Cybils 2019
I’m thrilled to be a panelist for the Cybils Awards again this year. I love the Cybils because the award recognizes books that demonstrate both literary merit as well as teen appeal. You can read more about the award here.
This is my ninth year running as a participant in the Cybils! This will be my seventh year serving in the Young Adult Speculative Fiction category and my fifth as a Round 1 panelist. As a part of Round 1, along with my fellow panelists, I’m responsible for reading as many nominated books as possible and choosing a shortlist of up to seven titles. I’d really like to read some excellent books, which means I need your help: please nominate! Nominations opened yesterday, October 1. Any speculative fiction book published for young adults between October 16, 2018 and October 15, 2019 is eligible. Unsure what counts as speculative fiction? Here’s the category description. Each person can nominate one book per category.
The following is a list of books I suggest for nomination. These are either books I’ve already read and liked or books that are noteworthy in some way (critical acclaim, lots of teen appeal, under the radar gems, etc.). None of them had been nominated by the time I scheduled this post, but be sure to check the most current list of nominations before you nominate.
His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Lovely War by Julie Berry
Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron
The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Caster by Elsie Chapman
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton
Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Rise by Ellen Goodlett
The Waning Age by S. E. Grove
The Afterward by E. K. Johnston
Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich
Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Red Skies Falling by Alex London
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer
Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black by Marcus Sedgwick
Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells
Avatar, the Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
