The Kidlitosphere, Part 1: Cybils

The Kidlitosphere, Part 1: Cybils
 
If you’ve spent any time writing or commenting on blogs, you may know the thrill of connecting with people you’ve never met in person, whose real names you may not even know, but who magically share your interests: who've read that book or seen that obscure movie that you thought nobody else had ever heard of, or who just love the same stuff you love. For people who love kids’ books, that sense of shared excitement has led to an informal network of blogs, affectionately nicknamed “the Kidlitosphere,” which has grown, amoeba-like, in the past few years. Members of the kidlitosphere include librarians, academics, writers, booksellers, homeschoolers, and many others whose expertise about childrens’ books springs not from professional affiliation but from lifelong personal passion.

For those of us who are part of it, the kidlitosphere has become a valuable resource for reviews, recommendations, booklists, and author interviews. Meetups have been arranged, blogging friendships have blossomed, and this fall even saw the first-ever Kidlitosphere Conference. As authors and publishers have become aware of this medium, the kidlitosphere has become an avenue of publicity for new books, which has helped several new titles get noticed and also led to some lively blog debates about the ethics of reviewing.

Many kids’ book people—including me—first became aware of this vast network of like-minded souls about a year ago, when the first ever Cybils made their debut. CYBIL stands for “Children’s and YA [Young Adult] Bloggers’ Literary Awards” This new book prize was the brainchild of Kelly Herold, who writes the comprehensive kids’ book information blog Big A, little a, and Anne Boles Levy, whose picture-book review blog, Book Buds, was the first one I ever read. These two intrepid bloggers rounded up a gallant crew of volunteers who narrowed down down the wealth of nominated titles to a list of five finalists in each category. A panel of judges then awarded the coveted Cybils medal to titles in several genres, including Middle-Grade Reader, Picture Book, Nonfiction, and Graphic Novels. The finalist lists were made available in printable form, and the final winners--and the awards in general--made a big splash.

And now they're doing it again: nominations are now open for the 2^nd Annual Cybils. If anything, even more energy and talent is going into the awards this year. Over ninety bloggers have volunteered to serve as panelists and judges, and this year awards are being given out in eight different categories. 

If you’re interested in kids’ books and want to see what’s new out there, it’s well worth looking through the Cybils nominee lists in your favorite categories. Nominations will be open through November 21^st. Though you have to have a kidlit-related blog to volunteer, anyone can nominate a favorite book through the Cybils home page. So if you’ve read a children’s book lately that you’ve loved, you might consider nominating it in the appropriate category. Just check out the nominating guidelines in the right-hand sidebar, and remember that all nominees must be copyrighted 2007!

Next week: an exciting project that will see snow falling on dozens of kidlit blogs this month.

 

October 22, 2007

Comments

[Anne]

Wow, thanks so much for such a wonderful write-up about Cybils (and, ahem, moi). You really captured the fun we're having over there.

[Little Willow]

Congrats and kudos on your blogs. Thanks for mentioning the Cybils and the snowflakes!