Cybil Challenge

The last of the Cybil fiction picture books

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction /

TW will be happy to hear that I’ve gone through the whole Cybil short list of fiction picture books. For some reason it really troubles her that I read these. Shrug.

My favorites of this last batch were Wabi Sabi and Katie Loves the Kittens. Wabi Sabi’s collages, haiku, and Japanese made it interesting. I’m not sure a picture book age child would love it, but I sure did. Katie Loves the Kittens was just amusing, poor kittens – poor dog.

Didn’t like A Visitor for Bear at all, boring (and I feel like I’ve already read it) and Sea Serpent and Me just made me nervous. I’ve never had a child afraid of the water in the bathtub or the drain but I’ve heard horror stories – who in their right mind would read this book to a pre-schooler?

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Some more Cybils

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult /

First, graphic novel Emiko Superstar, by the author of Skim. Loved Emiko, more than I loved Skim. I’m looking forward to Liz reading it. I think she’ll like it. Also hoping there’s an Emiko sequel.

Next, On the Farm, listed in the Cybils under poetry. Errr, well yea it is, I guess. Mostly I really liked the woodcuts and ink (TW did not like them at ALL – she said the animals were creepy.)

After that, How to Heal a Broken Wing – didn’t expect to love it. Loved it. Great story. Great drawings. But, if I had a small child I would be worried that my small child would find it perfectly acceptable to pick up a dead (or injured) pigeon and eww. no. those things are dirty!

Last, but not least, a book I loved and hated. More than Friends, a YA poetry anthology written by a man and a woman, from his perspective and hers. Really interesting and pretty stereotypical – which was what I both loved and hated about it. I can’t decide if my teen girls (or young adult girls) should read it or if I should hope they never see it.

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Savvy

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I think Savvy was maybe mis-categorized in The Cybils. I think it should have simply been a middle grade fiction book because then it might have had a chance to win. Or, probably not but I’d like to think it would.

The writing isn’t exceptional. A good bit of gratuitous use of silly words and descriptors but I get why it’s written that way. It’s a fantastic story. Really excellent. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we all got our “savvy” at 13?

I love, love, love Mibs’ “savvy” (but I do NOT want to have that “savvy” for myself. I’d never be able to spend time with my big kids!) Brilliant. I don’t think there are many children’s authors who’d have taken that direction.

I think Liz will love this one, if I can convince her to read it.

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Jellicoe Road

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

Another good Cybil YA book, Jellicoe Road but there are a couple of problems with it.

First, it’s Australian. And while I like Australian books, the more modern of them can be difficult to wrap my head around. The characters confuse me – they some times seem American and other times seem European and I need them to seem Australian, whatever that means.

Second, it’s a YA problem book, which is enough to make you crazy. And the damn problems are all related to just how stupid adults can be when it comes to raising children.

OK another problem, the confusion of the characters makes for confusion in the book which causes confusion for the reader.

Once I settled into the confusion, got my bearings a little bit – I liked the story, though it was a wee bit predictable. I liked all of the characters from the beginning – except maybe the original five (which makes sense because they are the adults who screwed up the main characters in the story…)

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2 more Cybils

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult /

I finished Duel! a few days ago but didn’t feel like blogging it by itself. It’s ok but boring. In fact, I cannot figure out how you can make a duel between Burr and Hamilton boring – but after reading this… well it’s possible. Yes indeedy.

And then there was graphic novel Three Shadows. Oy. Liz read this and she really liked it. I had high hopes. And then I read it and OY! She liked this? I mean I get why a 10 year old would like a story about a father who turns into a Golem but… man… this thing was deep. And depressing. And drawn in dark dark colors, not pretty at all. And not really a happy ending, in the sense that 10 year olds generally understand happy endings.

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Every Soul a Star

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Feminism, Fiction, Young Adult /

The best thing about good YA and middle grade fiction (and yes I cringe every time I type middle grade) is that it’s so darn easy to read while you are in the middle of work life crazyness.

It took me quite a bit longer to finish Every Soul a Star than it should have because of that work life crazyness, but it was good to collapse into bed or escape to the back of the house for a five minute break with this book.

Nice story. Good adult characters and kid characters. Quick, easy read and I am left wondering how they all managed once they left the campground. A sequel? Eclipse chasing somewhere else, maybe? Nah, probably not.

Good Cybils choice – not sure which book won in this category, probably not this one.

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The Magic Thief

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I sure didn’t expect to finish The Magic Thief last night. The first 10 pages were pretty slow. The next 20 pages weren’t much more of a draw.

But, before I knew it, I only had 50 pages to go. Weird.

It’s not a compelling, page turner type of book. It’s a nice story with likable enough characters, and also hatable enough characters. It’s a super easy read. And quick, obviously since I picked it up late in the evening and finished it at 11pm.

Looking at the Cybils competition here – The Graveyard Book, it’s not better than that but kids may like it more because it’s an easier read. The Cabinet of Wonders, nope it’s not better than that either but again, it’s an easier read.

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The last of the Cybils Easy Readers

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge /

I just read the last of the easy readers from the Cybils finalist list and while I liked Maybelle Goes to Tea  a lot and thought Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig was amusing in a dumb sort of way, I loved, loved, loved I Will Surprise My Friend!. I laughed all of the way through it.

I’m thrilled that Mo Willems won but I think he should have won for I Will Surprise My Friend instead of I Love My New Toy.
















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Rapunzel’s Revenge

3 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

Of all the graphic novels on the Cybils list, I was most interested in Rapunzel’s Revenge. I almost put off reading it ’til last because I was afraid it would interfere with my reading of the others. I was so sure it was going to be the BEST – and apparently I was right about that since it did win the Cybil.

Rapunzel’s Revenge is a great book. It’s wonderfully drawn. It has fantastic characters. It’s just “tense” enough for young kids to read without being too scared but “tough” enough for older kids to not be bored.

If all graphic novels were like this one, I’d be a total convert to the genre. And by the way, Liz loved it too.

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I Know It’s Over

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Queer, Young Adult /

I think I need to take a break from the Cybil YA books, they’re all going to pale in comparison to Disreputable History etc… Take I Know It’s Over, for example.

Damn good YA relationship book. No pulled punches on the abortion issue and a fairly good job with the gay issue. But, I was bored and I think it’s because I kept thinking “it’s nowhere near as good as Disreputable History….” I bet if I head read it before Disreputable History… I’d be raving about how good this book was.

But I’m not.

So no more Cybils YA for me for awhile. Middle grade fiction and graphic novels, here I come!

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