A biography of Mark Twain, a graphic novel, and a realistic portrait of abuse are among the winners of the 2010 Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils), an annual honor given to books that combine literary merit with kid appeal.
Started five years ago by kidlit bloggers Anne Levy and Kelly Herold, close to 100 bloggers now take part in the Cybils—and this year they judged more than 1,285 nominations in 12 categories. Winning titles, which must have been published between October 16, 2009 and October 15, 2010, receive a gold nib fountain pen as well as Cybils award stickers to affix to their book covers.
Here's a list of the 2010 winners
Elementary and Middle Grade: Fiction Picture Book
Interrupting Chicken (Candlewick, 2010) by David Ezra Stein As Papa rooster shares bedtime fairy tales with his daughter, Little Red Chicken can't help but jump into each story to warn Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and others about impending danger.
Nonfiction Picture Book
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) (Scholastic, 2010) by Barbara Kerley In pursuit of truth, Susy Clemens, 13, vows to set the record straight about her beloved (and misunderstood) father and becomes his secret biographer. The child's journal entries, reproduced in flowing handwritten, smaller folio inserts, add a dynamic pacing to the narrative, which includes little-known facts about Twain's work.
Easy Readers
We Are in a Book! (Hyperion, 2010) by Mo Willems Best buddies, Piggie and Elephant star in a witty metafictional romp replete with visual gags, such as Piggie hanging from a speech bubble and Elephant blocking the author's name on the title page.
Short Chapter Book
Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (Whitman, 2010) by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Miguel Benitez Freddie Ramos finds a box with a pair of shoes that give him super powers (better known as "zapato power").
Poetry
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (Dutton, 2010) by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josée Massee The poems, based on a collection of beloved fairy tales, are read in two ways: up and down. They are reverse images of themselves and work equally well in both directions.
Graphic Novels
Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities (Amulet, 2010) by Jason Shiga Jimmy must decide if he wants chocolate or vanilla ice cream. That's the first choice readers face in order to determine the fate of the world in this "Choose Your Own Adventure" style graphic novel.
Fantasy & Science Fiction
The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere Series)(Dial, 2010) by Jacqueline West Olive Dunwoody and her mathematically-minded parents move into an old Victorian home, complete with the deceased owner's furnishings. Olive first notices that something is wrong when she can't take the paintings off the wall. She sees things moving in them. Then, while rummaging through some drawers, she finds a pair of glasses and tries them on. Olive can now enter the paintings and talk to the people in them.
Middle Grade Fiction
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda(Abrams/Amulet, 2010) by Tom Angleberger Ultra-nerd Dwight wears a small puppet on his finger. Is Origami Yoda truly an oracle? In order to find out, Tommy decides to compile scientific evidence from the experiences of those who asked Origami Yoda for help.
Young AdultNon-fiction
The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing (Houghton Harcourt, 2009) by Suzanne Jurmain This is the story of Walter Reed and his team of U.S. Army doctors who went to Cuba in 1900 to study yellow fever and determine how it was spread. It was important in light of the United States's involvement in a war with Spain for Cuba's freedom and for future developments in South America
Graphic Novels
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty (Lee & Low, 2010) by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke
In 1994, an incident of Southside Chicago gang-related violence captured national headlines. Eleven-year-old Robert "Yummy" Sandifer shot and killed his 14-year-old neighbor Shavon Dean. Neri's retelling is based on public records, as well as personal and media accounts from the period.
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Rot & Ruin (S & S, 2010) by Jonathan Maberry Benny Imura was a baby when the zombie apocalypse happened. His first memory is of his mother handing him to his older half brother, Tom, as she's being dragged down by his zombie-fied father. He resents Tom for leaving his mother, for running away. To Benny, Tom is a coward. To everyone else in their fenced-in town, Tom is the toughest, bravest zombie killer in California.
Young Adult Fiction
Split (Knopf/Borzoi, 2010) by Swati Avasthi After Jace Witherspoon is kicked out by his abusive father, he seeks refuge in Albuquerque with his older brother, whom he hasn't seen in six years. Their mother, also a victim of her husband's abuse, promises to leave him and join her children on Thanksgiving. Jace counts down the days while trying to start a new life and rebuild his relationship with Christian, but he's haunted by a terrible secret and the people he left behind.
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