It's...Cybils Time? YES, IT IS! It's time for the #CybilsReaddown TBR Challenge

It may be spring outside, but we are all stuck in the house doing our bit to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. What better time is there for a reading challenge? And the #Cybils Awards has stepped up to the plate with a reading challenge that will help you spring clean all those books sitting in you TBR pile. And it's such a simple challenge, but naturally there are a few rules⬇︎

CYBILS AWARDS TBR READING CHALLENGE

October 1st will be here before we know it, and we'll be looking for your nominations for Cybils 2020...and some of those nominees might just be sitting on your TBR pile! To help you find those nominees (and get through anything else on that pile) we're inviting you to join our challenge!

The #CybilsReaddown challenge runs from 4/15/2020 to 6/15/2020. This challenge is not about who read the most books!

Instead, the goal of this challenge is to share with other readers what you are reading, reviewing, and recommending (or not) to others.

To make it a little extra fun, we have a prize!! One lucky reader will win a Cybils Awards book tote! The winner will be selected in a random drawing of entries.

➜Participation Rules:

Step1: RSVP to the Cybils TBR Challenge Event on Facebook by 4/17

Step 2: Check-In with (a) "before" photo on Twitter or Instagram; and/or (b) number in the "TBR CHALLENGE STARTING LINE" post on Facebook.

Step 3: Start reading, reviewing, and sharing your progress to earn entries!

IMPORTANT: There are lots of ways to earn entries. BUT regardless of platform, an entry

much include the #CybilsReadDown to be valid.

Step 4: Between 6/15/2020 and 6/17/2020. Check-In with an "after" photo on Twitter or Instagram; or (b) the new number on our "TBR CHALLENGE FINISH LINE" post on Facebook.

Facebook:

• Join the event HERE
• Post your review (blog, vlog, Goodreads, etc in our "TBR CHALLENGE REVIEWS" post
• Post your bookstack image on the "SHOW US YOUR STACK" post on Facebook

Goodreads:

• Join our GoodReads community HERE
• RSVP to the Challenge on GoodReads HERE
• Create a Challenge-related GoodReads Shelf to track your reading and post the shelf name in our Event Discussion Board

Instagram:

• Follow @CybilsAwards on Instagram
• Show us your (dwindling) bookstack in an Instagram post (max. entry: 3 per week)

Twitter:

• Follow @CybilsAwards on Twitter
• Tweet or retweet a Challenge Invitations (max. 3 entries total)
• Tweet about your progress (max. entry: 3 per week)

BONUS ENTRIES:

! Share your GoodReads review in our GoodReads group, on Twitter, and on our Facebook "TBR CHALLENGE REVIEWS" post.

! Tweet about or Instagram post a book you want nominated in the upcoming Cybils Awards cycle (Publication dates: 10/16/2019 - 10/15/2020).

! Read AND review any book on the Cybils Awards Finalists (any category) between 2009 - 2019. Find books HERE

Reminder: When posting via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #CybilsReaddown to have your entries count.

Other Important Points (aka Terms and Conditions)

• You must live in the United States or Canada to win the tote. We can't ship overseas.
• We will use http://www.randomnumbergeneratory.com to determine the winning entry.

GOOD LUCK AND STAY SAFE!

The 2019 Cybils Award Middle Grade Fiction Finalists

For the past two years, I've had the honor of being the category chair person for the Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fiction. The Cybils Awards are given in 10 categories and every nominated book is read by all the Round One panelists in each category. This year, Middle Grade Fiction had a total of 102 books nominated. That's a lot of reading to do between October 1st and the middle of December, but the dedicated Round One panelists read and read and finally came of with the seven books that they felt were met the combined Cybils standards of "highest literary merit and popular appeal."

First, I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the authors of these seven finalists. They are

Barbara Dee - Maybe He Just Like You
Sarah Scheerger - Operation Frog Effect
Lindsey Stoddard - Right as Rain
Jamie Sumner - Roll with It
Lynne Kelly - Song for a Whale
Padma Venkatraman - The Bridge Home
Dan Gemeinhart - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

(I've included their Twitter handles so you can get to know these authors and their work better.)

Next, I'd like to thank the Cybils Round One panelists for all their hard work. They are

Shannon who blogs at Picture Books to YA
Brenda who reviews on Goodreads
Pamela who blogs at Young Adult Books - What We're Reading Now
Julie who blogs at Reading by the Pond
Stacy who blogs at It's All About the Journey
Genevieve Ford who talks books on Twitter
Rae Longest who blogs at Powerful Women Readers

(I've included their links so you can get to know these readers/reviewers better.)

Now, it's time for the Round Two judges to read and decide. The winner will be announced on February 14, 2020. And I can't wait to see what they decide.

FYI: If you are someone who likes to review children's literature from board books to young adult, perhaps becoming a Round One or Round Two judge is something you might like to do. If so, please feel free to visit and explore the Cybils website for more information. BTW, the call for judges goes out in mid-August (and that's a only mere 8 months away).

Have you read any of the Middle Grade Fiction finalists? What do you think about each one? I'd like to know.

📚It's Cybils Award Nomination Time Again! 😃 What are you nominating?

Remember that middle grade book that made you sigh when you finished it because it was just so good and now you have to say good-bye and, oh golly, you just loved that protagonist?

Or how about that picture book that made you laugh out loud? Or shed a tear or two? How about the one the kids want you to read over and over and over again?

And then there's that YA book that made you shake you head in agreement and think, yes, that is just how it is when you're a teen?

Perhaps you've read a novel written in verse that touched your heartstrings?

Well, if you have a favorite in any of the 10 categories that make up the Cybils, now is your chance to…NOMINATE THEM FOR A CYBILS AWARD!

What are the 10 categories, you might ask?  They are (click link for complete descriptions)

Fiction Picture Books and Board Books
Early Reader/Early Chapter Books
Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Middle Grade Fiction
Poetry
Graphic Novels
YA Fiction
YA Speculative Fiction
Junior/Senior High Nonfiction

Still not sure which category your favs fit in? No problem! Click the link for complete descriptions.

Of course, there are a few rules, but nothing too complicated:

1- You (and you can be anybody, even you) may nominate any book published in the contest year in English. This includes bilingual books;

2- The book must be published in the US or Canada.  It's just more aggravation and expense than we can stand to wheedle free copies from foreign publishers;

3- Only one book nomination per category.  Get your friends and co-workers in on the act if you can't make up your mind;

4- Nominations open October 1st at 12:00 PST and close October 15th. You can find out how to nominate HERE

If you still have questions, you can check out the FAQs

Once again, I am so happy to be a part of the Cybils Awards. I was a Round 2 Judge for several years, and this is my second year as the MG Fiction Category Chair. 

It's 2018 Cybils Award Time: On your marks, get set....get ready to judge!

So you've been busy reading and reviewing all year long and, golly,  you've read some great books. In fact, you thought some of them were so good that they should probably win an award. Well, here's you chance to help decide which books should be chosen to receive a coveted Cybils award.

That's right! The Cybils is looking for more than a few good judges and it's pretty easy to apply:

First, you need to find out what being a Cybils judge involves and to do that, go here to read the FAQs, which includes the Judging Overview, the Duties of a Round 1 Judge, and finally, the Duties of a Round 2 Judge. This way, you can decide what will work best for you.


Next, just fill out the application, which you can find HERE. Oh, yes, and the deadline to apply is September 9, 2018 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Bookish people are the best judges of books and the Cybils needs your expertise whether you review on a blog, vlog, and/or Goodreads.

I been a Middle Grade Fiction Cybils judge for five years now and I have had the pleasure of reading some wonderful books and working with some great people, all of whom were serious about the work we were doing. Now, I am happy to say, I will be the Middle Grade Fiction chairperson this year. Ms. Yingling has decided to try other things and I am looking forward to taking on this new phase in my Cybils life.

So, come be a part of the fun! And if you can't apply to be a judge, you can always nominate your favorite books when nomination begin.

To keep up with all the Cybils news on Twitter, just follow @cybils

2016 Cybils MG Finalist: Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

It's July 1934, and times are hard for the Curry family. Poppy's out of work and in New Jersey looking for a job, and mom is taking in laundry, so son Beans Curry does what he can to help out. But after sifting through garbage, collecting empty cans and expecting to get 10¢ for every twenty cans, he is cheated out of 5¢ by the wily Winky, who now claims he said 50 cans per 10¢. One thing that Beans knows for sure is that grown-ups lie and Winky is a good example of that. Angered, Beans is determined to find another way to help his family out. Luckily, "businessman" Johnny Cakes happens to be looking for Beans with a job proposition.

Turns out, Johnny Cakes is a rum runner, and Beans's job is to help him get the illegally gotten Cuban rum off ships in the middle of the night. All Beans has to do is set off the fire alarm to divert any possible attention from the docks. It job pays good money and Beans doesn't mind doing it, but after so many false alarms, the fire department stops responding to them.Which is too bad, since one night there is a real fire, destroying the house of one of Beans's best friends. Racked with guilt, Beans never confesses his part in the fire, but he does stop working for Johnny Cakes and turns his sights toward more positive work trying to assuage his guilt.

At the same time, the federal government has sent down some New Dealers to decide whether to simply evacuate Key West, or clean it up and turn it into a warm, sunny tourist attraction. As the transformation of Key West begins, and houses get painted, a playground gets built, and stray dogs are rounded up, Beans manages to find a way to help in the beautification of Key West rounding up his gang of friends to collect garbage and rake seaweed.

But perhaps Beans's real saving grace will be his uncanny ability to take care of babies, after all, he certainly has a way with them.

Jennifer Holm returns to depression-era Key West, Florida in this fun prequel to Turtle in Paradise. It's a place she is familiar with, since her family had lived there since the late 1800s. The story is told in the first person by Beans, who draws the reader right in the midst of the sights, sounds and smells of 1934 Key West.

I thought Beans was a wonderful character. He's got a great sense of humor, a deep sense of loyalty towards friends and family, and despite his brief foray into crime, he actually as a moral compass and conscience to go with it, and, amazingly, he never complains when he is asked to help out at home, no matter what is is asked to do.

I loved the historical references, the mention of movie stars and writers of the time - Ernest Hemingway is already a Key West resident, Robert Frost a visitor, and with money in his pocket, Beans escapes life for a little while at the local movie theater. As he tells readers, Shirley Temple is just beginning to make it big and he is sure she will be a star.

I thought it interesting that Holm mentions leprosy. Sitting in the dark theater at night, Beans notices a man who seems to vanish in thin air after each movie ends. It turns out that the man, named Murray, has leprosy, and can't go out during the day: "It's not safe...They'd send me to the leper hospital in Louisiana. Nobody ever comes back from that place." (pg 125) (as a middle grader, I had read a book called Miracle at Carville by Betty Martin. This is the hospital that Murray is referring to).

Since this novel is grounded in the real history of Key West during the Great Depression, Holm has included an extensive Author's Note, with a number of photographs, and there is even a list of Beans's Favorite Kid Actors and his friend's Pork Chop's Best Sayings.

All in all, Full of Beans is definitely full of fun.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to my by the publisher, Random House BFYR

Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Winner: Ghost (Book #1 of Track) by Jason Reynolds

Eight-grader Castle Cranshaw has called himself Ghost ever since the night three years ago that his father tried to shoot him and his mom. Hiding in the corner of his favorite store, the owner said they looked like two ghosts because of how scared they were. And that was also the night Ghost learned to run and he's really fast.

So it isn't surprising that when he comes across a group of students practicing track, he unofficially runs along with them. The team's coach knows natural talent when he sees it, and invites Ghost to join the team, the Defenders.

The next day there is an 'altercation' at school and Ghost is told to call his mother to pick him up. Suspended half a day for fighting, Ghost knows he can't call his mother at work, so he pulls out Coach Brody's card, says it's his uncle and calls him at work (Coach drives a cab when not coaching). Coach agrees to pick him up but under one condition - if Ghost messes up in school one time, he's off the team, a condition that Ghost's mom can accept as well.

It doesn't take long for Ghost to find that he really likes running track with the team, even as he finds it physically challenging, especially since he's running in a pair of old high tops instead of proper running shoes.

But he solves that problem when he steals a pair of expensive running shoes he has been trying on from a local store. Oh, yes, the 'altercations' in school haven't exactly stopped, either. And then, just before their first big race, Coach finds out about how Ghost acquired his fancy running shoes. Coach Brody may be a real hard-nose, but he holds on to Ghost, showing him the right way to run and, more importantly, the right way to live.

Told in the first person by Ghost, there is humor, drama and suspenseful anticipation in his story. But, there is also trauma. After his father chased him and his mom out of the house, and down the street in a drunken rage and with the intention of killing them, Ghost hasn't really stopped running - from his life and for his life. Bothered and bullied at school for living in the projects, for not being as nicely dressed as the other kids in his middle school, Ghost is accustomed to lashing out at those around him. But as he gets to know Coach Brody better, Ghost sees that there just might be a better way to handle all the scream inside him.

I think the use of running as a coming of age metaphor is brilliant. As Reynolds has said, that name Castle gives himself, Ghost, means running so fast no one can see you, which is just what Castle wants as the book begins. But, as he trains and turns into a more polished runner, readers also witness Ghost literally running from his old life and into a new one, one in which he does indeed want to be seen and recognized.

Ghost is the first book in Jason Reynolds' projected Track series and it is one of the best reading surprises I've had in a while.

An excellent Reading Guide for Ghost is available from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

2016 Cybils Finalists

The 2016 Cybils finalists were announced on January 1, 2017. Each year, the Cybils awards are given to books for children and teens in a number of different categories, all of which have been read and discussed by first and second round judges. You will find a list of all the finalists here.

Once again, I am a Middle-Grade Fiction round two judge and my reading assignment includes these finalists and I can't wait to begin:

Full of Beans 
Jennifer L. Holms
Random House BFYR

Ghost 
Jason Reynolds
Atheneum BFYR

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
Joseph Marshall
Amulet

Ms. Bixby's Last Day
John David Anderson
Walden Pond Press

Save Me a Seat
Sarah Weeks and
Gita Varadarajan
Scholastic

Slacker
Gordon Korman
Scholastic

Some Kind of Happiness
Claire Legrand
Simon & Schuster



The winners of the Cybils awards will be announced on February 14, 2017. My reviews of all these books will follow that announcement.

It's That Time of the Year Again - That's Right! It's CYBILS Time!

I am just so excited because tomorrow TODAY October 1, 2016, nominations open in a variety of categories for this very prestigious award.  Surely, among these categories there are books that left you with winning memories.  I know I can think of more than a few.  So head on over to the Cybils Nominations and let the fun begin!

Board Books
Fiction Picture Books
Easy Reader/Early Chapter Books

Middle Grade Fiction
Young Adult Fiction

Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Elementary and Juvenile Non-Fiction
Middle Grade/Young Adult Non-Fiction

Audiobooks
Graphic Novels
Poetry

Of course, there are a few simple rules for nominating your favorites books.  These are

1- You (and you can be anybody, even you) may nominate any book published in the contest year in
     English.  However, this does include bilingual books, as well;
2- The book must be published in the US or Canada.  It's just more aggravation and expense than we
     can stand to wheedle free copies from foreign publisher;
3- Only one book nomination per category.  Get your friends and co-workers in on the act if you can't      make up your mind;
4- Nominations open October 1 and close October 15;
5- Please see the frequently asked question for more eligibility information.

Once again, I am delighted to be a Cybils 2nd Round judge in the category of Middle Grade Fiction for the fourth year in a row and I am looking forward to reading some wonderful novels.

So, get your thinking caps on and revisit the past year to see what books you think are Cybils winner.

2015 MG Fiction #Cybils Award Winner: The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

It's 1665 and Christopher Rowe, 14, is a pretty lucky boy.  The former orphan from Cripplegate Orphanage was picked by apothecary Master Benedict Blackthorn to be his apprentice.  But he is learning how to do more than just make medicinals for the people of London, he's taught Latin and is also begin trained to easily solve puzzles, ciphers and codes.

Master Blackthorn is very pleased with Christopher's work, and has treated him very well.  And in fact, instead of beating him as most other apothecaries would, rather his esteem for Christopher is heightened when he learns that his apprentice is able to decoded the recipe for making gunpowder.  

But now, apothecaries all over London are turning up dead, gruesomely murdered, and Christopher fears for Master Benedict, especially when he is attacked on his way home one night.   Rumor has it that the killings are being done by a group called the Cult of the Archangel, but before Christopher can ask Master Benedict about it, the apothecary suddenly begins yelling at him about a mistake, hits Christopher across the face and sends him on a meaningless errand.  But when Christopher returns, he finds the apothecary shop ransacked, and his master dead.

Confused and crushed by Master Benedict's sudden change in behavior and subsequent death, Christopher finds himself without a home and apprenticeship, and facing a very uncertain future.  But after finding a coded message from his master in the shop's ledger book, the last line of which admonished Christopher to tell no one about it, he is determined to solve Master Benedict's murder, luckily, with the help of his only friend Tom,

One of my guilty pleasures has always been reading Medieval mysteries and this well researched debut novel ranks right up there with the best of them.  Not only that, but it is full of my other guilty pleasure - cryptology.   Mix together a personable, clever main character, a faithful and trustworthy best friend, plus realistic descriptions of London in the mid 1600s, and you have my ideal novel.

The main part of the mystery takes place over six day,s beginning on Thursday, May 28, 1665, Ascension Day to Tuesday, June 2, 1665, The Feast of St. Erasmus, the Protector.  These are an important 6 days, having to do with the restoration of the English monarchy.  The (fictional) Cult of the Archangel rejects the idea of the monarchy and wants the power of God Himself through alchemy and given the deaths of so many apothecaries, would stop at nothing to get it.   This is what Christopher and Tom are up against, and to make matter worse, Christopher is suspected of killing Master Benedict.

While I didn't think the historical part of the novel was explained satisfactorily as the could have been (I had to look up a few things), the codes were and I think any one who enjoys codes will really like that aspect of the novel. But the absolute best part of The Blackthorn Key was that it didn't rely of fantasy to create an gripping, skillfully written novel. (not that's there's anything wrong with speculative fiction, it's just so prevalent in Medieval stories, and realistic fiction is nice for a change).

This is a serious novel but not without some humor.  Tom has a bunch of sisters who seem to be quite taken with Christopher.   And Tom's mother is a Mollie Weasley-type in her kindness towards the orphan Christopher.  Tom's father, so quick to hit children, his own and Christopher, is a good example of how abusive adults were towards children, considering them more a property than human.  And the descriptions of London's streets is so vivid, you can practically smell the stench of garbage and human waste wafting up from the page.

The Blackthorn Key is a definite winner.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

Spotlight on the 2015 Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fiction

The 2015 Cybils awards were announced on February 14, 2016 (Valentine's Day so appropriate for book lovers) and I was honored to be a Second Round Judge in the category of Middle Grade Fiction for the third year.  First, let me thank the First Round Judges for all the hard work they had to do to come up with the five finalists.  I know it wasn't an easy task.

Next, I want to thank Karen Yingling (Ms.Yingling Reads) for being our fearless leader and organizing the Middle Grade Fiction readers once again.  And of course, a big thanks to my fellow judges for their insightful thoughts and the wonderful conversation/discussion we had while choosing the 2015 Middle Grade Cybils award: Greg Partridge (Always in the Middle), Gail Gauthier (Original Content, Jennifer Rosenberg, Youth Services Librarian, and Stacey Loscalzo (StaceyLoscalzo).  It was a pleasure being a part of this team.

The winner of the 2015 Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fiction is The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (my review is forthcoming):

Congratulations to the other 2015 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Finalists:

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bergman
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
Footer Davis is Probably Crazy by Susan Vaught
Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

I really enjoyed reading all the these finalist and will be posting reviews on them soon.

It's Cybils Award Time: On your marks, get set…get ready to Nominate!

Remember that middle grade book that made you sigh when you finished it because it was just so good and now you have to say good-bye until you re-read in the future?

Or how about that picture book that made you laugh out loud?

And that YA book that made you shake you head in agreement and think, yes, that is just how it is when you're a teen?

Or maybe you've gone tall crazy techno and have discovered how much fun using book apps can be?

Well, if you have a favorite in any of the 11 categories that make up the Cybils, now is your chance to…NOMINATE THEM FOR A CYBILS AWARD!

What are the 11 categories, you might ask?  They are

Fiction Picture Books
Early Reader/Early Chapter Books
Book Apps
Poetry
Graphics
Middle Grade Fiction
Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
YA Fiction
YA Speculative Fiction
YA Nonfiction

Of course, there are a few rules, but nothing too complicated:

1- You (and you can be anybody, even you) may nominate any book published in the contest year in
     English.  This includes bilingual books;

2- The book must be published in the US or Canada.  It's just more aggravation and expense than we
     can stand to wheedle free copies from foreign publishers;

3- Only one book nomination per category.  Get your friends and co-workers in on the act if you can't
    make up your mind;

4- Nominations open October 1st at 12:00 PST and close October 15th.

If you still have questions, you can check out the FAQs

Once again, I am so happy to be a part of the Cybils Awards.   It is the 10th Anniversary of the Cybils and it is my third year as a Round 2 Judge for Middle Grade Fiction.

Today's the day...

Have you read a powerful book this year that you think is an award winner?  If you have, then you are in luck, because...

today, October 1st, is the first day that nominations are open for the 2014 Children's and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards, affectionately known as the Cybils.  Anyone can nominate a book, but remember you only have until October 15th to do.

There are 10 categories open for nominations and they are

Young Adult Non-Fiction

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Young Adult Fiction

Poetry

Graphic Novels

Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Middle Grade Fiction

Easy Reader/Early Chapter Books

Book Apps

Of course, there are a few rules, but nothing too complicated:

1. You (and you can be anybody, even you) may nominate any book published in the contest year in English. This includes bilingual books;
2. The book must be published in the US or Canada. It’s just more aggravation and expense than we can stand to wheedle free copies from foreign publishers;
3. Only one book nomination per category. Get your friends and co-workers in on the act if you can’t make up your mind;
4. Nominations open Oct. 1 and close Oct. 15.

If you still have questions, you can check out the FAQs 

Best of all, I am so happy to once again be a Middle Grade Fiction 2nd Round Judge and I can't wait to see what I will be reading come January.

Ultra by David Carroll

For anyone who doesn't know yet, Ultra is the winner of the 2013 Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fiction.  I was a second round judge in this category and I have to admit that a book about running didn't appeal to me very much and I put off reading Ultra until it was the only one left to read.  And then, I couldn't put it down.  I was literally riveted and read the book in one sitting.

Told within the framework of a post race interview, Ultra tells the story of Quinn Scheurmann, 12, who has just competed a 100 mile race called the Shin Kicker 100, in which runners have 24 hours to complete a course that takes them through some pretty rough terrain.

Originally, Quinn and his dad were supposed to race together, but even though his dad isn't there, he decides to run the race anyway.  His dad had gotten Quinn interested in running when he was 8 years old and discovered that Quinn had "superpowers" that enabled him to keep running long distances without getting tried the way most runners eventually do.  Quinn's body doesn't produce lactic acid, the stuff responsible for the 'brun' you feel while exercising.

Quinn is running with the support of his mother, little brother Ollie, who is also Quinn's pacer, and best friend, Kneecap.  His friendship with Kneecap has really been tested the past few months before the race, as Quinn withdrew more and more into himself,  But she stuck by him anyway, even giving him her small, light cellphone at the beginning of the race, replacing his mother's old clunky weighty phone.

Along the race route, Quinn meets two people.  First is an elderly man called the Dirt Eater (his t-shirt says Eat My Dirt on the back of it), who advises Quinn to drop out of the race.  The other is a middle age lady cop named Kera, who tells him he is going to love running the 100 mile course.  Two very different people who ultimately impact Quinn's race.

But along the way, what goes on in Quinn's head is what will keep you reading.  Conversation with his absent dad, regrets about things done to hurt Kneecap, hallucinations of all kinds.

And as Quinn begins to wonder what he is running to or what he is running from, his real work, the work of healing, of coming of age, of coming to terms, unfold.  It all comes together at mile 97, when Quinn reaches The Shrine.  The Shrine is a pile of rocks containing a metal box that says:
For runners left behind,
And for those who give us courage, 
We give thanks at The Shrine.

That Quinn finishes the race is already known, but how it happens is well worth the journey with him.

A hand drawn map of Quinn's 100 Mile Race (courtesy of David Caroll)

I had never heard of a 100 mile race before I read Ultra, but David Carroll is an experienced ultra marathoner, so he definitely knows what he is talking about as far as the details of the race is concerned.  Yet, as prepared as Quinn was for his race, all kinds of unexpected things go wrong and Carroll has so carefully detailed these things that you know if either happened to him on a distance run or he witnessed it happening to a fellow runner.  Either way, it gives very realistic ambiance to the novel.

At the beginning of each chapter, we are told the mile that Quinn has reached so we never lose our sense of bearing in the story, as we track Quinn's progress.  The interview that frames the story breaks into Quinn's narrative intermittently, providing not just more information, but also some relief from what could become overwhelming emotionally.

Ultra is David Carroll's debut novel and he has done a wonderful job of it.  It is unfortunately not the easiest book to find for US readers.  It is published by Scholastic Canada, and sadly, Canadian books are not always as widely distributed in the United States as American books are in Canada, which means we miss out on a lot of good books.  However, you can order Ultra from Amazon.ca and I get nothing for posting this other than the satisfaction that someone may buy this really worthwhile Cybils winning middle grade book.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was provided to me by the Cybils award

Scholastic provides a useful discussion guide for reading Ultra in the classroom, homeschooling, or book group.

And if you are curious about lactic acid and how it makes Quinn a kid with "superpowers" you can find more information HERE

This is author David Carroll finishing a 100 mile race
wearing Quinn's number "Lucky 13"

CYBILS Nomination Countdown

There are just a few more days to nominate the books you think are great CYBILS contenders.  October 15, 2013 is the last day for nominations.

If you already have a book in mind, just head over to the CYBILS website, and click on the Nomination Form and add your choice.

Wondering if your favorite book has already been nominated or just curious to see what is there?  Here are the links to each of the 2013 Nominations by Genre

Book Apps

Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Fiction Picture Books

Graphics

Middle Grade Fiction

Elementary & Middle Grade Nonfiction

Young Adult Nonfiction

Poetry

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Hurry up, because 'like sand through the hourglass' your chance to nominate your favorite books will soon run out of time.

It's Cybils Nomination Time

Yes, it is that time of the year again - time to nominate your favorite books for a Cybils Award.  And it is so easy to do, too.

Just head over to the Cybils website, have a little look around, then click on the nomination form.  Easy as pie!

What's eligible?  Books published in Canada or the United States (luckily some of those great UK and Australian are also published here) between October 16, 2012 and October 15, 2013.

Nominations close on October 16, 2012, so hurry up.  You don't want your favorites left behind!

The 2013 Cybils Judges have been announced and guess who made the cut?

Yesterday was an exciting day in the world of Cybils.  All of the judges in the differenct catagories were announced and I am going to be a Round 2 judge of Middle Grade Fiction.  This is my first year as a Cybils judge and I am happy to be a part of this exciting event.  Here is rest of the Middle Grade Fiction panel of judges:

2013 Middle Grade Fiction Judges

First Round

Mark Buxton
http://buxtolicious.blogspot.com

Jennifer Donovan
http://books.5minutesformom.com
@5M4B

Heidi Grange
http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com
@GeoLibrarian

Deb Marshall
http://mylibrarynotebook.blogspot.ca/
@debamarshall

Jennifer Rumberger
www.jenniferrumberger.com
@j_rumberger

Julie Williams
http://readingbythepond.blogspot.com/
@JulieWilliams89

Karen Yingling
http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com
@msyingling

Second Round

Alex Baugh
http://randomlyreading.blogspot.com
@randomlyreading

Kathy Burnette
http://www.thebrainlair.com
@thebrainlair

Melissa Gaynor
http://sweetonbooks.com
@sweetonbooks

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin
http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com
@MGMafioso

Kyle Kimmal
http://theboyreader.blogspot.com@theboyreader

You can meet the rest of the judges in the different catagories HERE