2015 CYBILS Awards

Today the 10th Annual CYBILS judges have been announced and I’m so excited to be a Round 1 judge for the 2015 Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction category!  This is going to be a HUGE undertaking and I’m really happy to be a part of this amazing group of children’s book lovers!
Here’s how it works:  The judges were chosen and announced today.  From October 1 – 15, the public will have a chance to nominate their favorite titles in a number of categories:

• Book Apps
• Early Chapter Books
• Easy Readers
• Fiction Picture Books
• Graphic Novels
  • Elementary/Middle-Grade
  • Young Adult
• Middle-Grade Fiction
•  Nonfiction
  • Elementary/Middle-Grade
  • Young Adult
• Poetry
• Speculative Fiction
  • Elementary/Middle-Grade
  • Young Adult
• Young Adult Fiction

From October 16-25, publishers can send in any submissions they feel fit the category.  Then I get to work!  Round 1 judges read through all the nominations and submissions and narrow them down into a shortlist.  This happens between October 1 – December 29.
As of January 1, the shortlist is announced and the second round of judges take up their positions and from January 2 – February 12 they decide on a winner for each category.  The winners are announce February 14.
My fellow judges for Round 1 include:

• Ellen Zschunke
  On the Shelf 4 Kids
• Bridget R. Wilson
  What is Bridget Reading?
• Amy Broadmoore
  Delightful Children’s Books
• Elisa Bergslien
  Leopards and Dragons
• Roberta Gibson
  Wrapped in Foil
• Reshama Deshmukh
  Stacking Books

So in the next two weeks I need to read any fiction left on my TBR list before I dive into a very deep hole of non-fiction.  I’m really excited to learn more about the non-fiction available for kids and am excited to read the different styles that authors and publishers take with non-fiction geared toward a younger audience!