I had the great pleasure of being of Cybils Awards round 2 judge for the third year. I got to read amazing books that I may not have had a chance to read and vote on the best with other judges. When I say that we, round 2 judges, had a hard time choosing the winner, I’m not lying. It was tough ya’ll! The seven … Continue reading The 2019 Cybils Awards Young Adult Finalists
Serving as a judge for the CYBILS Book Awards provided me with the opportunity to discuss 7 great stories with fellow book nerds. I read the spec fic category, which includes fantasy, sci fi, magical realism, and alternate history – all genres with lots of world building and action! If this is the type of story you enjoy, you should check out these short-listed books. It was hard to pick a winner! Continue reading The CYBILS Award YA Speculative Fiction Short List – A Wrap-up
We are waiting on the edge of our seats! January 28th is sure to be one of the most exciting days of the year. We will finally find out which books will win the coveted ALA Youth Media Awards for 2019. There are so many great contenders this year, and we decided to invite you to join in the fun with us. Here are our … Continue reading Vote in the Winged Pen’s Mock Newbery 2019
Book awards are important! Writers can’t read every book on their TBR list even though they devote tons of time to reading! Kids are pulled in tons of different directions by school, sports, texts, television, games and more. If a book has some buzz or wins an award, that might give a child the extra push he or she needs to check out the first … Continue reading Nominate Your Favorite Kidlit Books for the Cybils Awards!
Writers frequently hear that one of the most important things they can do to improve their craft is to read. Read in their genre. Read broadly. Read critically. Today I’m going to ask writers to consider going one step further. Don’t just read, but to serve as a judge for a book award. Judging a book award forces you to read A LOT over a … Continue reading 6 Reasons Writers Should Judge a Book Award Such as the CYBILS [Updated 2020]
The winners of the Cybils Awards have been announced! If you haven’t heard yet, you must still be busy celebrating Valentine’s Day. The winner for the 2017 Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Category is … WAIT! First, what are the Cybils Awards? They are awards that recognize children’s and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal. Second, I had the pleasure of … Continue reading Cybils Awards: MG Speculative Fiction
My last post shone a spotlight on Five Must-Read books from the CYBILS 2017 Young Adult Speculative Fiction nominees. But there was too much awesome to fit in just one post. If you love fantasy, science fiction and magical realism as much as I do, you’ll love these books too! The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell – In the present day, magic is all but … Continue reading 5 More Great Reads from the CYBILS Young Adult Speculative Fiction Nominees
This winter, I was able to serve as a judge for the Cybils, an award for children’s and young adult authors and illustrators. Established by bloggers, the Cybils recognize work that combines literary merit with popular appeal. I’d been following the Cybils for a few years, and knew that it was a well-respected award. I’m a book blogger, too, at Kid Book List, and when … Continue reading Behind the Scenes: My Experience as a Cybils Judge
The window to nominate YOUR Favorite Children’s and Young Adult books for prestigious Cybils Awards is open now through October 15th! What are Cybils Awards? The first Cybils Awards were presented in February 2007. If you are really sharp, you probably just figured out that makes this year the 10th anniversary for Cybils! 10 points to your favorite Hogwart’s house for being a genius! Yay! Congrats, Cybils! … Continue reading 2016 Cybils Awards
