The 2009 Cybils Winners - a great resource for parents

The Cybils Awards are a book award given by children’s and young adult book bloggers for books that have both excellent literary merit and great kid appeal. The winners of the 2009 Cybils Awards have just been announced, and it's well worth checking them out. They are a great resource for parents, a way to learn more about the best books published in 2009, and ones that will definitely appeal to kids! This year's winners are:

Cybils Awards for Children's and Middle Grade Books

Picture Book (Fiction)
All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Marla Frazee
Beach Lane Books
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Picture Book (Non-Fiction)
The Day-Glo Brothers
by Chris Barton; illustrated by Tony Persiani
Charlesbridge
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Easy Reader
Watch Me Throw the Ball! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Nominated by: Melissa

Early Chapter Book
Bad to the Bone (Down Girl and Sit)
by Lucy Nolan; illustrated by Mike Reed
Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books
Nominated by: Jennifer Wharton

Poetry
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
by Joyce Sidman; illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Elizabeth Bird

Graphic Novel
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
by Eleanor Davis
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Scope Notes

Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction
Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark)
by Laini Taylor
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: Melissa

Middle Grade Fiction
Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simon and Schuster
Nominated by: melissa

Cybils Awards For Young Adult Books

Non-Fiction
The Frog Scientist
Pamela S. Turner; illustrated by Andy CominsHoughton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Laurie Thompson

Graphic Novel
Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
by Tom Siddell
Archaia Press
Nominated by: Paradox

Fantasy and Science Fiction
Fire
by Kristin Cashore
Dial
Nominated by: Jenny Moss

Young Adult Fiction
Cracked Up to Be
by Courtney Summers
Macmillan
Nominated by: Robin Prehn

The Cybils blog is a great resource for parents - you can find more information about each of these books, and follow links to other finalists in each category. On the top right hand corner of the Cybils blog, there is a link to a printer-friendly flyer of all the 2009 finalists.

I had the honor and pleasure of serving on the committee for Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books. It was a wonderful experience which deepened my understanding and appreciation of books that are suited for early readers. I'll be sharing more on each of these books in the coming weeks.

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