2020 CYBILS Winners

It’s Valentine’s Day (and International Book Giving Day)! What better way to celebrate than to buy a couple of these amazing titles that just won the 2020 CYBILS Awards as gifts? You can add them to your personal library or purchase them for your book-loving friends?

I posted about the CYBILS finalists back in January (and those are some great books too!) After six long weeks of reading and deliberating, the judges have finally announced some wonderful award-winning titles! As I’ve mentioned before, I enjoy awards for helping me to discover books. Some of these titles I might not have seen or maybe just not picked up for myself. But, always remember that there are tons of great books out there that will never win an award and that doesn’t make them any less amazing.

I love I Am Every Good Thing – this is such a powerful story. I also really enjoyed When Stars are Scattered and From the Desk of Zoey Washington. And if you’re looking for an easy and accessible way to start talking about racism with middle school and older kids, definitely check out Stamped. It’s extremely well done!

A few titles I’m looking forward to are All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat. I love her middle grade fiction, so I’m excited to read nonfiction too. I’m also really interested in reading The Next President by Kate Messner. I had heard about this book last year, but just haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it yet.

2020 CYBILS Winners

• Easy Reader – See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
• Early Chapter Books – Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo
• Fiction Picture Books – I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
• Elementary Non-Fiction – The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America’s Presidents by Kate Messner and Adam Rex
• Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction – Rival Magic by Deva Fagan
• Middle Grade Graphic Novels – When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy
• Middle Grade Fiction – From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
• Middle Grade Non-Fiction – All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
• High School Non-Fiction – Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• Young Adult Graphic Novels – Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Gurihiru
• Young Adult Fiction – Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
• Young Adult Speculative Fiction – Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas