For my fourth year, I get to be a Cybils Panelist!
The Cybils, for those who are sadly unaware, are book awards for children’s and young adult books which are chosen by KidLit bloggers.
One of the cool things about the Cybils is that they work in two rounds. And the First Round Panelists get to choose lists of the best books in their categories. These are some great lists of the best books of the year. The Second Round Judges choose one winner from each of these finalists.
In the past I’ve twice been a First Round Panelist for Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction, and once a Second Round Judge for the same category. This year, I’m first round again, but I changed categories to Fiction Picture Books. I feel like this year I took a year off from keeping up with new children’s novels — but I have kept up with picture books pretty well.
And I love being a Cybils Panelist! It’s so much fun to read widely and then get to promote the outstanding books you read. And discuss them with the other Panelists.
I’m also proud of the great work we do. The Cybils Finalists are outstanding! Cybils Awards try to find a balance between literary value and kid appeal. We don’t want to choose books that only critics would like, but books that are not only excellent, but also ones that kids will love.
Oh, and the Cybils reading season for First Round lasts from October to December. Nominations open October 1st, and we will start reading! Read some good children’s books lately? Nominate some for the Cybils Awards!