Charlotte's Library: Cybils

Showing posts with label Cybils. Show all posts

10/9/10

Cosmic, by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Cosmic, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (HarperCollins, 2010 in the US, 2008 in the UK, middle grade, 320 pages), begins thus:

"Mom, Dad--if you're listening---you know I said I was going to the South Lakeland Outdoor Activity Center with the school?"

To be completely honest, I'm not exactly in the Lake District.

To be completely honest, I'm more sort of in space." (page 1)

And things up in space have gone rather wrong.

Liam, the narrator, is very tall for a eleven-year old, and he's started shaving already. This leads to unpleasantness at school, where he is mocked more than a little, but it is not without advantages. He's able, for instance, to pass as an adult and go on any amusement park ride he wants to. And he's able to pass as a Dad, and win, for himself and his "daughter," the chance to go on the trip that promises the ride of a lifetime, open only to four dads, and four kids.

It takes some convincing to get his "daughter" Florida, a celebrity-obsessed girl his own age, to agree to come with him, but at last she does, and they are whisked off to China by private jet. There they find waiting for them an actual rocket ship, waiting to blast off. Much to Liam's dismay, only the kids are going to actually go into space. But the director of the program agrees to let a dad accompany them, and during the days of training that follow, Liam has to prove that he's the best dad there is.

Out in space, he's going to have to prove it all over again, and bring the kids safely home.

It's a lot for an eleven year old boy to handle, and Liam, even though he's so big, is still a kid--enthusiastic, anxious, and caring. The other three sets of kids and dads, although their characters are somewhat exaggerated (success-driven pair, money-driven pair, and intellectual accomplishment-driven pair), provide an amusing and poignant contrast to Liam's efforts to be a "good dad" to his "daughter"/friend, Florida. Even with the help of his handy reference book, "Talk to Your Teen," which he nicked from his dad (quotes from this are included, and made me chuckle), it's hard for Liam (who's not even a teen yet himself) to figure out his new role.

Cosmic is one of only four books so far this year to have received six starred reviews from the major publishing journals; its stars are very well deserved. Both an exciting adventure, and a powerful character-driven story, this is one of the more memorable books I've read this year. It's been nominated for this year's Cybils Awards in the middle grade science fiction/fantasy category, and justifiably so, given that the journey into space, although technically possible, is so unlikely as to be science fictional (the UK cover, shown at right, emphasizes this sci fi-ness). But those who normally eschew space travel books shouldn't let that bias them against this book. They should just gloss over that, and let themselves enjoy this big-hearted story.

(Because I am always looking for kids of color in sci fi/fantasy--two of the other kids are Samson Two Toure from Sierra Leone, and Hasan Xanadu from Bosnia (who I'm assuming is a Bosniak); they get considerable page time, but not enough for me to add this to my list of multicultural sci fi/fantasy).

10/8/10

The Elementary and Middle Grade SFF Cybils Nominees

Nominations for the Cybils Awards are now closed.

Here are the 147 books that us mg sff panelists are busily reading:

13 Treasures
By Michelle Harrison
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Christie Ibarra

Adventures of Hotsy Totsy, The
By Clive Cussler
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sarah Sammis

Adventures of Nanny Piggins, The
By R. A. Spratt
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jess Pugh

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising
By Jason Henderson
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Ms. Yingling

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
By Lewis Carroll
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Katie Connors

Archvillain #1
By Barry Lyga
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kirby Rundell

Astrosaurs The Twist of Time
By Steve Cole
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kelly Hurst

Atlantis Complex, The (Artemis Fowl, Book 7)
By Eoin Colfer
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Brandon

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies
By Andrea Beaty
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jess Pugh

Basilisk's Lair, The (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2)
By R. L. LaFevers
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Nell Clark

Behemoth (Leviathan)
By Scott Westerfeld
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Melissa Baldwin

Bellyache: A Delicious Tale
By Crystal Marcos
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Brenda

Birthday Ball, The
By Lois Lowry
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Torey Yates

Bogbrush the Barbarian
By Howard Whitehouse
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Amelie Roberge

Boneshaker, The
By Kate Milford
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Amanda Snow

Boom!
By Mark Haddon
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kara Dean

Brains For Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!
By K.A. Holt
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: E. Kristin Anderson

Brimstone Key, The (Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #1)
By Derek Benz
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Shannon Messenger

Call, The (The Magnificent 12)
By Michael Grant
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Ben

Carnival of Lost Souls, The: A Handcuff Kid Novel
By Laura Quimby
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Farrar Williams

Celestial Globe, The: The Kronos Chronicles: Book II
By Marie Rutkoski
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jessalynn Pinsonault

Celia's Robot
By Margaret Chang
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Doret

Chestnut King, The: Book 3 of the 100 Cupboards
By N. D. Wilson
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Beth

Clockwork Three, The
By Matthew J. Kirby
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kristen

Clone Codes, The
By Patricia C. Mckissack
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Edi Campbell

Cosmic
By Frank Cottrell Boyce
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Eric Carpenter

Crossing Over (Suddenly Supernatural 4)
By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jenny Schwartzberg

Crowfield Curse, The
By Pat Walsh
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Karin Lackmann

Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One
By Wayne Thomas Batson
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Deborah

Dark Deeps, The: The Hunchback Assignments 2
By Arthur Slade
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: James Bow

Dark Life
By Kat Falls
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kathy M Burnette

Dead Boys, The
By Royce Buckingham
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Mike Schoeneck

Dragon Cowboy (Dragonblood)
By Michael Dahl
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Liz Rouse

Dragon Games (Books of Umber)
By P. W. Catanese
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Charlotte

Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-wiener
By Ursula Vernon
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: D.M. Cunningham

Elephants' Call, The (Astral Legacies)
By Volke Gordon
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Eleanor Rose

Elliot and the Goblin War
By Jennifer Nielsen
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Ruth Barshaw

Enchanted Glass
By Diana Wynne Jones
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jennifer Wharton

Facing Fire
By KC Dyer
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: James McCann

Falling In
By Frances O'Roark Dowell
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Liz Jones

Familiars, The
By Adam Jay Epstein
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Pam van Hylckama Vlieg

Fever Crumb
By Philip Reeve
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Gwenda Bond

Flight of the Outcast (The Academy: Year 1)
By Brad Strickland
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kate Coombs

Forbidden Sea
By Sheila A. Nielson
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Rebecca Herman

Forgive My Fins
By Tera Lynn Childs
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Debbie Barr

Found (The Magic Thief)
By Sarah Prineas
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: madigan

Ghost Hunter (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #6)
By Michelle Paver
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Tammy Allen

Ghost of Heroes Past
By Charles Reid
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Hilde Polten

Green
By Laura Peyton Roberts
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Nell Saunders

Grim Hill: The Family Secret (The Grim Hill Series)
By Linda DeMeulemeester
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Catherine Knowles - Lobster Press

Grimm Legacy, The
By Polly Shulman
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: KT

Haint Misbehavin'
By Maureen Hardegree
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Deborah Smith

Halt's Peril (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 9)
By John Flanagan
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Elliot

Haunted Houses (Are You Scared Yet?)
By Robert D. San Souci
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Gladys

Healing Wars, The: Book II: Blue Fire
By Janice Hardy
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Natalie Aguirre

Immortals, The: The Edge Chronicles 10
By Paul Stewart
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Brigan Dell

Inside Story, The (The Sisters Grimm: Book Eight)
By Michael Buckley
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Laura Mihalick

Interdimensional Dumpster, The
By Ray Connor
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Noreen Vigneault

Invisible City (The Joshua Files)
By M. G. Harris
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kathy M Burnette

Ivy's Ever After
By Dawn Lairamore
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Linda Joy Singleton

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation (Jack Blank (Trilogy))
By Matt Myklusch
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: morninglightmama

Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London (Johnny Mackintosh Trilogy)
By Keith Mansfield
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jane Moraghan

Johnny Mackintosh: Star Blaze (Johnny Mackintosh Trilogy)
By Keith Mansfield
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jon Reed

Keeper
By Kathi Appelt
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Mary Ann Scheuer

Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven, Book 5)
By Brandon Mull
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Nicole

Kid Vs. Squid
By Greg van Eekhout
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sarah Prineas

Knightley Academy
By Violet Haberdasher
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Erica

Last Hunt, The (The Unicorn Chronicles, Book 4)
By Bruce Coville
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Beverly Wrigglesworth

Legends: Battles and Quests (Legends (Anthony Horowitz))
By Anthony Horowitz
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Summer Ogata

Legends: Beasts and Monsters (Legends (Anthony Horowitz))
By Anthony Horowitz
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Marina Cambareri

Letters to Anyone and Everyone
By Toon Tellegen
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Katie Connors

Light, The (Morpheus Road)
By D.J. MacHale
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Karin Lackmann

Limit, The
By Kristen Landon
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Enna Isilee

Line, The
By Teri Hall
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Savannah

Lost Children, The
By Carolyn Cohagan
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Zena Logan

Lost Hero, The: The Heroes of Olympus, Book One
By Rick Riordan
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Kate

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers
By Penny Noyce
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Rebecca Raibley

Magic Below Stairs
By Caroline Stevermer
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Marie

Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle, The
By Deva Fagan
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Saundra Mitchell

Magician's Castle, The
By Mary Cunningham
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Mary Cunningham

Merlin's Curse
By Darren J. Butler
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Dianne Hamilton

Merlin's Dragon, Book 3: Ultimate Magic
By T. A. Barron
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Barb Langridge

Middleworld (The Jaguar Stones, Book One)
By J&P Voelkel
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Virginia

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates
By Kim Kennedy
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jason Wells

Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate
By Lesley M. M. Blume
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jennifer Rembold

Mousebeard's Revenge (Mousehunter Trilogy)
By Alex Milway
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Keith Mansfield

Mr Mumbles (Invisible Fiends)
By Barry Hutchison
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Dan Green

My Sparkling Misfortune
By Laura Lond
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Laura Lond

Nest for Celeste, A: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
By Henry Cole
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Dotz Johnson

Nightmarys, The
By Dan Poblocki
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: D.M. Cunningham

Nightshade City
By Hilary Wagner
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Lawral

Ninth Ward
By Jewell Parker Rhodes
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Hallie Tibbetts

On the Blue Comet
By Rosemary Wells
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Vicki Palmquist

Ortega
By Maureen Fergus
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Naseem Hrab

Over My Dead Body: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Book 2
By Kate Klise
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Nicole

Owl Keeper, The
By Christine Brodien-Jones
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Heather Z.

Penny on Safari
By Eileen O'Hely
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sharon O'Donovan

Peter Pan and Wendy: Centenary Edition
By J. M. Barrie
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Derry Wilkens

Princess and the Snowbird, The
By Mette Ivie Harrison
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Cecil Castellucci

Princess for Hire
By Lindsey Leavitt
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Allie Williams

Radiance
By Alyson Noel
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jennifer Donovan

Raiders' Ransom
By Emily Diamand
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jen Robinson

Reckless
By Cornelia Funke
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Angela

Red Pyramid, The (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1)
By Rick Riordan
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Mary Ellen Thompson

Restoring Harmony
By Joelle Anthony
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: El

Rise of the Darklings: The Invisible Order, Book One
By Paul Crilley
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Virginia

Roberto & Me (Baseball Card Adventures)
By Dan Gutman
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Andromeda Jazmon

Roll Up the Streets
By John Bladek
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Lisa Barker

SPHDZ Book #1! (Spaceheadz)
By Jon Scieszka
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Debbie Nance

Sabotaged (Missing)
By Margaret Peterson Haddix
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: B.Wells

Scumble
By Ingrid Law
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Maureen E

Search for WondLa, The
By Tony DiTerlizzi
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Debbie Barr

Secret Lives of Princesses, The
By Philippe Lechermeier
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Danielle Smith (The1stdaughter)

Shadow
By Jenny Moss
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sally Barringer

Shadow Hunt, The
By Katherine Langrish
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Colleen Mondor

Shadows, The (The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 1)
By Jacqueline West
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sandra Stiles

Sixty-Eight Rooms, The
By Marianne Malone
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Emma Carbone

Smells Like Dog
By Suzanne Selfors
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Becky

Song of the Whales, The
By Uri Orlev
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sarah Rettger

Specter Key, The (Bran Hambric)
By Kaleb Nation
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Zane

Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties, The
By Toon Tellegen
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Derry Wilkens

Starlight Prince, The
By Borislava Borissova
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sabina Arabadjieva

Tall Story
By Candy Gourlay
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Tarie Sabido

The Pickle King
By Rebecca Promitzer
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sharon Hrycewicz

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus
By R. L. LaFevers
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Angie

Thirteenth Princess, The
By Diane Zahler
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Alyssa

Thomas and the Dragon Queen
By Shutta Crum
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Greg Leitich Smith

Tilting House, The
By Tom Llewellyn
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Amy Baskin

Timekeeper's Moon, The
By Joni Sensel
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Melissa

Tiny Angel
By Nancy Carty Lepri
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Janet Ann Collins

Tollins: More Explosive Tales for Children
By Conn Iggulden
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Matthew H.

Toto's Tale
By K. D. Hays
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Elizabeth Burton

Trail of Fate: The Youngest Templar
By Michael Spradlin
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: cindy pon

Trapped (The Prometheus Project)
By Douglas E. Richards
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Robin Prehn

Unearthly Asylum (Joy of Spooking)
By P.J. Bracegirdle
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Susan Mitchell

Whistle Bright Magic: A Nutfolk Tale
By Barb Bentler Ullman
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Sara Ullman

Wide-Awake Princess, The
By E. D. Baker
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Jessica Miller

Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.e.b.r.a. Incident
By Stephen R. Swinburne
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Elizabeth Bird

Windblowne
By Stephen Messer
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: B.Wells

Wish Stealers, The
By Tracy Trivas
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: samuel White

Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams, The
By Rhonda Hayter
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Stephen Bochicchio

Wizard of Mars, A: The Ninth Book in the Young Wizards Series
By Diane Duane
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Liz

Wolven
By Di Toft
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Nicola Manning

Wolves' Gambit, The (Astral Legacies)
By Volke Gordon
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Dan Graham

Wyverns' Treasure, The (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 3)
By R. L. LaFevers
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Gina R

Young Chieftain, The
By Ken Howard
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: Chimaechi Ochei

Zombiekins
By Kevin Bolger
Status: Eligible
Nominated by: D.M. Cunningham

9/30/10

Let the Cybils Nominating begin!!!!

Cybils Eve is here again--nominations open just after midnight tonight (EST). I wish I could stay up late enough for the Twitter nominating party....Nominations will close again on October 15.

I'm a panelist in elementary and middle grade science fiction and fantasy this year. I hope we get lots and lots of great nominations! And please note the "elementary" part--there are lots of great sff books out there, just right for younger readers, that need to be nominated...

The official nominating guidelines can be seen here, at the Cybils website.

Anyone (any country, any age, blogger or non-blogger) can nominate a book in each category (one book per category per customer). Excitingly, this year, for the first time, Elementary/Middle Grade science fiction/fantasy and Young Adult science fiction/fantasy count as two separate categories! This means that one person can nominate both a young adult sff book and one for younger readers! (Yay!) The same is true for graphic novels--two age categories, two nominations.

The book that get nominated must have been published between the last contest and this close of this one. In other words, between Oct. 16, 2009 and Oct. 15th 2010. This can be tricky, especially for the 2009 books--there were lots of great books published at the end of October, 2009, that shouldn't be overlooked. To make it easy for those nominating sff books, I have a full year's worth of new releases posts, from October 16, 2009 on (look for the beginning of October 2010 list soon).

Nominated books can be bilingual, but one of the languages must be English. Books in English published outside the United States are eligible. Books published elsewhere in other years but never nominated in the past, that have been published this Cybils year in the US, are eligible.

One last thing--multiple nominations of the same book don't help the book's chances--so please do scroll through all the nominations to make sure that you aren't duplicating someone else's nomination, so that you can put other favorites onto the lists.... I'll be keeping a running list of all the elementary and middle grade titles nominated here on my blog.

This list keeping is just one of the ways in which I extract every ounce of obsessive enjoyment from the Cybils Nominating Process. I'll be watching the nominations pages like a hawk, holding my own allotted nominating cards close to my chest until the last minute. I have already made lists of books I think should be nominated, and I will be crossing them off when they make it. I will be emailing my co-panelists about the books that pop up on our list. And, most importantly, I will be checking the Cybils website compulsively. Every five minutes or something.

I love this part almost more than the reading itself.

9/23/10

Let the Cybils science fiction/fantasy fun begin!

I am thrilled and honored to be part of this year's Cybils, back as a first round judge in middle grade/elementary science fiction and fantasy! And I'm thrilled to be part of such a great team!

So please, start thinking what books you might want to nominate--any book from October 16 2009 to October 15 2010 is eligible. In case you need reminding about what was published, I have a full year's worth of New Releases in mg and ya sff posts (except, of course, for the next 3 weeks, but that will come). The Nominating begins October 1!

Panel Organizer: Sheila Ruth, Wands and Worlds

Panelists (Round I Judges), MG/Elementary:
Anamaria Anderson, Books Together
Gwenda Bond, Shaken & Stirred
Cindy Hannikman, Fantasy Book Critic
Aaron Maurer, Coffee for the Brain
Nicole Signoretta, Booked Up
Charlotte Taylor, Charlotte's Library
Karen Yingling, Ms. Yingling Reads

Panelists (Round I Judges), Teen/YA:
Steve Berman, Guys Lit Wire
Tanita Davis, Finding Wonderland
Leila Roy, Bookshelves of Doom
Sheila Ruth (see panel organizer)
Angie Thompson, Angieville
Hallie Tibbetts, Undusty New Books
Heather Zundel, Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Round II Judges:

Elementary/Middle
Melissa Baldwin, One Librarian's Book Reviews
Kate Coombs, Book Aunt
Emily Mitchell, emilyreads
Nancy Tsai, Kidsmomo
Tanya Zavestoski Turek, Books 4 Your Kids

Teen/YA
Emma Carbone, Miss Print
Anne Levy, Cybils
Sam Musher, Parenthetical
Sarah Stevenson, Finding Wonderland
Steph Su, Steph Su Reads

And I am also really thrilled to think of the reading challenge before me--I love, absolutely love, the challenge of having more books to read than is actually possible. Last year I managed to read all but one of the books nominated--I think we had 99 in the end (and I would have read the last one too, but I couldn't get it in time....) .

8/27/10

CYBILS TIME IS HERE AGAIN!!!!!

That's the first time I've ever shouted a blog post title. But I am excited.

Any reader of my blog knows just how much I love the Cybils Awards. Not only does the awards process generate reading lists of really truly excellently great books (like these), but it also gives us bloggers a chance to come together as a community and be awarders ourselves, recognizing, in a very public way, the books we love best.

I have been a first round panelist for several years, and recommend the experience 100 percent. I have become friends with authors and readers, I have read many great books, and I've felt that my voice made a difference to the success of books I love. If you are a blogger (reader, author, librarian, teacher, parent) being a panelist or judge for the Cybils is, bar none, a tremendously rewarding experience.

The call has now gone out! Head over to the Cybils, read about what it entails, and throw your name into the hat! (by Sept. 15)

And another very important thing--the lists of nominated books are chosen by readers. ANY READERS. One book per category per reader, submitted the first few weeks of October. I'm now mulling over my lists of various categories--the easy readers, the picture books, the non-fiction, etc, to decide what books I'm going to put on the lists (extrapolating from what was the case last year, I imagine the books have to have been published from October 16th 2009 through October 15th 2010). My 10 year old loves this part of the process too, because who doesn't want the books they love to get their chance to shine?

(and anyone who, for lack of anything better to do, wants my personal take on what it all involves is welcome to contact me!)

8/25/10

The non-results of my Cybils sff poll, plus Waiting on Wednesday - Invisible Things, by Jenny Davidson and other Cybils sequels

A couple of days ago I threw up a poll to see which Cybils shortlisted sci fi fantasy book was the best beloved. The results were, as expected, inconclusive--only 41 of the 97 people who've looked at it to date were able to pick a favorite (I found it almost impossible to do so myself), and of the 40 books in the list, all but 15 have at least one vote. Because the votes are so scattered, no clear favorite has emerged--Graceling is in the lead, with 4 votes.

One of the books I would have voted for if I'd had a few more votes to scatter around was The Explosionist, by Jenny Davidson (my review). The sequel, Invisible Things, comes out this November (yay!). Here's what Davidson had to say about it back in February 2009 (goodness--what a long time ago that seems...)
"The book takes up with Sophie in Copenhagen at the alternate-universe version of Niels Bohr’s Institute for Theoretical Physics, which was possibly the most exciting of all possible places to be in our own world’s real historical 1930s, and follows her on a strange and stressful journey first to Sweden and then up north to Lappland and the island of Spitsbergen, where she encounters the Snow Queen in her ice palace. The story is very loosely based on the fairy tale of the same name, one of my favorite ones by the nineteenth-century Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen."

There are several other exciting sequels/follow ups/companions to the Cybils sff books coming out:

Ptolomy's Gate, by Jonathan Stoud, and Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher, each got more than one vote, and each has a prequel/sequel coming out this fall (The Ring of Solomon, in November, and Sapphique, in December respectivly). There's a new Skulduggery Pleasant out next month (enigmatically/portentously, the wikipedia entry for it says that it is "the first of the Skulduggery Pleasant novels to be published in a September"). Part three of D.M. Cornisth's Monstor Blood Tattoo series, Factotum, is out this fall (and it's on my tbr pile--yay!). Sarah Prineas has written a fourth book in the Magic Thief series (see this interview) , but I dunno if its been officially acquired by HarperCollins....I hope it has (note to self--write review of the third book of the series (which was very fun) for crying out loud). Scumble, the companion to Savvy, by Ingrid Law, just came out. (So did Mockingjay). And Bitterblue, the eagerly awaited companion/sequel to Graceling, is (according to wikipedia) coming out next April.

And even though this sequel has been out a while, I've been following this book's availability with great interest--The King Commands, sequel to Northlander, by Meg Burden (one vote) is up on Amazon again for its regular price of $8.95.

Did I miss any?

(Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

4/9/10

Three 2009 Cybils middle-grade fantasy nominees

Realizing that, if all goes well, I am going to be adding 12 books to my "to be reviewed pile" tomorrow during the 24 Hour Reading Challenge, I am facing the fact that I have more books already waiting to be reviewed than I have hours in the day. So this evening I am playing catch-up, offering short reviews of three of the books that I received from the publishers/the author during my stint as a Cybils panelist in the middle grade science fiction and fantasy category last fall, that have been waiting ever since...

Fairest of All, A Tale of the Wicked Queen, by Serena Valentino (Disney Press, 2009, 250 pages). Valentino pulls off quite an accomplishment with this book--she tells the story of Snow White from the "evil" stepmother's point of view, making the Queen a sympathetic character. For the Queen was not always evil--once she was the young bride of the king, finding in her love for him and his little girl happiness that had escaped her growing up under the shadow of a truly evil father. But her father, even though ostensibly dead, still casts a shadow over her life, lingering in the sinister magic mirror that haunts her...Its twisted messages to her, combined with the malevolent doings of three old women, distant cousins of the king, gradually drive the queen to cruelty toward her beloved step-daughter.

The cover does the book something of an injustice--although plenty dark toward the end, much of the book is not so black as the cover would suggest, and the Queen is, as I said, a sympathetic character. I would have chosen a cover showing her in a beautiful dress, in a brightly lit room, with the mirror front and center. Recommended highly to fans of fairy tale retellings.

The Magician of Oz, by James C. Wallace II (Scientia et Vox Press, 2009, 240 pages). As the title indicates, this is an Oz story, one that takes the great grandson of the Wizard of Oz to that magical land, where he has an Oz-ian adventure of his own. Looking through the contents of an old trunk up in the attic, young Jamie discovers the magical paraphernalia of his great-grandfather, and embarks on the study of conjuring (I enjoyed this part of the book, in which he is mastering his new skills, quite a bit). But there is more than just sleight-of-hand awaiting Jamie when he finds himself in the marvellous land of Oz, meeting many of the old Oz-ian friends familiar to readers of the Oz canon. There is danger waiting for him too--ancient trees seek vengeance on the Tin Woodsman who chopped many of their number down years past, and now they want revenge. Conjuring won't be enough to stop them--with Ozma's help, Jamie must tap into the true magic of Oz.

Wallace certainly captures the "oddness" of Oz--the extravagant and bizarre magical nature of both the place and all its inhabitants is here in full force. As with many other Oz books, logic is not front and center, and although Jamie is firmly established as a real character through the reader's time with him in the real world, the cast of supporting Oz-ians remains dreamlike, even though the point of view jumps between them at times. The plot of the evil trees likewise never felt real to me (and anyway, I felt they had a justifiable grievance). Why, I wondered, couldn't Ozma have taken care of the problem herself?

It's been a while since I read any Oz books, so I don't know how Wallace's prose style compares--I found it a tad overblown at times, in its use of formal structures and latinate words, and occasionally his language is plain confusing:

"The Leader of the Sycamores looked down at the Flowering Plum tree, pleased at his promptness and recalled his command to the band of bushes which had scattered them to the four winds in search of comrades for his plan of revenge" (page 149).

Although I appreciate Wallace's clear admiration for Oz, I'm not at all sure how this contribution to Oziania will fly with ardent fans, or if it will attract any new ones.

Skeleton Creek--Ryan's Journal, by Patrick Carman (Scholastic Press, 2009, 185 pages and several on-line video clips). This one scared me! Two teenagers, Ryan and his friend Sarah, stumble across a dark and scary mystery off in the woods, where the great rusting hulk of an ore-crushing monstrosity lurks...along with its resident ghost. Sarah is determined to get the bottom of the mystery, and Ryan, more reluctantly, finds himself drawn in too. Ryan's journal entries are interspersed with (scary) clips filmed by Sarah...

Ostensibly middle grade, I think this is a book more comfortable in the YA section. Unless I am just a wimp....At any event, it's as gripping as all get out (I thought I might find it jerky to move back and forth between text and video, but I managed just fine), and it should appeal greatly to mystery fans.

And that's it for now....

2/2/10

The Navel of the World, by P.J. Hoover, for Time Slip Tuesday

When I started my Time Slip Tuesday series, the books I had in mind were fantasy time travel stories, the sort where there is no real explanation of how and the time travel actually works. But my choice today-- The Navel of the World, by P.J. Hoover (Children's Brains are Yummy Books, 2009, upper middle grade, 284 pages)--is a science-fiction story, in which the mechanisms of time travel and its concomitant paradoxes are rather more central than is the case with books of the fantasy sub-genre.

In The Navel of the World, Book 2 of The Forgotten Worlds (book 1 being The Emerald Tablet), a tightly-knit group of friends returns to the summer school where they had met the year before--a summer school where they had learned that they belonged to a race of telegens, whose civilization was almost a million year old. And the kids had learned that this civilization was locked in a struggle with the false gods (telegens gone bad) who were kept imprisoned in Atlantis.

That summer, Benjamin had discovered that he was implicated in an ancient prophecy. He was one of triplets, and he had to find his lost brothers, or risk the escape of the Atlantians, would-masters of humanity. So now, with the help of devices that augment the innate skills of telegens, Benjamin and his friends are off travelling from time to time to find his brothers...before too much time passes. And in the meantime there are classes to go to, typical middle-school feelings of rivalry and hormonal type stuff to deal with, and some really bad cafeteria food.

Book-wise: Having got the backstory out of the way in The Emerald Tablet, Hoover is free to give her characters more room. They come alive in this book, and the exploration of their various mental powers is more integrated into the actual story line than was the case in Book 1. And the jostlings of middle-school life that Benjamin and his friends endure are a refreshing counterpart to the extraordinary side of things, which includes a fascinating melange of places real and imagined, although the story is weighted toward the Greek mythology end of things (adding to its cross-over appeal with the Percy Jackson books).*

Time Travel-wise: Hoover uses time travel to further a plot that remains firmly fixed in the present, as opposed to it being the end in and of itself. So there is no richly immersive experience of the past here--more a five minutes at the Trojan War, meet Achilles briefly, and off they go again sort of time travelling. So I would recommend this to kids who are looking for the science fantasy adventure side of things, rather than to readers who enjoy loosing themselves in the strange differences of the past.

*although I do think that Percy Jackson fans might enjoy this series, I'd like to point out, just so as to avoid possible disappointment, that these books are, so far, devoid of bloodthirsty monsters that require heroic slaying. The adventures here are much more cerebral, involving mental, rather than physical, prowess.

Other reviews: Lori Calabrese Writes, Jen Robinson's Book Page, and The Book Muncher.

Note: I received copies of both The Emerald Tablet and The Navel of the World from the publisher to read for the Cybils Awards--thanks, Children's Brains are Yummy Books!

1/24/10

Ring of Fire (Century Quartet Book 1), by R.D. Baccalario

Ring of Fire, by R. D. Baccalario (Random House, 2009, upper middle grade, 291 pp) is an exciting fantasy/mystery for sixth graders on up.

In Rome, on December 29, four 12 year-old kids find themselves forced to share a hotel room. Harvey (from the New York), Mistral (from Paris), Sheng (from Shanghai), and Elletra (the hotel owner's daughter) are surprised and amused to find that they share the same strange birthday--February 29. But things quickly grow more surprising, and less amusing, when they go for a night-time ramble through the old streets of Rome, and a frantic man presses a briefcase on them.

"Please," the man insists. "They're looking for me. I don't have time to explain. No one does. No one." (page 61)

And the next day, the man is found dead.

Inside the briefcase is a set of strange wooden tops...and clues that will take the four children on a dangerous quest to find answers, as they realize that stakes of the mystery they have become part of are higher than they could have dreamt.

The mystery, rather than the fantasy, is what drives the story, and the action is almost non-stop. The point of view shifts, particularly in the first half of the book, between the kids and the Bad Guys, so the reader knows from the beginning that this is a matter of life and death.

Although an effort is made to make the kids distinct characters, this is not the strongest point of the book (and adult readers of mg fantasy might well be disappointed in this regard). There's really not much time for characterization--all the things happening keep whisking them around Rome... And indeed, Rome, with all its ancient secrets, often takes center stage, with several very handsome color pages of maps and illustrations let the reader explore alongside the four protagonists. (The only problem with putting them in the middle of the book is that I didn't know they were there--I might have made more use of them in the first half of the book had I known).

I personally don't care too much for third person present narration, but I was able to loose sight of that as I got caught up in the action. Although some resolution of the central issue of this book is achieved, there are many unanswered questions--it is, after all, the 1st of a quartet.

In short, a fine book for the mystery loving kid (recommended to fans of the 39 Clues Books and The Mysterious Benedict Society).

(Note: I'm going with sixth grade on up because, besides the issue of the rather complicated plot, there are a few bits of rather intense violence-for instance, someone gets shot at point blank range and tied up to possibly bleed to death in a bathtub).

Here's a review from a sixth-grader at Book Trends, one from the Lateiner Gang, and another review from Amanda at A Patchwork of Books, who nominated this for the Cybils.

(note: book received from the publisher for Cybils consideration)

1/8/10

The Roar, by Emma Clayton

(The Whisper, the sequel to The Roar, has now been released! Here are my thoughts)

The Roar, by Emma Clayten (Scholastic, 2009, upper middle grade on up, 481 pp)

In a hellish dystopia, where a mega-London lies half-drowned, in a world where all animals are dead and walls enclose the overcrowded warrens of humanity to keep them safe from the plauge, there lives an eleven year-old boy named Mika who refuses to believe his twin sister is dead.

He's right, and the reader knows it--she's the first person we meet, desperatly flying a stolen pod fighter homeward, trying to escape from a mysterious Them who have kept her imprisoned on a spaceship. But she doesn't make it all the way home, and Mika's life in the dampness and darkness of the lower classes remains unchanged.

Then one day a new and strangly sinister Program is announced, a program that will make the kids of London Fit and Happy. A large part of this is a new virtual reality video game, based on flying pod-fighters in combat. The game offers everything to children who have nothing--if they play the game well enough, they can win fabulous prizes. And despite his growing sense of danger, Mica knows in his heart that if he is a winner, he can find his sister again....But the games keep getting harder, and each round brings new challenges.

So in short, this is a survival game story, a story of clever children outwitting and outplaying their grown-up enemies, set in a post-environemntal-disaster dystopia.

Contrary to what the reader might expect from the referrence to spaceships early on, it's set pretty firmly on earth--a convincingly drawn mess of a place. Mika is a smart, interesting character. He's just as much in the dark as the reader, and Clayton does a fine job letting reader and character figure things out at the same pace. Because the book focus so tightly on Mika, he's the only one of the cast of diverse kids involved in the game who became real to me, but looking back on it, this is is in keeping with his rather self-focused state of mind throughout the book.

Clayton keeps the book moving briskly with fresh intrigue and complexity at each level of the game, and the unsolved mysteries made for gripping reader. But for me at least, the story fell apart a bit toward the end--the answers felt a bit anticlimactic--and so I was left a little disappointed.

But that is just me. I think many older middle grade kids, and teenagers as well, to say nothing of adults, might well find this gripping and enjoyable right to the end. Especially after reading glowing reviews such as this one at Pink Me and this one at The Book Blog.

Especially recommended for boys who love video games that involve blowing up space ships, who also care about the environment.

(review copy recieved from the publishers, for Cybils Award consideration)

1/3/10

This Sunday's Round-up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction

Welcome to this week's gathering of blog posts about middle-grade (ages 9-12) fantasy and science fiction books! I skipped last week, so there are a couple here from back then...Please let me know if I missed your post!

The most exciting Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy news is the Shortlist for the Cybils Awards. These seven books are all truly excellent (although I helped pick them, and so am a tad biased). Which do you like best? (more frivolously, which cover do you like best?)

Yesterday I went through the 98 books nominated to look for kids of color--here's what I found.

Here are the various reviews of mg sff books:

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, at Wandeca Reads.

A Whole Nother Story, at The Book Aunt

The Box of Delights, by John Masefield from the Guardian's book blog (This sequel to The Midnight Folk is one to keep in mind for next Christmas!).

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage, by Kaye Umanskya, at Eva's Book Addiction.

The Ever Breath, by Julianna Baggott, at Eva's Book Addiction, at Steph Su Reads, and at The HappyNappyBookseller.

The Farwalker's Quest, by Joni Sensel, at Fuse #8.

The Green Bronze Mirror, by Lynne Ellison, at A Few More Pages.

Magical Ms. Plum, by Bonnie Becker, at Fuse#8.

Raider's Ransome, at Carrie's YA Bookshelf, Katie's Book Blog, Fuse #8, and at The Book Aunt.

Sillksinger (Dreamdark, book 2), by Laini Taylor, at Fuse #8.

Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, at Charlotte's Library.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, at Green Bean Teen Queen.

At Boys Rule, Boys Read you can find snippet reviews of some middle grade fantasy books here and here.

At Fantasy Literature, Rebecca is amassing reviews of Joan Aiken's books--her most recent being a look at The Cuckoo Tree.

And although fairy tale picture books aren't technically middle-grade/9-12 year-old books, sometimes they are just the right thing to offer a mg child, so here's a post about several of these from Jennifer at the Jean Little Library.

Miscellaneous:

The Lateiner Gang offers a peon to middle-grade fantasy author James Rollins (Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx, the second of these, comes out this April).

At Green Bean Teen Queen, there's an interview with Derek Landry (of Skullduggery fame)

I compiled a list of the dragon books of 2009 here.

Finally, here's a post for all those who love The Magic Pudding (an early classic of Australian fantasy literature for children), as well as all of us who have never even heard of it. Here is an illustration of the Pudding:

scary.

Please feel free to send me links for next week at any time!

1/2/10

Kids of Color in Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy--a look back at the 98 books nominated for the Cybils

There's an interesting discussion taking place at Black-Eyed Susan's about the shortlists that were just announced for the Cybils Awards-specifically, the absence of books about African Americans that aren't about slaves or civil rights (there are two exceptions--The Frog Scientist, in mg/ya non-fiction, and The Secret Science Alliance and the Copy Cat Crook, in middle grade graphic novels). As Susan says in one of her comments, "the larger issue isn't about what panelists chose but what they were offered in the first place."

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what I, as a Cybils Panelist, was offered this fall. 98 books were nominated in the middle grade science fiction and fantasy category of the Cybils Awards--all of these books were ones that somebody loved best. I read 96 of them.

Here are the kids of color I found, the ones who got enough page-time to be memorable. But please please keep in mind that I read them all in the past three months rather briskly, so my memories of them might be faulty and I am open to corrections!

Two of my comments have spoilers; I have indicated this by writing them under a SPOILERS warning.

First, a look at the covers.

Yep, 8 out of 98 have kids of color on them. Two of these books (This Side of Magic, by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones, and The Taker and the Keeper, by Pat Perrin) never identify their characters in text as having any particular ethnicity, and I don't see why this can't happen more often.

Turning now to books where the text identifies kids of color as central characters:

One of the four kids who are the main characters in Century #1: Ring of Fire, Pierdomenico Baccalario, is from China.

The British boy who is one of two central characters in The Immortal Fire, by Anne Ursu, is black.

Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments, by Emily Ecton, has an African American boy as the number 2 main character.

The Prince of Fenway Park, by Julianna Baggott, has as its hero a mixed-race boy.

Quest for the Simurgh, by Marva Dasef, has a Middle Eastern cast of characters.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, is about a Chinese girl.

Kids of color as supporting characters:

In The Dragon's Pearl, a story of Marco Polo, by Devin Jordan, a supporting character turns out to be the daughter of the great Kahn.

In Hannah's Winter, by Kierin Meehan, all the supporting characters, dead and alive, are Japanese.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow, by James Rollins, includes characters who are Mayan.

Roar, by Emma Clayton, includes supporting characters of various ethnicities.

In Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run, by Sam Riddleburger, an enslaved boy is an important supporting character.

In Water, Water, Everywhere (Sluggers Vol. 4), by Loren Long and Phil Bildner, none of the kids are of color, but the African American character shown on the cover is central to the plot.

In When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, one secondary character is black or mixed race (thanks Wendy!).

SPOILERS:

The Nine Pound Hammer has a very diverse set of kid-of-color supporting characters (the main character is a white boy), including the son of John Henry himself, who, unfortunately, dies saving the white kid.

The Last Olympian is memorable, POC-wise, in that the one black demi-god identified as such gets killed in the first chapter.

So. Only 18 out of 98 books (as far as I can remember) were at least a little non-white. I don't think this is because scores of middle grade fantasy and science-fiction books featuring kids of color weren't nominated--I can think of only one other from the relevant October 2008-2009 period (City of Fire, by Laurence Yep).

Our Cybils shortlist of seven books (which you can find here) fortuitously includes two books in which kids of color are the central characters--The Prince of Fenway Park and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, both of which are great books. I dunno if the diversity they bring to our list added, in our unconscious minds, to their appeal. Whether it did or not, I'm glad they are there.

1/1/10

The Cybils Shortlists!

The shortlists for the Cybils Awards have been officially announced! It is such a pleasure to be able to share with you the middle grade science fiction and fantasy books that my fellow panelists and I thought best combined the qualities of Cybils books--great writing and tons of kid appeal. So many of the 98 books we read were truly excellent, and it was very hard indeed to come up with this list.

Here are our seven finalists, with the blurbs that we wrote explaining why we loved them, as they appear on the Cybils site!

11 Birthdays (my review)
by Wendy Mass
Scholastic
Nominated by: Maggi Idzikowski

Amanda's 11th birthday is the worst ever, and when she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that she and her ex-friend Leo are doomed to repeat the same day over and over--and over! Amanda and Leo's attempts to live the day the "right" way to break the spell are funny, entertaining, and absolutely believable, whether they are ditching school or auditioning for a rock band. This is a deliciously fresh look at how making small changes in your life--or even in one day--can have big consequences, both ordinary and magical.
--Eva Mitnick

Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark) (my review)
by Laini Taylor
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: Melissa

The Dreamdark series, by National Book Award nominee Laini Taylor, opens a window on a world of fierce winged faeries determined to restore their race to its former glory. In Silksinger, Maggie Windwitch, Whisper Silksinger and their motley allies are driven to reach beyond their abilities to guard the sleeping Djinn Azazel from a host of conniving characters and gruesome devils. On panoramic display in Silksinger are Taylor’s gifts for rich language and imagery, suspenseful plotting, and intricate world-building. Even as readers thrill with vertigo while flying alongside Maggie and her crow brothers, they will feel secure in this master storyteller’s hands.
--Brian Jung

Farwalker's Quest, The (my review)
by Joni Sensel
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Joan Stradling

Ariel finds a telling dart, an artifact that hasn't been in use for hundreds of years and carries a message that only a specific recipient can read. That sends her on an adventure to see who could have sent such a message and why this messaging system has started back up. Farwalker's Quest takes readers on a journey that is filled with many thoroughly developed characters. Joni Sensel weaves an enchanting story that is easily remembered by readers long after the story is done.
--Cindy Hannikman

Odd and the Frost Giants (my review)
by Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins
Nominated by: Susan the Librarian Pirate

In a village in ancient Norway, winter isn’t ending, and when Odd—a fatherless boy with an injured leg and an infuriating smile—encounters a fox, a bear, and an eagle in the forest, he finds out why. The animals are gods exiled from the city of Asgard by a Frost Giant, and Odd takes on the task of defeating him. How he does so is surprising and satisfying, one of many lasting pleasures in this short novel by Neil Gaiman. We loved the inventive use of Norse mythology, the humorous bickering of the gods trapped in their animal forms, and, of course, cheerful and clever Odd himself. It’s a story beautifully told (and illustrated, by Brett Helquist), perfect for reading alone or reading aloud: quite simply, it shines.
--Anamaria Anderson

Prince of Fenway Park, The (my review)
by Julianna Baggott
HarperCollins
Nominated by: Doret

When 12-year-old Oscar Egg discovers his dad's secret life as a half-human, half-fairy living a magical existence under Fenway Park, he decides it's his duty to break the spell that has cursed the baseball stadium. He gets a little help from Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, among others. The secret and seedy underbelly of Fenway Park, with all its magical creatures wearing Red Sox caps, has a compelling atmosphere that pulls readers right into the story and has them rooting for Oscar and the Red Sox. Not just for baseball fans, this fantasy combines Pookas, hot dogs, Banshees, and home-runs into an exciting and unusual adventure for all readers.
--Eva Mitnick

Serial Garden, The: The Complete Armitage Family Stories (Junior Library Guild Selection) (my review)
by Joan Aiken
Big Mouth House
Nominated by: Charlotte

The Serial Garden is a collection of twenty-four stories about the magical adventures of two very likable English children, Mark and Harriet Armitage. The stories are a brilliant mix of the ordinary and the fantastical--in the world of the Armitage family, the mundane concerns of English village life are mixed seamlessly with witches, druids, unicorns, enchanted gardens, and much, much more. At times hilariously funny, at times surprisingly poignant, this book is perfect for any child or grown-up looking for delightfully extraordinary fantasy. Aiken was a tremendously creative writer, and these stories are some of her most imaginative and skillful writing.
--Charlotte Taylor (It was especially nice to be able to write the blurb for the book that I myself nominated, a book that includes stories that I read and loved tremendously when I was a child).

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (my review)
by Grace Lin
Little, Brown
Nominated by: EM

Prompted by her father’s fantastical stories and by an encounter with a talking goldfish, Minli sets off on a quixotic search for the Never Ending Mountain where she will ask the Old Man on the Moon to change her parents’ dreary lives. Woven into Minli’s journey are evocative folktales, each which could stand perfectly well on its own, but which beautifully resonate when brought together within Minli’s quest. Simply told, yet intricately developed, Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is finally a story about believing in stories and how that belief can alter ones fate.
--Brian Jung

Now these seven head off to the judging round, where these bloggers get to pick the one winner (and I don't envy them that task!)

Tarie Sabido, Into the Wardrobe
Jen Robinson, Jen Robinson's Book Page
Emily Mitchell, emilyreads
Melissa Baldwin, One Librarian's Book Reviews
Ashley Bair, Everead

Thank you so much, Eva and Brian and Cindy and Anamaria, for the fun we had together picking this lovely list of books! And thank you very much, Sheila, for organizing us, and to Anne, for making it all happen!

(Aren't these lovely books? Now please go and buy them, if you haven't already, so as to show the publishers that the Cybils are Important Awards, and, of course, so that you can enjoy them too!).

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