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Judging Book Awards

By on February 26, 2025   /   Articles  

I have always wondered how one gets chosen to judge book awards and which books are chosen for different book awards. From the time I was a child, I would see the shiny award circles on books or the list of the author’s acolades when learning about a book and I would ask myself, what made this book so special and who was it that decided this? While I am far from a Newberry judge, I did have the exciting opportunity this last year to join a panel of judges to decide the finalists for books in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category of the Cybils Awards.

What are the Cybils?

Cybils Logo

Children’s and Young Adult Book Lovers’ Literary Awards

 

 

 

The Cybils Awards started out with a group of bloggers in 2005 who wanted to recognize books that portray diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation for kids and teens. The ‘b’ in Cybils originally stood for bloggers. But we all know that the internet is ever changing and since 2005 we saw an explosion of popularity with social media. While there are still many popular blogs out there, the greater number of book reviewers online do not have blogs. They are just people with a social media account reading books and sharing their love for these books with their followers. Thus the ‘b’ changed from bloggers to book lovers. Consider the Cybils awards as something given by your friends. Those people that you trust to give you great book recommendations for your kids also get together and discuss the best books published in the last year to give out this award to outstanding books that we think you and your kids are absolutely going to love!

Who gets to nominate books for Cybils?

You do! Everyone and anyone can nominate a book. And Cybils has categories for every age and interest! Each individual who gets on to nominate can choose one book for each category to nominate. I’ve seen nominations from other book reviewers, like myself (yes, I nominated my favorite books). I’ve seen authors nominate books that they love. And most importantly, the average person, teacher, librarian, reader of any sort, can go to Cybils and nominate the books that they love! Sometime around the middle of September nominations open. This nomination period is only open for a couple of weeks so you’ll want to be sure to get on during that period. After general nominations close, there is a period where authors and publishers can also submit their own works for consideration if another reader did not do so during the general nominations. The criteria for which books can be nominated are pretty simple. It must be a book written in English (bilingual included), written in the last year (this is from Oct 16 of the previous year to Oct 15 of the current year), published in the U.S. or Canada, and be widely available. Independently published books can be submitted; they just need to meet the criteria. If you have more than 1 book that you loved then you can get your friends and family to nominate those books that you want to be sure to see included. The Cybils want to see anyone who loves books have the opportunity to see those favorite books submitted for consideration.

How are judges chosen?

Each category has 7 or 9 judges. It must always be an odd number to avoid ties when choosing finalists. These judges are your trusted book reviewers on social media, your online friends. People whose faces you have likely seen online sharing a love of children’s books. So when you wonder, well who gets to choose from the hundreds of books published each year those that are the cream of the crop to receive the award, you now have an answer for at least one of these awards. You can go and look up these judges, click on their social media accounts, and hear from them on a regular basis. There is sometimes some turnover in judges so each year the Cybils chairs put out a call for judges. There are two rounds of judges. Round 1 reads as many books as possible from their category to determine approximately seven finalists. Round 2 judges read those seven books and get to work together to judge the winners of the awards. Judges are expected to post regularly, at least twice a month, on their own social about children’s books. Chairs look for judges that not only share summaries about books, but also their postive and negative thoughts about these books. So if you love children’s literature and have a platform where you share about this love for kidslit, then you could apply to be a judge. If you don’t yet have a social media account where you do this, start one today. It really isn’t hard. Pick one platfrom to focus on at first, whether it be Instagram or YouTube or something else, then start posting about the books you love most and why. If you hope to be a judge I encourage you to reach out before the summer so that you can be involved in the summer discussions of books that may be nominated.

What criteria do judges use to determine if books become finalists?

High literary merit and kid appeal. One of the founders refers to books they like to see on Cybils as, “organic chicken nuggets, good for you but still tasty.” So while some book awards are only focused on the literary merit, those very important brussel sprouts with the critical healthy ingredients that all books should have to be considered, and other book awards just want to see kids loving the flavor of the gummy bears, Cybils awards books that are both delicious to consume yet also include those important nutrients for good growth and health. Cybils strives to spotlight books for marginalized/underserved communities. They seek positive representation in books for kids and teens. While they are always looking for diverse books, they aren’t just looking for something that meets a checkbox character who is just there as a side character for a bit of representation. I love how Verna Myers put it, “diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” Cybils is very open with what they use to determine which books get chosen. You can view their criteria online, including their lists of goals and guidelines for inclusitivity.

Healthy food that is also delicious

It is not just a popularity contest.

My experience as a judge.

I saw a call for judges on a Facebook group that I’m in. I was immediately excited about it. Me? The average person? I could be a judge? I don’t have some vast social media following, I wondered if I would be selected. But the application was not extensive so I filled it out and before too long I heard back. Sure enough, it was that easy. I initially requested to be on the panel judging realistic fiction for middle grade. Judges have the option to connect throughout the summer to discuss books that they think may show up as nominations. We would also discuss any other books that we were reading. It was during this time that my panel chair noticed that I also read a lot of middle grade speculative fiction and asked if I would be willing to switch to judging that category as they had a need for more judges there. Now, fantasy is my jam, but I had requested realistic fiction because not only do I enjoy reading it and was trying to read more outside my favorite genre. I also wondered if I might be too biased in judging books in my preferred category. But as mentioned before Cybils has extensive guidelines for how they judge books so I was able to take confidence that I would be able to judge each book fairly. I switched categories and studied up and learned more about how Cybils worked by reading all of their material and talking with other judges, including interviewing the upcoming Cybils chair on my podcast.

Cybils has a wonderful site exclusively for the judges where we can view the nominated books (anyone can also view nominated books as they are nominated on the Cybils main website as well), keep track of our readings, link our own reviews for those books, and create a shortlist of our preferred books to become finalists. Initially we try to read as many books as possible from the list of nominations in our category, including reviewing any nominated that we had read earlier in the year. Let me tell you that was a LOT of reading! Of course I read tons of middle grade books throughout the year because I have my YouTube channel where I recommend books for adults to share with the kids in their lives. I generally try to read at least five advance reader copies of books in different middle grade genres. And I’m also always reading books to prepare for podcast interviews with children’s book authors and other themed videos I create. But! This was a whole new level of reading! 102 books were nominated for consideration in the speculative fiction category for middle grade. 102 books to read in just 3 short months! While I wasn’t able to read all 102 books, I did read a lot of them.

Cybils requires that each nominted book be read by at least 2 judges. Many are read by 4-7 judges. As judges we were constantly adding and removing books from our own working shortlists. As November drew to a close our panel chair requested we begin shortening our shortlist to only 7 books. This was difficult and some of us may have included 10 books on our shorlist. Shhh. Throughout the process we were constanly discussing which books we were reading and why we were or were not including them on our shortlist. In December it was time for all seven of us judges to meet over Zoom and finalize which books would be the official seven finalists in our category. There was one book that was immediatly on this list. While I won’t share which book this was, I will share that it was easy to put on the list because it was the only book that every judge shortlisted and were absolutely sure we wanted to include. Then the hard work began. Which other six books would we include? There was extensive conversation about each book from each of our shortlists. We debated reasons each book merited a spot as a finalist and, truly, so many more than six books could have been given that honor. But in this situation we were only able to pass seven finalists to the next round of judges. Once we determined our seven books each of us seven judges wrote a blurb for one of these books. You can view these Cybils reviewer created blurbs of the finalitsts yourself on the Cybils site. I loved my involvement with Cybils and look forward to participating again. I encourage every reader of children’s books to watch for the call for nominations to come out this September so that you can be a part of choosing the best books in children’s literature.

What books were winners this year?

Board Book Who Laid These Eggs?Board Books – Who Laid These Eggs?: A Lift-the-Flap Book (An Animal Traces Book)

by Gehl, Laura, illustrated by Lora, Loris
Published: Harry N Abrams

 

 

I am a Masterpiece book cover Fiction Picture Books – I am a Masterpiece!

by Mia Armstrong; Illustrated by Alexandra Thompson
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

My Antartica book coverElementary Non-Fiction – My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More

by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin
Publisher: Candlewick Press

 

The Misfits book coverElementary/Middle Grade Fiction – A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits)

by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

 

 

Pearl Graphic Novel CoverElementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel – Pearl: A Graphic Novel

by Sherri L. Smith, illustrated by Christine Norrie
Publisher: GRAPHIX

 

 

Impossible Creatures CoverElementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction – Impossible Creatures

by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

 

 

Why We Need Vaccines CoverMiddle Grade Non-Fiction – Why We Need Vaccines: How Humans Beat Infectious Diseases

by: Rowena Rae and Paige Stampatori
Publisher: Orca Books

 

 

American Wings CoverHigh School Non-Fiction – American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

by: Smith, Sherri L. and Wein, Elizabeth
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

Black Girl You Are Atlas CoverPoetry Collections – Black Girl You Are Atlas

by: Renée Watson,  illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Publisher: Kokila

 

 

Kareem Between book coverPoetry Novel in Verse – Kareem Between

by: Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

Everything We Never Had book coverYoung Adult Fiction – Everything We Never Had

by: Randy Ribay
Publisher: Kokila

 

 

Brownstone book coverYoung Adult Graphic Novel – Brownstone

by: Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia
Publisher: Versify

 

 

Hearts Still Beating book coverYoung Adult Speculative Fiction – Hearts Still Beating

by: Brooke Archer
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Radio/UV Waves and Applied Physics — Author Interview

By on February 25, 2025   /   Applied Physicis, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Suzanne Slade, author of Unlocking the Universe: The Cosmic Discoveries of the Webb Space Telescope. Unlocking the Universe transports readers to NASA for an up close look at how the James Webb Space Telescope was designed, built, tested, and deployed. The behind the scenes photographs and wonderous space images will leave you agape in wonder!

Unlocking the Universe has been named:

  • Junior Library Guild Selection
  • NSTA 2025 Best STEM Book
  • New York Public Library Best Books for Kids

Plus, you can watch a goose-bump inducing book trailer here.

And now, let’s launch into the interview!

Emily Starr: I’ll start with the obvious. The Webb images are breathtaking! What was your involvement in choosing which images to include?

Ring Nebula

Ring Nebula

Suzanne Slade: I started writing this book before Webb had released any space images, so it was super exciting when its first image, a gorgeous galaxy cluster, was unveiled on July 11, 2022. After that, I waited with bated breath for each new spectacular image.

I wanted the book to share a variety of Webb space images, such as nebulas, galaxies, dying stars, nurseries where stars were being born, and more. For example, this image of the Ring Nebula (left) revealed new details of a dying star at the center that gives us a glimpse of what could happen to our Sun. (But nobody panic. The Sun has billions of years left!)

To be honest, there were so many gorgeous images that it was excruciating to decide which ones would make the cut. Near the end of the project, we did manage to squeak in some extra ones on the cover montage, in the back matter pages, and in the end sheets.

Emily Starr: This month, the blog is helping readers explore radio/UV waves and applied physics. Physics concepts can sometimes seem difficult and complicated to children (and some adults!) – like the electromagnetic spectrum. What are your considerations when thinking about how to make advanced science easy for kids to understand?

Suzanne Slade: There are many things to consider when writing about complex science topics for children. Here are a few I implemented in this book.

James Webb Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

Near the beginning of the book some basic science/space terms are defined within the text, such as “nebula” and “exoplanet,” to help readers ramp up on the topic.

Sidebars with colorful infographics helped explain more complicated topics (like the electromagnetic spectrum.)

As we know, a picture is worth a thousand words. So we made the decision to use photos, instead of illustrations, for the entire book. As I poured through hundreds of potential photos to show readers how the Webb telescope was designed and built, I carefully selected interesting ones that would draw the reader in.

Two page spread showing the Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror

Two page spread showing the Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror

I also looked for photos which shared bits of information not covered in the text. For example, the book explains how Webb’s large primary mirror, which collects distant light in space, is made up of 18 hexagonal shaped gold panels. The photos in the spread at the left show how the panels are assembled into the primary mirror plus more, such as the size of the mirror relative to the workers, the precise way the panels fit together, how the workers and many components were protected from dust contamination, etc.

Emily Starr: Small blocks of layered text also make the book very accessible to younger readers. How did that format come about?

Suzanne Slade: The design layout, which includes the layered text you mention, was a collaborative effort between myself, the editor, and the spectacularly creative book designer. We tried a few different ideas before arriving at the book’s final design. One fun aspect about creating this book, which is not common in most book projects, was that I was able to meet with the editor and book designer in person can discuss the layout. Fortunately, I live north of Boston part-time, and the publisher, Charlesbridge, is located in Watertown near Boston.

Emily Starr: What was your process for contacting experts and conducting interviews at NASA? Was the agency receptive and helpful?

Suzanne Slade: It can be challenging to know who to contact at NASA or other agencies when working on science books, and these smart experts are very busy people. As luck would have it, one of my high school acquaintances, Dr. Jonathan Gardner, is the Deputy Senior Project Scientist for the JWST. I reached out to him, and he kindly agreed to answer questions and vet the manuscript, which was extremely helpful. I had worked with a NASA engineer, Sandra Irish, on a previous project. She was enthused about this book topic and happy to share her expertise. There are also great online interviews which were helpful as well.

Emily Starr:  The JWST was such a long and complicated project that I’m sure you sifted through piles of research. How did you decide what details to include in the book?

Suzanne Slade: I could write volumes about research and the difficult process of deciding which information to include in a book and what seems best to leave out. The short answer is: I try to include some content that readers can easily understand or may already be familiar with, along with new information that will expand their understanding of the topic and hopefully inspire them to want to learn even more. I prioritize facts and random information nuggets I feel young readers will find fascinating.

Orion Bar

Orion Bar

Emily Starr: As an educator who teaches students to expect and even celebrate failures, I appreciated the section about testing and setbacks. Why was it important to you to include those details?

Suzanne Slade: I’m a mechanical engineer who used to work on rockets and car braking systems, so I understand a big part of engineering and science is trial and error, or mistakes and re-designing. I think it’s important for readers to understand that progress in science is built on failures. As a storyteller, I also know that a happy ending is more satisfying when the journey to get there was filled with challenges that needed to be overcome.

Emily Starr: Many of your books delve into interesting space-related topics. What do you hope readers understand about space by reading your work?

Suzanne Slade: Basically I hope they catch a glimpse of the enormity of space, and the many mysteries and unanswered questions about our cosmos we have yet to understand. I’d also be pleased if my books inspire readers to pursue their dreams of a career in a space related field, such as a researcher, teacher, engineer, explorer, or citizen scientist.

Emily Starr:  Are you working on other space-related projects in the near future? (Actually, we would be happy to learn about any of your upcoming projects!)

Suzanne Slade: In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, I wrote Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon and Daring Dozen. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the many talented women who made the Apollo missions possible. So I wrote a book about the sharp, dedicated women who helped engineer, stitch, design, plan, and execute the Apollo moon missions. Of course, thousands of women worked on those missions, so it was difficult to decide how many women to feature. In the end, I decided to share the stories of twelve women to mirror the twelve men who’ve walked on the moon so far. This exciting book, titled Women on a Mission, releases in October 2025. I can’t wait!

 

Sibert Honor author Suzanne Slade has written more than 150 children’s books. As a mechanical engineer who worked on rockets, many of her titles are about space and women in STEM. Some recent titles include The Universe and You, Mars Is: Stark Slopes, Silvery Snow, and Startling Surprises, June Almeida, Virus Detective!, The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus, and A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon (NSTA Best STEM Book). Her title, Astronaut Annie, soared to the ISS and was read by astronaut Anne McClain for Story Time From Space.

 

 

Emily Starr

As a former fourth grade teacher and founder of StarrMatica, a STEM publishing company, Emily Starr has developed award-winning K-5 science curriculum and professional learning materials for 20 years. She is a member of the Iowa State Science Leadership Team, a peer reviewer for the National Science Teaching Association’s journal Science and Children, and a frequent presenter at state and national education conferences. Her debut middle grade nonfiction book will be released in 2025 from the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation.

 

 

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From the Classroom: Using Graphic Novels to Explore Transitions

By on February 24, 2025   /   Articles, From the Classroom  

Let’s face it – students in the middle grades face lots of transitions. These can be moment-to-moment transitions (i.e. we’re best friends and five minutes later we aren’t), place-to-place (i.e. moving or starting a new school), and body-to-body (i.e. what is puberty doing to my body?!). Authors Rene Rodriguez-Astacio and David Low recommend using Superhero Graphic Novels to help students navigate these transitions as the graphic novel medium, with spaces between panels, force middle grade readers to fill in the gaps which can contribute to them doing the same in their transitioning lives.  And superheroes, in particular, are super popular with this age group!  Below are some superhero graphic novel titles, how they can support middle grade readers with all the transitions they face, and how teachers might consider using them in the classroom.

Spider-Man

cover of Miles Morales Shock Waves graphic novel with miles morales running in center of the cover.

In Miles Morales Shockwaves, Miles Morales, a biracial middle grader, helps raise funds for Puerto Rico to support his mother’s lost family home after an earthquake. He organizes a block party sponsored by Harrison Snow, CEO of Serval Industries. Miles (as Spider-man) is led to uncover a conspiracy when it is revealed that Snow is providing financial support to Puerto Rico to excavate valuable crystals unearthed after the earthquake. Rodriguez-Astacio and Low recommend that teachers provide some background on the relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, especially in light of the 2020 earthquakes and the 2022 devastating hurricane. This graphic novel explores the various transitions associated with identity, place, and family, something middle schoolers may be facing.

Ms. Marvel

Cover of Ms. Marvel, Stretched Thin with Ms. Marvel running away from a helmeted villain.

Ms. Marvel’s super power is her ability to contort her body, but in Ms. Marvel – Stretched Thin, Kamala Kahn wakes up with big feet and a lack of control on how to fix them. This funny image is a great metaphor for the awkwardness of puberty and the various ways middle schoolers often don’t have control over their bodies. All the various ways Kamala’s body contorts throughout the book relates to the coming-of-age themes in the book and middle schoolers accepting new responsibilities, often with great struggle. Ms. Marvel can relate as even though she may do one thing well, her inability to excel in every aspect of her life leads her to feel like a failure. Kamala feels like she is stretched “too thin” when trying to be successful at everything and she is also literally stretched thin! Teachers can use graphic novels like Ms. Marvel (or the Hulk or the X-men) to examine the literal and metaphorical representations of body change and how gender, race, class, and power create different contexts with which transitions occur and are interpreted.

Finally, Rodriguez-Astacio and Low remind us that graphic novels should be seen as more than “transition books” for reluctant or resistant readers. Graphic novels are great for interpreting deep issues and themes. In the comments below, share what types of books you use to help with all the transitions your middle grade readers face on a daily basis!

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