In cased you missed it, the 2011 Cybils finalists have been named.
(What are Cybils? The acronym stands for children’s and young adult bloggers literary awards. Bloggers who specialize in children’s and young adult books have developed the Cybils awards to highlight some of the best books published in the previous year.)
The round one judging panel chose the following books for the Middle Grade-Young Adult Nonfiction category (links take you to my reviews):
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Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming is a must read biography sure to keep you glued to the pages until the very end. |
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Steve Sheinkin’s obvious passion for his topic is evident in The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery. His enthusiasm has paid off because the book won the 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature in the nonfiction category. |
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How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg and illustrated by Kevin O’Malley, is filled in the horrific details of the deaths of historical figures, exposing the facts that usually gets left out of most history books. |
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Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross and illustrated by Stephen Biesty is an ode to adventure and discovery that is full of unfolding cutaways and cross-section illustrations, sure to thrill visual and kinesthetic learners. |
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The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty is much more than a biography of George Washington, it is about literally rebuilding a person from historical information. |
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Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I by Ann Bausum not only a summarizes domestic events during World War I, but also shows how these events parallel those from 9/11. |
Now the round two judges will pick a single winner to be announced in February. Why don’t you pick them up and decide which one you think will win. All these books are definitely worth taking a look at, especially if you are interested in history.
See the Cybils 2011 Nonfiction tab above for my reviews of 38 of the 74 books that were nominated.
Which on do you think will win?