poems after reading this book, it will be with the blessing of poets like Sidman, who understands that poetry is for everyone, and especially for those who mess up.
Nominated by Liz in Ink.
Young Adult Novels
Boy Toy
by Barry Lyga
Houghton Mifflin
Lyga's Boy Toy is a story that everyone thinks they understand: Teacher Has Affair With Student. However, this book guides readers beyond sensationalism and straight into empathy, challenging expectations and assumptions on every page. Lyga's prose is unflinching and the result is heartbreaking and unforgettable.
Nominated by Teen Troves.
By: brettdl,
on 1/15/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: cybils, finalists, Feedback, Add a tag
Maybe you'd like to join us next year at Cybils. Perhaps you're already volunteering, but curious how the other panels went. Or maybe you want to relive the moment when it all came together and your finalists were, well, finalized.
Several of our bloggers have been generous about sharing their experiences and insights this Cybils season.
Stacy DeKeyser gives us a richly detailed account in her post "Diary of a Cybils Committee Member:"
It didn't take long before I had a handful of favorite books. And once I had 10 favorites, things got sticky. Because then, each next book had to be good enough to knock one book out of my top ten. Let's just say, after awhile I had at least 20 books in my Top Ten.
Once she realized her Top Ten Twenty list looked like no one else's, it was time to duke it out:
It was 2:18 AM when the 7 finalists were finally determined. We stared at our computer screens, thinking, "Wow. Are we done?" (well, I know I did.) We had compromised, and argued for and against, but in the end it was like arguing over which tastes better, grapes or bananas.
Becky from Farm School served on our MG/YA nonfiction panel with two heartfelt goals in mind; the first was for homeschoolers looking for new books to include in their curricula. And then there was this:
The other reason is that I realize, sadly, that for many non-home schooling families, nonfiction children's titles are considered the second rate, second tier, B List, utility grade, inferior choice when it comes to children's books, and I wanted to be able to use an opportunity like the Cybils, with such a terrific short list of books of marvelous depth and range, to show that children's nonfiction is not only chock full of superior choices, but every inch the equal of fiction.
Meanwhile, Pam of MotherReader delves into her favorite books and her delight in which made the fiction picture book list:
I loved The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County because it also has incredible illustrations — though of a very different style — and a fantastic, humorous read-aloud kind of story. I also like that it portrays a segment of African-American culture without being an “issue” book.
And pity Liz Jones, who suffered from book deprivation:
When the only bookstore in the county is Walmart, and the local library's collection dates to the golden age of kidlit, it can be hard to keep up with what's out there now. So I felt like a kid on Christmas morning every time a new pack of books arrived on my porch, and pretty much read each on the spot (unless there was some pesky task I had to do, like make dinner;o) As they arrived, I found myself increasingly fascinated by the trends in content.
Liz launches a fascinating discussion of those trends in graphic novels, if you're interested. Here's the link again.
We think the panelists deserve a round of applause. The only people who might not be grateful are our judges, who now have the unenviable task of picking only one winner from our fantastic finalists.
Thanks, all.
Add a Comment
By: Jackie,
on 1/7/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult literature, cybils, Finalists, sherman alexie, Add a tag
Finding the best seven titles out of a list of 123 is... daunting, to say the least. The bloggers on this year's YA nominating panel embraced the challenge, and below you'll find the books that survived discussion and passionate debate through countless emails and one very long instant-message group chat. We're proud of our shortlist, and hope you love it as much as we do.
--Jackie Parker, YA Fiction Organizer
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
Little, Brown
Meet Junior, a skinny, teenage Spokane Indian with hydrocephalus, ugly glasses and too many teeth. He knows that to make his dreams come true, he has to go where no one in his tribe has gone before--a white high school outside the reservation. Sherman Alexie's semi-autobiographical novel comes at you with its chin up and fists flying. You're guaranteed to fall in love with this scruffy underdog who fights off poverty and despair with goofy, self-deprecating humor and a heart the size of Montana.
--Eisha, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
Billie Standish Was Here
by Nancy Crocker
Simon & Schuster
Summer 1968. Billie Standish is a young girl with a lot of heart and soul whose life is about to change forever when the rains come pouring down. Newly befriended by a neighbor, Miss Lydia, neither suspect how close danger lurks to young Billie--and it's not danger from the rising storm waters threatening the town's levee. Billie Standish is a story of friendship, courage, and devotion that will charm readers young and old as they fall in love with Billie's world.
--Becky, Becky's Book Reviews
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
Boy Toy
by Barry Lyga
Houghton Mifflin
Eighteen-year-old Josh Mendel can calculate batting averages and earned run averages in an instant, but coming to terms with his past has been impossible. Until, perhaps, now. Bypassing the tawdry and sensational, Barry Lyga takes a ripped-from-the-headlines plot (Teacher-Student Sex Scandal!) and explores the devastation it leaves behind. Told with intelligence and sensitivity, Boy Toy is a powerful story that may occasionally disturb, but ultimately captivate readers.
--Trisha, The YA YA YAs
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
The Off Season
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Houghton Mifflin
Farm girl and football player D.J. Schwenk's refreshing voice and self-deprecating humor return in this continuation of her hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking coming-of-age story. Catherine Gilbert Murdock's characters are authentic and fully realized, and the story perfectly captures the rhythms and conventions of life in a small, rural town. D.J.'s straightforward and endearing personality shines as she faces up to everyday adversity and struggles to find her voice.
--Anne, LibrariAnne
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
Red Glass
by Laura Resau
Random
Sophie, an Arizona teenager full of insecurities and phobias, becomes the foster sister to an orphaned illegal immigrant boy. When the boy's family is located in southern Mexico, Sophie goes along on the trek to return him, all the while hoping he'll decide to come with her back to the U.S. As she journeys through Mexico and beyond, evocative settings and vivid characters immerse the reader in Sophie's world. Sophie finds guardian angels along the way, and discovers inner strength.
--Stacy, Reading, Writing, and Chocolate
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend
by Carrie Jones
Flux
Tips is in many ways a typical high school story--loves lost and won; navigating the social minefields of a small town; figuring out who you are, measured against the way others see you. It depicts a week in the life of Belle, a high school senior who's just been dumped by her "true love"--for another guy. Belle progresses through heartbreak to jealousy to anger, to genuine concern for Dylan (her ex), whose road will be much tougher than her own. And Belle's gradual realization that she and Dylan weren't meant to be opens her to new possibilities. Belle is a sweet and optimistic narrator with quirky but believable friends and family.
--Stacy, Reading, Writing, and Chocolate
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion
Condemned to spend every Wednesday afternoon alone with a teacher he is sure hates him, Holling despairs. When two demon rats escape into the classroom walls, and Mrs. Barker brings out Shakespeare, Wednesdays seem to grow even worse. But despair has no place in this very funny and deeply moving book about 7th grade love, the Vietnam War, heroes, true friendship, and the power of giant rats.
--Charlotte, Charlotte's Library
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By: eisha prather,
on 1/7/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
The Nonfiction Picture Book panelists had some fabulous books to choose from this year, and the ones that made the short list are representative of all the best things this category has to offer: informative and engaging text, brilliant illustrations, and lots of appeal for young readers.
-- Eisha Prather, Nonfiction Picture Books organizer.
Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg
Written and illustrated by Mia Posada
Millbrook Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Emily of Whimsy Books says: "Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg, by Mia Posada, is an interactive treat. Children will scour through the creative illustrations guessing at the animals hiding in each egg. Following each guessing game, readers will enjoy learning a few interesting facts about the animals."
Let's Go!: the Story of Getting from There to Here
Written by Lizann Flatt; illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Maple Tree Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Engaging, upbeat illustrations and a stirring current of action, alliteration and ever-changing gaits sweep us through the evolution of transportation from the ice age to modern day, providing vivid glimpses of North American life and insight into the impact of transportation technology on the human experience."
Lightship
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "The fog seems to waft off the page in this delightful look at the work and life aboard the lightship Ambrose -- a floating lighthouse anchored offshore. Floca's detailed watercolor illustrations and deceptively simple text sprinkled with sensory language have readers practically feeling the dampness, tasting the sea air, and tilting with the deck."
Living Color
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Jennifer of Kiddosphere says: "Using his trademark cut-paper-collage illustrations and engaging text, Steve Jenkins introduces readers to the wild and wonderful world of color in the animal kingdom. Jenkins shares information, rather than lectures, and readers feel as if they are being included in delightful secrets. Perfect for children who enjoy 'browsable books,' but don't be surprised if an adult sneaks a read as well."
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
Written and illustrated by Lita Judge
Hyperion
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Eye-opening scatterings of yellowed newspaper footprints, handwritten lists and aged, intimate photographs make vivid this beautifully told true story of hardship, and the pulling together of communities torn to opposite sides of war."
Vulture View
Written by April Pulley Sayre; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Henry Holt & Co.
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Tricia of The Miss Rumphius Effect says: "We've all seen them, with their dark plumage, featherless heads and hooked beaks, circling, circling something in the distance. Road kill for breakfast? Don't mind if I do! Yes, I'm talking about vultures, and so is April Pulley Sayre in her informative and poetic book, gorgeously illustrated by Steve Jenkins." Read her review here.
Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed...and Revealed
Written by David Schwartz and Yael Schy; photographs by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "A refreshing selection of ten camouflaged animals beautifully photographed and presented as a "find-the-critter" challenge. Snappy titles and delicious poems cleverly hint at the animals' identities (form and meter match each animal!), and fold-out pages reveal the animals and cool information about them, clearly written in a kid-friendly style."
By: aquafortis,
on 1/7/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cybils, graphic novels, Finalists, Add a tag
The hardworking Graphic Novels panel has narrowed down the nominees to five finalists at the teen/young adult age level and five at the elementary & middle-grade level, for a shortlist that's truly dazzling as well as diverse: fantasy, manga, animals, humor--there's a little bit of everything. Oh, and robots. You gotta have robots.
--Sarah Stevenson, Graphic Novels organizer
Teen/Young Adult:
The Arrival
written and illustrated by Shaun Tan
Arthur A. Levine Books
This is the story of the strangeness that an immigrant encounters no matter where he moves:
there are barriers of language, food, and finding work; there is loneliness, isolation, and
longing for loved ones. But at every turn, there are those who will help, and those who have their
own stories of leaving, abandonment, and exile. The most amazing thing about this intricate
and subtly nuanced graphic novel is that it is silent: No words whatsoever.
--Mary Lee, A Year of Reading
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense (your local independent)
Flight Volume Four
edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Villard
From full-color manga to rollicking comic adventures to imaginative childhood tales, Flight 4 has something for everyone. Flight 3 fans will be happy to see some familiar faces,
and a myriad of beautifully crafted new stories, full of depth and life. The volume is
consistently high in quality throughout; each story has a well-realized visual world, strong
characters, and tight and compelling storytelling. Readers new to graphic novels will find many
reasons to read more in this genre.
--Elizabeth Jones
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Laika
written and illustrated by Nick Abadzis
First Second
Before men walked on the moon a little Russian dog named Laika was sent to orbit the Earth. Her
story is a mix of political moves, attempts at scientific advancement and heartwarming personal
connections. Nick Abadzis looks at each of those angles in his version of Laika's story and the
result is a powerful and touchingly told account of a moment in history.
--Katie, Pixie Palace
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
The Plain Janes
written by Cecil Castellucci; illustrated by Jim Rugg
Minx
Jane has just moved to the suburbs, and is caught up in the boredom of her new school. Things
start to look up when she meets three other girls named Jane. Eventually they decide to form an
art-appreciation club called the Plain Janes. Cecil Castellucci's graphic novel debut has a
distinctive art style and great characterization--it's a story about exploration of
self-expression that is sure to appeal to teenage girls.
--Alyssa, The Shady Glade
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
The Professor's Daughter
written by Joann Sfar; illustrated by Emmanuel Guibert
First Second
The Professor's Daughter is bizarre, well told and completely wonderful. The sepia-toned
illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, depicting Victorian London in a way that makes the pages
look like an old book from that era. Lillian is charming, elegant and such a lady, while
Imhotep IV is elegant, gentlemanly and a bit dysfunctional. His relationship with his father,
for instance, is like any normal father and son's misunderstanding and angst--with the added
quirk of being dead mummies wandering around London.
--Gina, AmoXcalli
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Elementary/Middle Grade:
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel
written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin; illustrated by Giovanni Rigano and Paolo Lamanna
Hyperion
Artemis Fowl, Butler, and all of the characters from the underground fairy world of the 2001
hit novel come to life in this graphic novel adaptation of the story. Readers new to the
series will be drawn into Fowl's schemes, while those who have loved the Artemis Fowl books
will be able to revisit them in this new format.
--Mary Lee, A Year of Reading
Buy from Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Babymouse #6: Camp Babymouse
written and illustrated by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Random House Books for Young Readers
Babymouse is back and off to summer camp in Camp Babymouse. Her bunkmates are initially less
than impressed with Babymouse's attempts to be the perfect camper and earn them points, but
with the right mix of skill, humor and luck Babymouse might just win them over! This addition
to the Babymouse series is smart, funny and adorable.
--Katie, Pixie Palace
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The Courageous Princess
written and illustrated by Rod Espinosa
Dark Horse
Princess Mabelrose of tiny New Tinsley is happy with her life--until she attends a ball in a neighboring kingdom and learns just how small and unhip her own kingdom is. When a dragon kidnaps Mabelrose and holds her for ransom in his faraway castle, the princess takes matters into her own hands and escapes from his hopelessly inescapable domain--and that is where the adventure really begins. A vividly realized world, charming characters and an unpredictable, interesting plot make this a great read for all ages.
--Elizabeth Jones
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Robot Dreams
written and illustrated by Sara Varon
First Second
Robot Dreams tells a wordless but eloquent tale of friendship, mistakes made, abandonment and
reflection. It's the story of a dog who builds a robot in order to have a friend. On
a happy beach trip, the robot rusts and gets stuck. The dog leaves but thinks often of the
friend he left behind while the robot dreams and struggles with his immobility. Seasons change
in marvelous, muted but vibrant colors and after many adventures, real and imagined, both robot and dog find their own path.
--Gina, AmoXcalli
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Yotsuba&! Volume 4
written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma
ADV Manga
Yotsuba is a green-haired girl with a taste for getting herself into humorous situations. This
volume follows her zany adventures as she gives advice on boys to a neighbor, goes fishing, and
takes on the issue of global warming. Rather than following an overall plot, each chapter
takes a new story and allows us to see the world through Yotsuba's innocent eyes. A great
graphic novel that's humorous and heartwarming at the same time.
--Alyssa, The Shady Glade
By: Jen Robinson,
on 1/7/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
The middle grade/young adult nonfiction committee has selected, from the 45 nominated books, a collection of seven high-quality, kid-friendly titles. Looking to read more nonfiction in 2008? Any or all of these titles will get you off to an excellent start. Of course, there are other wonderful titles on the nominations list, too, but the committee felt that these seven represented the very best of 2007's crop.
-- Jen Robinson, MG/YA Nonfiction organizer
Marie Curie: Giants of Science #4
written by Kathleen Krull
Viking Juvenile
In a world dictated by "No Women Allowed," Marie Curie, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, became who she was because of her love of learning, her refusal to accept the facts, her bravery and her willingness to sacrifice everything to follow her dream. This book reveals Marie Curie's private life, her brilliance and her obsession with radium. Recommended for children ages 11 and up, this book is written in a compelling and easy-to-understand manner.
-- Vivian, HipWriterMama
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Periodic Table: Elements With Style!, The
written by Adrian Dingle
illustrated by Simon Basher
Kingfisher
Artist Simon Basher and chemistry teacher Adrian Dingle have created a vivid rogues' gallery of elements guaranteed to bring the periodic table to life and appeal to kids of all ages. A remarkably engaging science book, not to mention a sensible approach to making the subject--indeed, the individual elements--memorable for everyone from fourth or fifth graders to college seniors.
-- Becky, Farm School
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Smart-Opedia
written by Eve Drobot
Maple Tree Press
About as close to the world in 200 charmingly illustrated pages as you're going to get, with entries on everything from animals and art, history and human rights, to space and cyberspace, most with a double-page spread. Entertainingly and clearly presented, this is a one-volume reference book that eight- to twelve-year olds (and probably their younger and older siblings, too) will be reaching for even when no homework assignment is in sight.
-- Becky, Farm School
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Tasting the Sky: a Palestinian Childhood
written by Ibtisam Barakat
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Ibtisam Barakat's powerful memoir about her childhood experiences during and immediately after the Six-Day War of 1967. Palestinian residents of Israel's West Bank, Barakat and her family evacuated to Jordan, later to return to a different life entirely. What is it like to grow up in a war zone? What does it mean to be a refugee? How can you leave the only home you've ever known? At turns heartbreaking and hopeful, Tasting the Sky answers these questions in a lyrical, compelling narrative. Highly recommended for readers aged thirteen and older.
-- Susan Thomsen, Chicken Spaghetti
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Tracking Trash
written by Loree Griffin Burns
Houghton Mifflin
"Cleaning up the ocean would be like mowing the state of Texas. Twice." ... This well-reviewed resource presents science as a mystery to be solved by creative thinking. Not to mention it promotes environmental awareness--it would be perfect to share with students before a class trip to a beach.
-- Mindy, Propernoun.net
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Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, The
written by Peter Sis
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Peter Sís again pushes the boundaries of the picture book format, using everything from his own illustrations, family photographs and diaries, and graphic novel elements to create his highly personal memoir of growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia and surviving the Prague Spring. This book can be enjoyed and appreciated by younger readers, but will especially appeal to young adult readers, who will understand the personal emotions, public history, and outstanding art.
-- Becky, Farm School
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Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas
written by Russell Freedman
Clarion
Who indeed--it certainly wasn't Columbus. That idea is so old school. In his usual lively way, Russell Freedman shakes the dust out of history books with this eye-opening look at early exploration of the Americas. Cybils panelists enjoyed the author's fresh take on a seemingly familiar subject.
-- Susan Thomsen, Chicken Spaghetti
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By: Sheila Ruth,
on 1/1/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
It was difficult to choose only ten books out of the 94 outstanding nominations we received in fantasy and science fiction, but the panelists worked hard and passionately to choose the best of the best. We selected five finalists for the teen/young adult age level and five for the elementary & middle grade level. We hope you enjoy these books as much as we did.
--Sheila Ruth, Science Fiction & Fantasy organizer
Teen/Young Adult:
Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
On her first day as a Lady's maid, Dashti finds herself sealed in a tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Tight plotting,
beautiful use of language and metaphor, and an engaging main
character make this book a standout.
--Sheila, Wands and Worlds
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Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher
Hodder Children's Books (UK)
No one has been in or out of Incarceron for over 150 years. Now, a young man on the Inside thinks he's found the way Out--and a young woman on the Outside thinks she may have found the way In.
Success will require going up against the Warden--and Incarceron itself. The strong writing and characterization, suspenseful narrative, and creative world building brought this book to the top
of the pack.
--Leila, Bookshelves of Doom
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Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands)
by Meg Burden
Brown Barn Books
Northlander is an engaging tale which shows how hatred is only
ignorance of the unknown. Though Ellin's gift of healing saves the Northlander king, she is feared and imprisoned. This gripping tale is both emotionally moving and thought-provoking.
--Kim Baccellia, Earrings of Ixtumea
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Repossessed
by A. M. Jenkins
HarperCollins
Fast-paced and sharply funny, A.M. Jenkins’ story of Kiriel--the fallen angel whose name means “mirror of souls”--takes readers on a week-long ride in the body of an ordinary human boy. Philosophical in a religious sense, yet untethered from any churchy elements, this novel’s quirky appreciation of the mundane combines with a wisecracking, personable narrative voice to create a funny yet thought-provoking novel. (For mature readers)
--Tadmack (Tanita), ReadingYA: Readers' Rants
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Skin Hunger
by Kathleen Duey
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum
Take two divergent story threads and weave them into one of the year's darkest novels. Add vivid characterization, a quest for knowledge beyond any cost, and magic that is repulsive but intriguing and you have Skin Hunger.
--Tasha, Kids Lit
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Elementary/Middle Grade:
The Chaos King
by Laura Ruby
HarperCollins/Eos
The Richest Girl in the World and the son of gangster Sweetcheeks Grabowski have to find their way back to friendship, as compelling weirdness enters their lives again in the form of a giant squid, a super-annoying hotel heiress, an animated stone lion, and The Chaos King--a “Sid” punk with a serious art fetish. This fast-paced, stand-alone sequel is accessible to both middle grade and teen readers and is both funny and endearing.
--Tadmack (Tanita), ReadingYA: Readers' Rants
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Into the Wild
by Sarah Beth Durst
Penguin/Razorbill
A long time ago, all fairy-tale characters fled from their stories seeking refuge from "The Wild," a tangled, evil forest. Since then, Rapunzel has kept the forest under control with the help of her daughter Julie, but when it gets too powerful she is forced to depend on Julie to set aside her fears and doubts and defeat The Wild. Julie's strong character is an inspiring example of duty, survival, and love.
--Traci, Fields of Gold
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The Land of the Silver Apples
by Nancy Farmer
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Land of the Silver Apples has it all--adventure, fairies, old world gods, and an ancient world that is caught between belief in the Old Gods and Christianity. This stand-alone sequel will appeal to not only fans of Nancy Farmer but those who enjoy adventurous tales.
--Kim Baccellia, Earrings of Ixtumea
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Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy
HarperCollins
When twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley's mysterious uncle dies, he not only bequeaths her his house, but a sticky supernatural situation and a rather dashing skeleton detective named Skulduggery Pleasant. This smart novel is full of humor, action, and a real sense of danger--and has a sly wit that would appeal to a wide age range.
--a. fortis (Sarah), ReadingYA: Readers' Rants
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The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Disney/Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re-christened it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve-year-old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother--accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and a slightly illegal hovercar--and realizes that there's more at stake than just her mother's whereabouts. A hilarious satire with a touching ending and spot-on illustrations by the author.
--a. fortis (Sarah), ReadingYA: Readers' Rants
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By: brettdl,
on 1/1/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: kidlit, mo willems, Cybils, picture books, children's literature, monsters, Finalists, adam rex, Add a tag
Pssst!
by Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books
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Pssst! is a funny, light-hearted fantasy that uses snappy text and surreal post-modern oil-and-acrylic illustrations to tell the tale of a girl who visits a zoo with crafty animals who all want something from her. This results in a surprise ending and one of the year's most unforgettable illustrated double-page spreads.
--Cheryl Rainfield
Go to Bed, Monster!
written by Natasha Wing; illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Harcourt Children's Books
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A sleepless girl creates a playful monster to keep her company one evening with surprising results. Kantorovitz's oil paint and pastel illustrations, made to look like crayon drawings, capture the immediacy and creative range of a child's imagination.
--Annie Teich, Crazy for Kids' Books
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
written by Janice N. Harrington; illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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A sassy, young farm girl, living with her Big Mama, transforms herself from chicken-chaser extraordinaire to fender-of-the-fowl in this spirited read-aloud, whose energetic mixed-media collage illustrations provide much for observant eyes to take in.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Leaves
by David Ezra Stein
Putnam Juvenile
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In this engaging poem of a picture book with spare text and shimmering earth-tone paintings, David Ezra Stein captures the wonder of the changing seasons as seen through the perspective of a wide-eyed bear.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Four Feet, Two Sandals
written by Karen Lynn William & Khadra Mohammad; illustrated by Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
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Two girls in a refugee camp in Pakistan share a pair of sandals that begins a friendship in this poignant story of courage. When hope of a better life comes for one girl, they must both find a way to still share their sandals and their hearts.
--Marcie Flinchum Atkins, World of Words
Knuffle Bunny Too
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
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In this sequel to Knuffle Bunny, the photography, the cartooning, and the drama is all kicked up a notch as Trixie and her dad have to set things right in the early morning hours. Fantastic in its capture of subtleties of expression, the dynamics of families, and the
mind of a child.
--Pamela Coughlan, MotherReader
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel
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Oliver Jeffers has crafted a visually-stunning, humorous story about a young boy who loves books so much he eats them -- until he discovers that the greatest power comes from reading them. Jeffers' innovative illustrations, cleverly superimposed on pages from various books, merge with an inviting storyline that continues right into the book's back cover.
--Cheryl Rainfield
By: Kelly Fineman,
on 1/1/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
Animal Poems
written by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
The poems about twenty-three different animals (some common and some very unusual) are told using free verse--not a typical choice in collections for children these days (at least not when it's the sole type of verse). And these poems are spectacular in their use of imagery and metaphor. One of the standout solo collections of the year.
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Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village
written by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Robert Byrd and Trina Schart Hyman
Candlewick Press
This book is distinctive, with its echoes of Canterbury Tales, a bit of Shakespeare, and Catherine Called Birdy all rolled into one. Besides being rich in history, language, and voice, it is understandable and accessible to middle grade kids. Plus, it lends itself to oral reading and performance.
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Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry
edited by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Candlewick Press
A true delight. There is a real freshness to this volume in that many of the poems include in it won't be found in other anthologies. The selected poems speak to the exuberance of childhood and the simple, everyday things that little children often think about.
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Poems in Black and White
written and illustrated by Kate Miller
Front Street/Boyds Mills Press
The premise behind Kate Miller's collection of poems and art is simple: all are about objects that are black and white (cows, a comet in the night sky, etc.). The poems range from funny to melancholy, and are all marked by a keen observation of life. Each poem reads as if the poet froze a moment and recorded it with great clarity and insight in the best possible words.
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This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin
Joyce Sidman has imagined a teacher, Mrs. Merz, and a classroom full of sixth graders from different backgrounds, all of whom write poems of apology to someone or some thing they've wronged; in the second half, forgiveness or explanation is returned to the students. The individual poems in the book are excellent, but cumulatively this book is a killer, in the best possible sense. It moves on as a finalist because of its emotional impact and poetic virtuosity.
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Twist: Yoga Poems
written by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Twist gets high marks for innovation and freshness and for the insights it provides into yoga, which is a new topic for a poetry collections. The poems are evocative and really speak to both the physical and Zen nature of the yoga poses included.
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Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath
written by Stephanie Hemphill
Random House Children's Books
Hemphill's collection of poems about Sylvia Plath convey emotion through imagery. The use of period verse attributed to a variety of people who knew Plath in order to convey both the facts and emotional content of her life and work is extraordinary.
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Add a Comment
By: LizB,
on 1/1/2008
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cybils, children's literature, Finalists, Add a tag
A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda Urban
Harcourt
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"I teach middle school, and sometimes I find that I have more choices for my readers who like edgy YA stories than I do for those kids who read well but aren't quite ready for teenager issues. A Crooked Kind of Perfect is a perfect kind of book for those readers."
Kate: Read her review
Cracker: The Best Dog In Vietnam
by Cynthia Kadohata
Atheneum
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"It's a war story about a seventeen-year-old named Rick Hanski and his experiences as a dog handler toward the end of American involvement in Vietnam's civil war. As he stumbles into the army, then into dog handling, then over to Vietnam, Rick grows into a man of integrity and purpose."
Sherry, Semicolon: Read her review
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
by Lauren Tarshis
Dial
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"This was a very refreshing book and one I really feel middle school students can and will enjoy. It is great to read books that are written about abnormal children or kids that simply do not blend in with everyone else, yet are perfectly fine with that fact. So many stories are written about wanting to fit in and needing to gain social acceptance, yet this, shows the reader that being different can be perfect."
Amanda, A Patchwork of Books: http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2007/11/emma-jean-lazarus-fell-out-of-tree.html
Leap of Faith
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Dial
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"The writing in Leap of Faith was good; the plot always moved along smoothly and compelled me to keep reading. I needed to know that Abby was going to pull through and be okay. Leap of Faith was a sweet, hopeful story that I'm very glad to have read."
Miss Erin: Read her review
Leepike Ridge
by Nathan D. Wilson
Random House
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"Leepike Ridge is a book for every kid (and every grown kid) who played in refrigerator boxes, caught critters in the woods, and floated down creeks on homemade rafts. It's a fantastic story with a grand adventure, a heroic boy, bad guys that you love to hate, a loyal dog, and a hidden treasure. The fact that it's beautifully written with magical, transporting descriptions is gravy."
Kate: Read her review
Louisiana's Song
by Kerry Madden
Viking
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"In Gentle's Holler, Kerry Madden introduced young readers to Olivia (better known as Livy Two) Weems, a twelve-year-old with a passion for books and music. Livy has eight siblings of various ages and temperaments, a sweet mama, and a starry-eyed daddy. Money's tight -- Daddy's music fills the heart and ears more than it fills the pocketbook -- but the Weems make do, and their household is always bursting with family, love, and music. Louisiana's Song is a worthy sequel to Gentle's Holler, and, unlike many middle books in trilogies, can stand on its own two feet. When Louise learns to do the same, Livy Two will cheer her on, and so will readers."
Little Willow: Read her review
Miss Spitfire
by Sarah Miller
Atheneum
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"This book is the story of Helen Keller's teacher, Annie Sullivan, as she struggles to teach a girl who can neither hear, see, nor speak. She displays incredible strength and determination as she sacrifices herself completely for Helen. Almost everyone knows this story, but hearing it from the teacher's point of view is a really unique insight. This delightful debut novel will keep you rooting for teacher and student right up until its triumphant ending."
Miss Erin: Read her review
Wild Girls
by Pat Murphy
Viking
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"Pat Murphy tells the story of two girls -- the rule-following Joan (a.k.a. "Newt"), who just moved to California from Connecticut and has always written the kinds of stories she thought her teacher would like, and Sarah (a.k.a. "Fox"), who hangs out throwing rocks in the woods near the run-down house where she lives with her dad, a motorcycle-writer-guy who doesn't fit the image of any dad Joan has ever known. Fox and Newt form the kind of bond that can only be forged in secret clearings and treehouses, and together, they weather the storms of family trauma and trying (or not) to fit in among their peers. More than anything, though, they learn about writing and about the power of story to help us see truth -- especially when truth is different from the story that the grownups are dishing out."
Kate: Read her review
By: Gina MarySol Ruiz,
on 3/2/2007
Blog: AmoxCalli (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: finalists, LA Times, Book prizes, Add a tag
Link to the Times announcement.
BIOGRAPHY
Debby Applegate, The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher (Doubleday)
Rodney Bolt, The Librettist ofVenice: The Remarkable Life of Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart's Poet, Casanova's Friend, and Italian Opera's Impresario in America (Bloomsbury)
Neal Gabler, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Alfred A. Knopf)
Jeffrey Goldberg, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide (Alfred A. Knopf)
Daniel Mendelsohn, The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million (HarperCollins)
CURRENT INTEREST
Douglas Brinkley, The Great Deluge: Hurricaine Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (William Morrow)
Ian Buruma, Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance (Random House)
Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Alfred A. Knopf)
Alicia Drake, The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfield, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris (Little, Brown)
Terri Jentz, Strange Piece of Paradise (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
FICTION
David Mitchell, Black Swan Green (Random House)
Peter Orner, The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo (Little, Brown)
Susan Straight, A Million Nightingales (Pantheon)
Daniel Woodrell, Winter's Bone (Little, Brown)
A.B. Yehoshua, A Woman in Jerusalem -- translated from the Hebrew by Hillel Halkin (Hacourt)
ART SEIDENBAUM AWARD for FIRST FICTION
Tony D'Souza, Whiteman (Harcourt)
Lisa Fugard, Skinner's Drift (Scribner)
Jennifer Gilmore, Golden Country (Scribner)
Alice Greenway, White Ghost Girls (Black Cat/Grove/Atlantic)
Janice Cooke Newman, Mary (MacAdam/Cage)
HISTORY
Taylor Branch, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968 (S&S)
Niall Ferguson, The War of the World: Twentieth Century Conflict and the Descent of the West (Penguin Press)
Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (Viking)
John Tayman, The Colony (Lisa Drew/Scribner)
Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Alfred A. Knopf)
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Michael Connelly, Echo Park (Litle, Brown)
Patrick Neate, City of Tiny Lights (Riverhead)
George Pelecanos, The Night Gardener (Little, Brown)
Jess Walter, The Zero (HarperCollins)
Don Winslow, The Winter of Frankie Machine (Alfred A. Knopf)
POETRY
Erin Belieu, Black Box (Copper Canyon Press)
Adrian C. Louis, Logorrhea (TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press)
Thom Satterless, Burning Wyclf (Texas Tech University Press)
Frederick Seidel, Ooga-Booga (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Michael Waters, Darling Vulgarity (BOA Editions)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Joyce E. Chaplin, The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius (Basic Books)
Ann Gibbons, The First Human: the Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors (Doubelday)
Eric R. Kandel, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (W.W. Norton)Daniel J. Levitin, This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession (Dutton)Edward O. Wilson, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (W.W. Norton)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
M.T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party (Candlewick Press)
Coe Booth, Tyrell (Push/Scholastic)
John Green, An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers)Meg Rosoff, Just in Case (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House)
Nancy Werlin, The Rules of Survival (Dial Books/Penguin Young Readers Group)
ROBERT KIRSCH AWARD -- William Kittredge
Good luck to all the finalists!
By: Brett Levy,
on 2/14/2007
Blog: Cybils (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Finalists, Add a tag
We'd be remiss if we didn't thank all those who made Cybils possible.
Our organizers are a brilliant, dedicated lot who put this together quickly and professionally. The public immediately took to nominating their favorite books, thanks also to the dozens of bloggers who spread the word.
More than 80 volunteers from every walk of life came forward to read and confer and read some more. Publishers made sure every panelist and judge received a review copy, despite our chaotic, hasty organization.
But two groups deserve special shout-outs. First, we gratefully acknowledge the authors and illustrators whose vision, hard work and passion have kept us all so enthralled. And then there are the kids who gather in our libraries or sit wide-eyed in our classrooms or cuddle in our laps, eager to enter whatever magic realm unfolds before them on the page.
To both of these groups we express our heartfelt admiration and affection. We hope these awards mean something to you, who mean so much to us.
--Anne and Kelly
Please keep reading for the complete list of winners. For the short lists published in January, look here.
Below is the list of winners. Each group of judges and organizers has provided some insight into why their selection rose above the rest:
Fantasy and Science Fiction:
Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3)
Jonathan Stroud
Hyperion: Miramax
Ptolemy's Gate receives the first Cybils for Fantasy and Science Fiction for its richly imagined fantasy
world, strongly realized and unique characters, delightful language
and well-honed plot. As a concluding volume of a trilogy, it delivers
everything a final volume should do, taking the story arc to its peak
with a climax that is both action-packed and emotionally charged. At
the same time, Ptolemy’s Gate stands alone as a story and will
inspire readers, children and adults alike, to seek out the previous
installments and revisit the world of Bartimaeus over and over again.
Fiction Picture Books:
Scaredy Squirrel
by Melanie Watt
Kid’s Can Press
This eponymous squirrel hits little kids and big alike right where they live: in the numbing comfort of routine and abject fear of The Unknown. This is a tiny book with a big lesson about bravery. Watt makes the most of each page, using repetition and exaggeration to hilariously dissect Scaredy Squirrel's paranoia, from the minutiae of his daily habits to a tour of his emergency kit. When the unexpected finally occurs, the joke's on all of us. Field-tested in libraries and living rooms and at bedsides by the judges, Scaredy Squirrel elicited the most giggles per page and requests for re-reads among a variety of age groups, including parents.
Graphic Novels:
Ages 12 and Under:
Amelia Rules! Volume 3: Superheroes
by Jim Gownley
Renaissance Press
Amelia Rules celebrates the power of imagination when school lets out
for summer vacation. There's plenty of time for dressing up in capes,
fighting a gang of evil ninjas, and investigating the evil conspiracy
known as the Legion of Steves. Amelia McBride's adventures are
portrayed with warm-hearted good humor. There's plenty of slapstick
comedy, which combines with an exploration of some of the serious
issues of childhood – moving, growing up, and the secret a new friend
tries to hide. Jimmy Gownley's art shifts styles based on his
character's vivid inner worlds, portraying superhero space battles
and silent movie romances with ease. Amelia Rules can be easily be enjoyed by readers of all ages
Ages 13 and Up:
American Born Chinese
Gene Yang
First Second
American Born Chinese skillfully explores the idea of identity by
weaving together three distinct stories – the traditional tale of the
Monkey King, Jin Wang's longing for acceptance by his classmates, and
popular Danny being plagued by his cousin Chin-Kee who embodies the
worst Chinese ethnic stereotypes. Gene Yang uses humor when portraying
the perils of adolescence, and his colorful art easily adapts to the
tonal shifts of the three stories.
Middle Grade Fiction:
A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press
It's a mystery story, it's a ghost story, it's delightully gothic and eerie. In A Drowned Maiden's Hair we have a protagonist with a very authentic
child voice, and her motivations and feelings are described in clean,
nuanced lines. Maud is also a person of her time and place; she never comes
off as anachronistic. The story, too, is something of a time and place--the darkness of the Hawthorne estate was like an L.M. Montgomery novel gone
delightfully to seed.The adoption of the plucky orphan by the wealthy lady
is a trope of the Victorian novel, and yet does not come off as trite or
formulaic. It is as if Schlitz had taken familiar characters and plotlines
from Victorian fiction and injected them with a realism and emotional force
that transcends its familiarity, making it seem new again. Truth--be it
in the cries of a widower, or in a tearful confession--is what lets Maude
see her true role and path, and ultimately brings redemption.
Non-Fiction, Middle Grade and Young Adult:
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
by Russell Freedman
Holiday House
The story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott has been told many times by
many different people and has almost become legend, but in Freedom
Walkers, Russell Freedman is not sharing folklore or the iconic
stories of civil rights heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks. This
book tells how ordinary men, women and children planned and worked together to
peaceably stand up against the injustice of the segregated transportation system--and
won. Their heroism makes the reader ask, "Could I do this? Could I stand up to the
threats? Could I walk to school every day for almost a year to make justice happen in my
hometown?" Well-chosen historic photographs bring to life the American
South of the 1950's. The true story is gripping and well documented. This is a
read-in-one- sitting kind of book, which will appeal to young teens up
through adults.
Non-Fiction Picture Books:
An Egg Is Quiet
written by Dianna Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
Chronicle Books
Don't be surprised if some future master birder cites this book as an early influence. Multiple layers of thoughtful, poetic text--about not only birds but also insects, reptiles and sea creatures--make An Egg Is Quiet a book that readers can enjoy quickly or in depth, depending upon their level of interest. The handwriting font gives the feeling of a scientific field journal, and the artwork is of the first class, with outstanding visual variety and clarity. The endpapers alone are breathtaking.
Poetry:
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
Houghton Mifflin
Three cheers for Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow! Each
poem is a nature riddle--guessing the answers will keep children
hopping. Joyce Sidman's rich, rhythmic language and Beth Krommes'
intricate scratchboard illustrations make the Cybils poetry winner a
book to return to again and again.
Young Adult Fiction:
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist gives us a glimpse into one iconic night
of new love. This fast, fun story is filled with heartache and romance, fear
and discovery, and a healthy mix of sadness and exhilaration. The narrative
gives the alternating perspectives of Nick (supplied by
Levithan) and Norah (supplied by Cohn); these narrative voices
ring true from the moment Nick and Norah first meet, through the starts and
stops of discovering one another and figuring out how to trust in the
feelings and each other and themselves. We loved the pace of the story, the
development of the lead and supporting characters, and the music and city
which served as the perfect backdrop to Nick and Norah's fabulous night.
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Congratulations Crystal Kite winners!
I meant to say, congrats finalists! Apparently I’m visualizing a win for you guys!
GO Jersey Girls!