Cybils

First!

Just for the fun of it, the very first two nominations that came in last week were only eleven seconds apart. Hallie Tibbets earns our profound thanks and the number one spot for getting a nomination in at exactly 12:02:26 on Oct. 1. Her nomination was for The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, a teen fantasy novel.

In second was Elijah Z with his nomination in Graphic Novels, Sidekicks, by Dan Santat.

Thanks to both of you for your enthusiasm!

--Anne Levy

Hat tip: Sheila Ruth

 

Where are your lists?

You know what I haven't seen much of this year? Lists of stuff to nominate. Some of you like compiling the titles you didn't get to nominate because of the one-book-per-genre rule. Those suggestions are hugely helpful to others. I know I've nominated in YA and SFF and even book apps, but I've no idea what picture book -- fiction or nonfiction -- to add to the pile. I'll happily nominate something recommended by another blogger in a genre I don't usually read.

Help me out!

If you've compiled a list on your blog of worthy titles that are in danger of being overlooked, please include a link in our comments below.

(Pretty please don't try and name all the books you want in our comments. Just a link to your own list is fine. Thanks!)

--Anne Levy, Cybils admin.

A speculative look at fantasy and science fiction

Part of a series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

Science fiction and fantasy take us to realms of the imagination: places and times and realities where the rules of life may be different than our own and where the impossible and improbable become real. But good science fiction and fantasy does more than that: it asks, "What if?" It makes us think. It holds up a mirror to our own society and lets us see ourselves in a different light.

Like our counterparts in the other categories, we'll be looking for books that combine the best writing with kid or teen appeal, but we'll also be looking at some of the unique requirements of the genre, such as world building and internal consistency. The elements in a science fiction or fantasy book don't have to be possible, but the writer must make us believe that they really could exist, perhaps do exist, if only we could find them.

This is a diverse category that includes a wide range of subjects, from wizards, demons, ghosts and vampires to outer space adventures, alternate history and dystopian futures. If a book has any unreal, otherworldly or mystical elements in it, chances are that it belongs here. Even if the fantastic elements are only a small part of the story, it should probably be nominated here. After all, some of the best science fiction and fantasy is about ordinary people who encounter the extraordinary and are changed by it. The only exception would be if the fantastic elements seem to be only in the imagination of a character, or are otherwise "not real" in the context of the story. Those books should probably be placed in the regular Middle Grade or YA categories.

SFF-oriented text novels with graphic sections belong here. If the book is primarily graphica, or a hybrid, it might fit best in the Graphic Novels category. Easy Readers, Early Chapter Books and Picture Books go in those categories even if they have Fantasy or Science Fiction content.

Finding the line between SFF and the other categories isn't always easy, so just nominate it where you think it best fits, and we'll move it if we think it would be better in a different category.

New this year: we are accepting born digital ebooks with no corresponding print version in the SFF Teen category (but not for the younger readers).

--Sheila Ruth

Go to the Science Fiction and Fantasy nomination page.

A portrait of fiction picture books

Part of a series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

The category of Fiction Picture Books would appear clearcut as books that are fictional with pictures. Oh, but that simplicity is deceptive. The genre contains titles for toddlers and third graders, funny stories and moving tales, history and fantasy, traditions and diversity, elegance and silliness, education and entertainment. An amazing conceptual range for books with typically 32 to 48 pages.

All these types of books must be weighed against each other to create a Cybils shortlist of standouts that excel in story, illustration, kid appeal and literary value. Not-so-simple a task in not-so-simple a category, but at end of the Cybils judging, we plan to bring you some of the best in fiction picture books and a final winner to represent them all.

--Pamela Coughlan

Go to the Fiction Picture Books nomination page.

A simple summary of Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books

Part of a series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

The first thing that stands out about books in these two genres is their shape. They're sized for their audience to hold while reading aloud (roughly 6 x 9 inches). Think "reading by nine" and you can visualize this K through 3 audience. Other helpful hints:

Easy Readers usually have a banner and some form of the word "read" on the cover. They have short, simple sentences presented in BIG type fonts. In an Easy Reader, the images are usually in full color and are designed to help the child decode the words in the text.

Early Chapter Books are like traditional chapter books, but thinner and with fewer pages. Their chapters are short (usually 3-6 pages), are illustrated (usually black and white), and have wide spacing between lines. Examples: Clementine by Sara Pennypacker; Roscoe Riley Rules by Katherine Applegate; My Weird School by Dan Gutman.

--Terry Doherty

Go to the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book nomination page.

The very picture of graphic novels

Part of our series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

Comics FTW! The graphic novels category covers a wide range of stories--everything from wordless picture books appealing to the very young to intense, issue-based young adult novels--all of which tell their stories through serial artwork. All of these stories are welcome. We give an award for both the younger graphics and for the young adult graphics.

In the past, we've been fairly strict about limiting the category so that there are not big chunks of text between the comic panels--books that take this shape are considered to be hybrid illustrated novels rather than graphic novels, and go to the category they'd belong in if they didn't have the images.

But what if the images are an essential part of the story? What if the book won't do as well in the other category, simply because the text, by itself, doesn't have the same power as the book as a whole? This is something which our group has discussed, and fretted about, for awhile now.

So this year, we're going to experiment with adding some hybrid illustrated novels, with the goal of having every book placed in the category where it stands the best chance of winning. Hybrids we'll allow in graphics are books where the pictures are essential to the storytelling, and where most of the story is in the comics format, with occasional chunks of text.

One final thing--if the hybrid you're nominating is an early reader (the Toon books, or Frankie Pickle, from past years), go ahead and nominate it in that category. Early readers often combine images and text, due to the needs of the readers, so this is a category where hybrid graphics are a great fit.

Can't wait to read your choices!

--Liz Jones

Go to the Graphic Novel nominations page.

The truth about nonfiction for teens and tweens

Part of our series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

Welcome to the Nonfiction Middle Grade & YA category.  Nonfiction is defined as work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be FACT.  For Middle Grade and Young Adult, these books are often biographies and histories, but can also encompass a wide range of subjects.  There are teen travel guides, how-to books, etc.

With nonfiction, clarity is important. But even more  vital for the middle grade and young adult reader is the level of engagement and kid appeal.  The book must be engaging and interesting.  No one wants to read a dry book, no matter how true it is.  They might HAVE to read it for homework, but they'd never pick it up on their own at a library or bookstore.  So along with great factual information, we're looking for great storytelling.

--Gina Ruiz

Go to the Nonfiction MG/YA nomination page.

No middle ground for middle grade fiction

Part of a series to introduce each genre, written by the organizer.

Welcome to Middle Grade Fiction, a category that is very often magical, sometimes action-packed, and sure to be crowd-pleasing. (Note: we're talking about magic without spells and wizards and elves and vampires, and action without the superheroes plus superpowers. Just to be clear). Middle Grade Fiction is where you'll find stories about the real drama of real life faced by kids and their friends, families, classrooms, and communities.

Set right next door or in a distant corner of the globe, Middle Grade Fiction can offer readers a mirror or a window, helping them to make sense of their experiences or open them up to things they may never know in their own lives. These are the books that kids will likely remember as the ones that turned them into readers for life. Excited yet? Now's your chance to tell us which Middle Grade novel published this year made you laugh or cry or cheer or turn back to the beginning to start reading all over again.

--Kerry Millar

Go to the Middle Grade Fiction nomination page.

Getting all angsty over young adult fiction

Another in our series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

For your consideration:

The world as it was and is. Not as it could, or would, or should be.  Send the dystopias and space operas, the fairies and angels, the blood-suckers, zombies, and alternate realities to SFF. In YA Fiction we want the real world of the past and present with all of its flaws and pain and humor and beauty. We want books published for young adults ages 12-18 that are not only well-written, but which will expose the world and open a window to self-discovery. Books that respect their audience; books that teens will press into their friends' hands with fervor in their eyes and say, "You HAVE to read this." We are looking for the handful that can call themselves the greatest teen novels of 2011.

--Jackie Parker

Go to the Young Adult Fiction nominations page.

A peek into the whizbang world of book apps

Another in our series introducing each genre, written by the organizer.

Boing! Zoom! Zap! Is that your book making all those noises? Are you making things dance, bounce and sing? You must be reading a Book App, maybe on your smart phone or iPad.

Digital publishing is certainly changing the way we experience books, but we’ve been especially fascinated by the development of interactive book apps. These are not just ebooks like those you would read on a Kindle. Book Apps are highly interactive programs that integrate animation, games, audio, music--or all of the above--into the text.

With this first year of the Cybils Book App category, we’ll be focusing on Book Apps developed for the iPad/iPhone and sold through the iTunes App Store. Although Motorola and Samsung have also come out with tablet computers, we can only ask our judges to have one device for viewing. The majority of apps are available through the iTunes App Store, so this will be our focus this year.

The Book App category will look at a wide range of book apps, from picture books to chapter books to nonfiction titles. The apps must geared mainly toward storytelling and/or literacy and not just gaming. And like all of the other Cybils categories, children must be the book’s primary audience. Cybils establishes the criteria that all eligible books must be published between Oct. 16, 2010 to Oct. 15, 2011. For apps, this means that the original app must have been published during this time, not just the most recent updates. Finally, since our panelists won’t be able to find apps in their libraries, we will only be able to evaluate apps when developers can send us codes for review copies.

What makes a great app for you and your children? What brings your children back again and again? We can’t wait to explore this new and constantly changing world of Book Apps!

-- Mary Ann Scheuer

Go to the Book Apps nomination page.