I tell you, I can’t think of anything better right now than immersing myself in the world of picture books. I’ve been entertained to laughter, amazed by remarkable illustrations, and touched by the emotion expressed in some others, especially those that, though fictional accounts, base their stories on real life people and experiences. This week,…
Category Archives: ages 9 – 12
Dudes with ‘Tudes in Cybils Middle Grade Fiction
As parents, we have to be careful about what our kids are ingesting in the media and even in print. However, most of us want our kids to read, and that involves letting them read what they like. Here are some Cybils Middle Fiction nominees that feature some dudes with attitudes. They don’t like school,…
The Son of Neptune
Rick Riordan wrote The Lightning Thief for his son, and the 5 books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (linked to my review) gave Riordan a firm foothold in the YA scene. The first series focused on Percy and his Greek demigod friends as they fought the Titan Kronos and prevented him from…
Children’s Fiction that Explores Fitting In
Fitting in is a common theme in children’s lit: moving to a new town, moving up to middle school, or experiencing personal changes that make it more difficult to fit in with others are storylines that are common because many kids can relate to them. Each of these Cybils Middle Grade fiction nominees present this…
Short and Meaty Cybils’ Fiction for Kids
While we often tell kids not to judge a book by the cover, we all do, don’t we? I also judge a book by its spine. When I see one of those thin spines, barely pushing an inch, probably less than 180 pages, I automatically assume it’s strictly kid stuff. Boy, have I been proven…
Choose Your Own Path: Call of the Wild
Oh how I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure novels when I was in school. For an avid reader like me, to be able to page through a slim volume time and time again and come up with a different story each time was pretty cool. With that in mind, I was excited to hear…
On Reading: “KidLit, Take Me Away!”
Reading is a wonderful escape for me. If there is stress or strife or uncertainty, books are undemanding, accepting, certain escapes into fantasy. But sometimes reading fiction for adults reminds me a bit too much of the real world. A strained marriage might be a little too close for comfort if my husband and I…
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances
I was first introduced to Alvin Ho when I was reading for the Cybils last year. I loved his humor and vulnerability and the appeal to younger middle-grade readers (Read my review of that book, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Parties, and other Man-Made Catastrophes). I thought that this particular hero would be…
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Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor
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