The other book I was pulling for in deliberations for this year’s Cybils award was Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale. For me, this book was all about the details: the grit of daily life in the tower, the details of Dashti’s previous life on the steppes, the relentless believability that ran from the first page to the last. It was a fantastic story, and I’m so glad it was one of the two winners in the fantasy / science fiction category.

Shannon has two young children, and so I promised to keep the interview short.

Chris) How did you go about researching Mongolian culture for Book of a Thousand Days?

Shannon: My parents lived in Mongolia for a year and a half, so I had some great first hand knowledge, and I sent questions for their Mongolian friends. i also read books, especially the fantastic Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.

Chris) In Book of a Thousand Days, how satisfying was it to heap so much hardship on a fairytale princess?

Shannon: Ha! Yes, there was some of that. I wanted to make sure I was being honest, and fairy tales sometimes slant things in favor of the well-born. One attraction of this story for me was its difference from Goose Girl–a chance to see a maid’s POV and hear her voice.

Chris) As a father of 7-month-old twin girls, I have to ask: how the heck do you get any writing done? (I’ve finally learned to hold one on my lap while I’m typing, but the problem is she starts typing too).

Shannon: I don’t actually write anymore. I bid on manuscripts on ebay and hope I win. No, it’s all a balancing act. I take a little time here and there. No waiting for a muse–grab whatever time I can! And I’ve slowed way down. I get into more detail about that on my site: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/mince_mother.html

Chris) What are you working on now?

Shannon: My husband and I co-wrote a graphic novel for young readers, Rapunzel’s Revenge, which will be out this fall (the illustrations are so freakin’ cool). I’m working on a fourth Bayern book and a new contemporary book for adults.

Tags: bayern, Book of a Thousand Days, cybils, fairy tales, ghengis khan, goose girl, mongolia, rapunzel's revenge, Shannon Hale, yauthor to yauthor

After a marathon reading session, the judges for the 2007 Cybils in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category have selected their winners. And I’m happy to say, both were at the top of my personal lists.

Elementary/Middle Grade:

The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re- named it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve-year-old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother–accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and a slightly illegal hovercar–and realizes that there’s more at stake than just her mother’s whereabouts. A terrific satire with a touching ending and spot-on illustrations by the author, the novel is heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. Gratuity’s narrative voice as she struggles to define “the true meaning of Smekday” will draw readers in.
Nominated by jennifer, aka literaticat.

Young Adult:

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
On her first day as a Lady’s Maid, Dashti finds herself locked in a tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Thus begins a life-and-death battle against evil and time. Lyrically written and set in ancient central Asia, this novel retells a little-known Brother’s Grimm fairy tale with desperate, heart-wrenching emotion. Readers will be drawn in by the beautiful language and fighting spirit of Dashti, whose faith, spunk and ingenuity affect not only the darkness of her tower, but also the hearts and futures of kings.
Nominated by Sarah Miller.

Tags: adam rex, Book of a Thousand Days, cybils, fantasy, science fiction, Shannon Hale, the true meaning of smekday

When I was a child, I was obsessed with the Newbery Award. I was a reader, big time, and with so many books to choose from, I saw those gold and silver seals as holy stamps of official worthiness. I imagined the Newbery Committee as a circle of robed ancients in a windowless room, unchallengeable in their wisdom.

Since then, I’ve met folks who served on the Newbery Medal Selection Committee. You’d think that with the curtain raised I might be disappointed, but it’s quite the opposite. I’ve been nothing but impressed by their credentials, their zeal for quality children’s books, their realness, and their lack of hooded robes. The truth behind the curtain is much more exciting than the fantasy.

(Speaking of which, to get a real look at the Newbery process, read Monica Edinger’s excellent blog, Educating Alice.)

I’ve served on some judging committees myself now, including this year’s Cybils Award. And while I do tend to don a hooded robe, lock myself in a dark room, and bathe soberly in a pillar of light while I make my own deliberations, I suspect that I’m in the minority.

Tags: carnival of children's literature, children's literature, cybils, newbery award

Joe Hemingmouse, created for JacketFlap by Peter Hannan.

Tags: caldecott, cybils, jacketflap, joe hemingmoue, newbery, peter hannan, writers, writing

The Cybils finalists for the fantasy/scifi category (which I am judging) were finally announced, so I can post them here. They are divided into two categories, Teen/Young Adult and Elementary/Middle Grade. I won’t be commenting on the books during the judging process (I’ve started reading them already), but at some point this month I’ll write about the Cybils in general for the Blog Carnival of Children’s Literature.

Teen/Young Adult:

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher
Hodder Children’s Books (UK)

Buy from Amazon UK | Buy from Booksense

Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands)
by Meg Burden
Brown Barn Books

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Repossessed
by A. M. Jenkins
HarperCollins

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Skin Hunger
by Kathleen Duey
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Elementary/Middle Grade:

The Chaos King
by Laura Ruby
HarperCollins/Eos

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Into the Wild
by Sarah Beth Durst
Penguin/Razorbill

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

The Land of the Silver Apples
by Nancy Farmer
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy
HarperCollins

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Disney/Hyperion

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Tags: A.M. Jenkins, adam rex, Atheneum, Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, Book of a Thousand Days, Brown Barn Books, Catherine Fisher, cybils, Derek Landy, Disney, Eos, HarperCollins, Hodder Children's Books, Hyperion, Incarceron, Into the Wild, Kathleen Duey, kidlitosphere, Laura Ruby, Meg Burden, Nancy Farmer, Northlander, Penguin, Razorbill, Repossessed, Richard Jackson Books, Sarah Beth Durst, Shannon Hale, Simon & Schuster, Skin Hunger, Skullduggery Pleasant, Tales of the Borderlands, The Chaos King, The Land of the Silver Apples, the true meaning of smekday

Yes, I know there are a lot of tags. I want to make it very easy for people whose books were nominated to find out, and tagging is a good way to do it. 

There are 94 nominations in the Fantasy and Science Fiction category. I’m a judge for this category, and I’m looking forward to digging in, once this list has been whittled down a bit by the nominating panel.

I copied this list from the Cybils 2007 blog

100 Cupboards
written by N.D. Wilson
Random House
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Alchemyst, The
written by Michael Scott
Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon
written by Rick Yancey
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Araminta Spookie 3: Frognapped
written by Angie Sage
HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Betrayed: A House of Night Novel
written by PC Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Billy Hooten: Owlboy
written by Tom Sniegoski
Random House/Yearling
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Black Book of Secrets, The
written by F.E. Higgins
Feiwel & Friends
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Book of a Thousand Days
written by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Call to Shakabaz, The
written by Amy Wachspress
Woza Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Chaos King, The
written by Laura Ruby
HarperCollins/Eos
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Children of the 23rd Century: The Secret of the Lost Planet
written by Mel Hogan
Athena Press Ltd (UK)
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Choices
written by Deborah Lynn Jacobs
Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

City of Bones
written by Cassandra Clare
Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Cobra King Of Kathmandu, The
written by P. B. Kerr
Scholastic/Orchard Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Cupid
written by Julius Lester
Harcourt Children’s Books
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Darkwing
written by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins/Eos
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Defect
written by Will Weaver
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Dragon Slippers
written by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Dragonhaven
written by Robin McKinley
Penguin/Putnam Juvenile
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Dragon’s Keep
written by Janet Lee Carey
Harcourt Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Dreamquake
written by Elizabeth Knox
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Eclipse
written by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
written by Lynne Jonell
Henry Holt and Co.
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness
written by Kaza Kingsley
Firelight Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Extras
written by Scott Westerfeld
Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star
written by Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer
written by Laini Taylor
Penguin/Putnam Juvenile
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Fathom Five: The Unwritten Books
written by James Bow
Dundurn/Boardwalk Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

First Light
written by Rebecca Stead
Random House/Wendy Lamb Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Flora Segunda
written by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Harcourt Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Fred & Anthony’s Escape from the Netherworld
written by Esile Arevamirp
Disney/Hyperion
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Ghost in Allie’s Pool, The
written by Sari Bodi
Brown Barn Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Giving Up the Ghost
written by Sheri Sinykin
Peachtree Publishers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio, The
written by Lloyd Alexander
Henry Holt and Co
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Gray/Guardians
written by Kathy Porter
BookSurge Publishing
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
written by J. K. Rowling
Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Hungry Ghosts
written by Sally Heinrich
Lothian Publishing (may be an imprint of Hachette Livre Australia)
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

In the Serpent’s Coils (Hallowmere)
written by Tiffany Trent
Mirrorstone
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Incarceron
written by Catherine Fisher
Hachette Livre UK/Hodder Children’s Books (UK)
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Into the Wild
written by Sarah Beth Durst
Penguin/Razorbill
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Ironside: A Modern Faery’s Tale
written by Holly Black
Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Jackie Tempo and the Emperor’s Seal
written by Suzanne M Litrel
iUniverse
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Jinx
written by Meg Cabot
HarperCollins
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger
written by Lee E. Fodi
Brown Books Publishing Group
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Lady Friday (The Keys to the Kingdom)
written by Garth Nix
Scholastic Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Land of the Silver Apples, The
written by Nancy Farmer
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want
written by Obert Skye
Shadow Mountain
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Little (Grrl) Lost
written by Charles de Lint
Penguin/Viking
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm)
written by Michael Buckley
Abrams/Amulet
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Marigold and the Feather of Hope
written by J. H. Sweet
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

New Policeman, The
written by Kate Thompson
HarperCollins
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Night Tourist, The
written by Katherine Marsh
Disney/Hyperion
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Nightwalker: The Warlocks of Talverdin
written by K. V. Johansen
Orca Book Publishers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands)
written by Meg Burden
Brown Barn Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Once Upon a Crime (The Sisters Grimm)
written by Michael Buckley
Abrams/Amulet
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Penguins of Doom, The (From the Desk of Septina Nash)
written by Greg R. Fishbone
Blooming Tree Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Platinum
written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Powers
written by Ursula K. Le Guin
Harcourt Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Prom Dates from Hell
written by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Pyre
written by James McCann
Simply Read Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Quest for the Elfin Elixir
written by Ami Blackford
Red Cygnet Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Red Spikes
written by Margo Lanagan
Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Repossessed
written by A. M. Jenkins
HarperCollins
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Return to Zandria
written by Christine Norris
LBF Books/Lachesis Publishing
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Secret of Grim Hill, The
written by Linda DeMeulemeester
Lobster Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Secret Zoo, The
written by Bryan Chick
Second Wish Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Seeing Redd (The Looking Glass Wars)
written by Frank Beddor
Penguin/Dial
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Seems, The: The Glitch in Sleep
written by John Hulme
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Senrid
written by Sherwood Smith
YA Angst
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Sensitive
written by Nina Wright
Flux
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Seventh Chair, The
written by Ann Keffer
iUniverse
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Silenced, The
written by James Devita
HarperCollins/Eos
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Silver World
written by Cliff McNish
Lerner Publishing/Carolrhoda Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Skin Hunger
written by Kathleen Duey
Simon & Schuster/Atheneum
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Skulduggery Pleasant
written by Derek Landy
HarperCollins
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Standard Hero Behavior
written by John David Anderson
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Books
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Swan Maiden, The
written by Heather Tomlinson
Henry Holt
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Tantalize
written by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Tattoo
written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
written by R. L. LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Thief Queen’s Daughter, The
written by Elizabeth Haydon
Tor/Starscape
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Through the Eyes of a Raptor
written by Julie Hahnke
iUniverse
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Titan’s Curse, The
written by Rick Riordan
Disney/Miramax
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

To Catch a Mermaid
written by Suzanne Selfors
Little, Brown Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

True Meaning of Smekday, The
written by Adam Rex
Disney/Hyperion
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Two Moon Princess
written by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Tanglewood Press
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Un Lun Dun
written by China Mieville
Random House/Del Rey
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Verdigris Deep (Well Witched in the U.S.)
written by Frances Hardinge
Macmillan Children’s Books (UK)
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Warrior’s Daughter, The
written by Holly Bennett
Orca Book Publishers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy
written by Gregory Maguire
Candlewick
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Wicked Lovely
written by Melissa Marr
HarperCollins
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Wildwood Dancing
written by Juliet Marillier
Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Woolies and Worms
written by Stephen MacNeil
Cobblestone Publishing/Cricket Magazine Group
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage
written by Alma Alexander
HarperCollins/Eos
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense (your local independent)

Tags: 100 Cupboards, A. M. Jenkins, Abrams/Amulet, adam rex, Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon, Alma Alexander, Ami Blackford, Amy Wachspress, Angie Sage, Ann Keffer, Araminta Spookie 3: Frognapped, Athena Press Ltd, awards, Betrayed: A House of Night Novel, Billy Hooten: Owlboy, Blooming Tree Press, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, Book of a Thousand Days, BookSurge Publishing, Brandon Mull, Brown Barn Books, Brown Books Publishing Group, Brown Young Readers, Bryan Chick, Candlewick, Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, Cassandra Clare, Catherine Fisher, Charles de Lint, Children of the 23rd Century: The Secret of the Lost Pl, children's books, children's literature, China Mieville, Choices, Christine Norris, City of Bones, Cliff McNish, Cobblestone Publishing/Cricket Magazine Group, Cupid, cybils, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Darkwing, Deborah Lynn Jacobs, Defect, Derek Landy, Disney/Hyperion, Disney/Miramax, Dragon Slippers, Dragon’s Keep, Dragonhaven, Dreamquake, Dundurn/Boardwalk Books, Eclipse, Elizabeth Haydon, Elizabeth Knox, Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, Esile Arevamirp, Extras, F.E. Higgins, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, fantasy, Farrar, Fathom Five: The Unwritten Books, Feiwel & Friends, Firelight Press, First Light, Flora Segunda, Flux, Frances Hardinge, Frank Beddor, Fred & Anthony’s Escape from the Netherworld, From the Desk of Septina Nash, Garth Nix, Giving Up the Ghost, Gray/Guardians, Greg R. Fishbone, Gregory Maguire, Hachette Livre UK/Hodder Children’s Books, Hallowmere, Harcourt Children’s Books, HarperCollins, HarperCollins/Eos, HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Heather Tomlinson, Henry Holt, Henry Holt and Co., Holly Bennett, Holly Black, Houghton Mifflin, Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Books, Hungry Ghosts, In the Serpent’s Coils, Incarceron, Into the Wild, Ironside: A Modern Faery’s Tale, iUniverse, J. H. Sweet, J. K. Rowling, Jackie Tempo and the Emperor’s Seal, James Bow, James Devita, James McCann, Janet Lee Carey, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Day George, Jinx, John David Anderson, John Hulme, Julie Hahnke, Juliet Marillier, Julius Lester, K. V. Johansen, Kate Thompson, Katherine Marsh, Kathleen Duey, Kathy Porter, kaza kingsley, Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger, Kenneth Oppel, kidlitosphere, Lady Friday, Laini Taylor, Laura Ruby, LBF Books/Lachesis Publishing, Lee E. Fodi, Lerner Publishing/Carolrhoda Books, Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want, Linda DeMeulemeester, Little, Little (Grrl) Lost, Lloyd Alexander, Lobster Press, Lothian Publishing, Lynne Jonell, Macmillan Children’s Books, Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, Magic and Other Misdemeanors, Margo Lanagan, Marigold and the Feather of Hope, Meg Burden, Meg Cabot, Mel Hogan, Melissa Marr, Michael Buckley, Michael Scott, Mirrorstone, N.D. Wilson, Nancy Farmer, Nightwalker: The Warlocks of Talverdin, Nina Wright, Northlander, Obert Skye, Once Upon a Crime, Orca Book Publishers, P. B. Kerr, PC Cast, Peachtree Publishers, Penguin/Dial, Penguin/Putnam Juvenile, Penguin/Razorbill, Penguin/Viking, Platinum, Powers, Prom Dates from Hell, Pyre, Quest for the Elfin Elixir, R. L. LaFevers, Random House, Random House/Del Rey, Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers, Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, Random House/Yearling, Rebecca Stead, Red Cygnet Press, Red Spikes, Repossessed, Return to Zandria, Rick Riordan, Rick Yancey, Robin McKinley, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Sally Heinrich, Sarah Beth Durst, Sari Bodi, Scholastic Press, Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic/Orchard Books, science fiction, Scott Westerfeld, Second Wish Press, Seeing Redd, Senrid, Sensitive, Shadow Mountain, Shannon Hale, Sheri Sinykin, Sherwood Smith, Silver World, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry, Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, Simply Read Books, Skin Hunger, Skulduggery Pleasant, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, St. Martin’s Griffin, Standard Hero Behavior, Stephen MacNeil, Stephenie Meyer, Straus and Giroux, Suzanne M Litrel, Suzanne Selfors, Tales of the Borderlands, Tanglewood Press, Tantalize, Tattoo, The Alchemyst, The Black Book of Secrets, The Call to Shakabaz, The Chaos King, The Cobra King Of Kathmandu, The Ghost in Allie’s Pool, The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio, The Keys to the Kingdom, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Looking Glass Wars, The New Policeman, The Night Tourist, The Penguins of Doom, The Secret of Grim Hill, The Secret Zoo, The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep, The Seventh Chair, The Silenced, The Sisters Grimm, The Swan Maiden, The Thief Queen’s Daughter, The Titan’s Curse, the true meaning of smekday, The Warrior’s Daughter, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, Through the Eyes of a Raptor, Tiffany Trent, To Catch a Mermaid, Tom Sniegoski, Tor/Starscape, Two Moon Princess, Un Lun Dun, Ursula K. Le Guin, Verdigris Deep, Well Witched, What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, Wicked Lovely, Wildwood Dancing, Will Weaver, Woolies and Worms, Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage, Woza Books, YA Angst, young adult literature, Ysabeau S. Wilce

When the twins came (a little over three months ago), I pretty much stopped reading for a while. I just couldn’t spare the hands. And when I go for while without reading, I start to become a different person. Even my dreams are different.

So finally I started again. I’ve mastered two enabling strategies:

1. Audio books. The Chicago Public Library lets you check out audiobooks from their website. It’s the coolest thing since the invention of cool things. You just download it and the download expires after two or three weeks. So now I have all kind of books on audiobook, all free and all legal. I don’t even need any hands for that.
2. One-hand baby hold. I’ve finally mastered the safe one-hand baby hold. I can hold a baby comfortably (to me and her) in one arm and turn pages with the other arm. Of course, there are times when I need yet a third arm for the unexpected, but it’s better than nothing.

So, here is what I am reading:

Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye, by Kaza Kingsley. I’m loving it so far, even more than I expected, but I won’t get into specifics until I’m finished. I got a signed copy at BEA, of this and the next book, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness.

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex. I got a signed copy of this at BEA as well (along with a drawing of a boov). I absolutely love the humor on the website, so I decided I’d read it. My only worry is that I may be missing out on the full effect, having an advanced reading copy. I’m thinking that if it’s nominated for a Cybil, then I’ll get a real copy (I’m one of the judges for scifi/fantasy), so I’ll just read it again.

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis, by PJ Haarsma. I listened to the first two chapters on audiobook (read by Nathan Fillion). I’m hooked already, but the problem is that only three chapters were recorded, so now I’ll have to go buy the book. I guess that was the whole idea. I met PJ at the kidlitosphere conference in Chicago and found out we’re both Candlewick authors, and he told me about the game he’d developed for the series.

Tags: adam rex, audiobooks, chicago publich libraries, cybils, erec rex, kaza kingsley, kidlitosphere, nathan fillion, pj haarsma, rings of orbis, softwire, the dragon's eye, the true meaning of smekday, virus on orbis

BOOK BLOGGERS KICK OFF KIDLIT AWARDS’ SECOND YEAR CHICAGO – Will Harry Potter triumph among critical bloggers? Will novels banned in some school districts find favor online?

With 90 volunteers poised to sift through hundreds of new books, the second annual Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards launched on Oct. 1 at www.cybils.com. Known as the Cybils, it’s the only literary contest that combines both the spontaneity of the Web with the thoughtful debate of a book club.

The public’s invited to nominate books in eight categories, from picture books up to young adult fiction, so long as the book was first published in 2007 in English (bilingual books are okay too). Once nominations close on Nov. 21, the books go through two rounds of judging, first to select the finalists and then the winners, to be announced on Valentine’s Day 2008.

Judges come from the burgeoning ranks of book bloggers in the cozy corner of the Internet called the kidlitosphere. They represent parents, homeschoolers, authors, illustrators, librarians and even teens.

The contest began last year after blogger Kelly Herold (http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com)  expressed dismay that while some literary awards were too snooty – rewarding books kids would seldom read – others were too populist and didn’t acknowledge the breadth and depth of what’s being published today.

“It didn’t have to be brussel sprouts versus gummy bears,” said Anne Boles Levy, who started Cybils with Herold. “There are books that fill both needs, to be fun and profound.”

Last year’s awards prompted more than 480 nominations, and this year’s contest will likely dwarf that. As with last year’s awards, visitors to the Cybils blog (http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils) can leave their nominations as comments. There is no nomination form, only the blog, to keep in the spirit of the blogosphere that started it all.

For further info:

Anne Boles Levy

anne (at) bookbuds (dot) net

Tags: blogging, children's literature, cybils, kidlit, kidlitosphere