In honor of 10/10/10-- a Cybils post of 10 books that I think should be nominated, and ten blogs to visit

Over at the Cybils Blog, Gina has put forward a challenge!

Here's Part 1: "Try to think up ten books that aren't nominated that should be and list them along with why they should be nominated."

Edited to add: most of the books I suggested here originally have since been nominated; here is a
a long list of what hasn't been nominated here, if anyone still wants ideas...but the clock is ticking!


As many of you know because I talk talk talk about it, I'm reading middle grade sci fi/fantasy for the Cybils...and I have a list of about 60 books that haven't been nominated yet. Goodness knows that we don't Actually need any more books--we have over a hundred, so far, with more doubtless to come...and it's going to be a hard job to pick a shortlist. But I think our list would be the poorer without the following books.

The Call: The Magnificent Twelve Book 1, by Michael Grant. This should be on our list because it is a funny, fast, exciting book that my 10 year old loved, and I bet it's going to be tremendously popular (and it has a cool website). (now nominated)

Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve Excellent story telling, fascinating world building, a memorable central character (SLJ has it as grades 5-7, and I've read it, so I'm pretty sure it counts as middle grade). (now nominated)

These next books should be on our list because they are continuations to very popular series-es (serii?) and will doubtless be popular themselves, and I think it would be a shame if our list didn't include them:

Lord Sunday: The Keys to the Kingdom, by Garth Nix

Sabotaged: Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix (now nominated)

Dark Days: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (although this doesn't seem to be out yet in the US, and might be hard for us panelists to get, so it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to put it on hold till it comes out in the US...)

A Wizard of Mars, by Diane Duane (I think of this as a middle grade series, although this one might be YA) (now nominated)

The Wyverns' Treasure: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, by R. L. LaFevers (the second book of the series, The Basilisk's Lair, is also eligible) (both nominated)

Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven Book 5), by Brandon Mull (nominated)

These should be on our list-- they got lots of good buzz when they came out, but I worry that they have been forgotten about:

Powerless, by Matthew Cody

The Ever Breath, Julianna Baggott

And this one should be on our list because it's a fine book that deserved more buzz, I think, when it first came out:

Green, by Laura Peyton Roberts (now nominated)

And that's my ten (give or take)....but there are tons more that I haven't read, that I'm worried about--what if one of these is The One? I'm thinking of the new releases here, like the new Ranger's Apprentice book, which just came out, and the new Tollins book, and Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner, and Star of Stone, by Pierdomenico Baccalario, and This Isn't What it Looks Like, by Pseudonymous Bosch etc etc....



And here's Part 2 of the Challenge: "visit ten amazing kidlit blogs and tell us why you think they are amazing"

So many blogs to choose from....I'm going to cheat a bit here--my first seven are a few of my fellow Cybilians. These blogs all amaze me because somehow they just know what books I might like to read and write very nicely about them-- Book Aunt, Books Together, Ms. Yingling Reads, Finding Wonderland, Angieville, Book Nut, and Eva's Book Addiction (on the Cybils with me last year).

Another blogger whose taste in books is amazingly close to mine is Maureen, at By Singing Light; by way of contrast, I also find it amazing that Colleen, at Chasing Ray, so often writes about books I didn't know I wanted to read.

And for my last pick-um um um....Laini Taylor's blog, Grow Wings, amazes me with it's pretty colors (I enjoy the words she writes, too, of course, but when I think of her blog I see orange and blue etc etc and it makes me happy).



And part three of the challenge is to share your favorite bookstore/library; here's my own dear public library, that I slave my little fingers to the bone fundraising for, and where most of my review copies that aren't arcs find their final home (I don't particulary want to broadcast exactly where I live, so I won't name names...)