The Cybils were announced on February 14th, Valentine’s Day and a grand bunch they are. Given by the children’s literature blogging community in a wide range of categories, this award is intended to provide another selection of great books for parents and children and all who love children’s books. This year I was tickled that two of the books I nominated ended up winners: Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright’s The Cheshire Cheese Cat and Candace Fleming’s Amelia Lost.
This year’s British Red House Children’s Book Award has just gone to Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls, another personal favorite from last year. This award is given by children — that is they nominate titles from which a shortlist is created and then vote for the winner.
Still to come are:
- The Irma Black Award, another award given by children, is underway right now — check out this blog for more information on how to involve your class.
- The Children’s Choice Awards, jointly overseen by the Children’s Book Council and the International Reading Association, are also determined by child votes.
- The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards on the other hand are selected by a committee of knowledgable adults.
educating alice 
So so happy to have been involved with both awards! As a judge for the cybils and as part of the team organising the RHCBA – yesterday’s award ceremony was so much fun. Ness is a deserved winner – and I hope his win will go some way to convincing doubters that A Monster Calls is indeed appropriate for (and loved by) kids.
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Zoe, me too re those who are so dubious about the Ness being a book kids will read.
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Congratulations on having such a good eye for great books – nominating two of the Cybils award winners! I was a Round Two judge this year for one of the categories and it was a new dilemma for me, judging finalists rather than judging the whole bunch and lobbying for my favorites. Quite a learning experience in the Art of Consensus! I hope everyone who had a book nominated felt the pleasure and satisfaction of it.
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I was a Round Two judge a few years ago and found it a very interesting experience and very different from other award committees I’ve served on because, as you noted, we weren’t the creators of the shortlist.
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