Happy New Year, CYBILS finalists!

I mean to say, 'Happy New Year to all!' However, I would like to take a moment between football and rousing family games of Bananagrams to congratulate the finalists for the 2010 CYBILS. Check them out here. Since I'm honored to be one of the judges for the Middle Grade Fiction category, here's a special nod to the 7 MG finalists. Now, get your reading on!

Impressive List of 2010 CYBILS MG Fiction Nominees. Finalists TBA Tomorrow!

A Million Shades of Gray

by Cynthia Kadohata
Atheneum

Nominated by: Aline Pereira
Reviewed by: Sherry



A Place for Delta

by Melissa Walker
Whale Tale Press

Nominated by: Katy F.



Abigail Iris: The Pet Project

by Lisa Glatt
Walker Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Jennifer Wharton



Alchemy and Meggy Swann

by Karen Cushman
Clarion Books

Nominated by: Kirby Larson
Reviewed by: Sandra



Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophes

by Lenore Look
Schwartz and Wade Books

Nominated by: Becky



Anna Mei, Cartoon Girl

by Carol A. Grund
Pauline Books & Media

Nominated by: Cassie Veselovsky



Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray

by Nick Bruel
Square Fish

Nominated by: Kara Dean



Because of Mr. Terupt

by Rob Buyea
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: David Richardson
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | TheBoyReader



Belly Up

by Stuart Gibbs
Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Jennifer Rembold
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sandra



Betti on the High Wire

by Lisa Railsback
Dial

Nominated by: Mary Ellen Thompson
Reviewed by: Everead | Melissa | Sherry



Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

by Lincoln Peirce
HarperCollins

Nominated by: Terry Doherty
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Sandra



Blessing's Bead (Melanie Kroupa Books)

by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Nominated by: Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Reviewed by: CherylV | Sandra



Bobby The Brave (Sometimes)

by Lisa Yee
Arthur A Levine

Nominated by: Doret
Reviewed by: karen_kidsmomo



Bogus (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series)

by Karla Oceanak
Bailiwick

Nominated by: Beth Knees



Boys without Names

by Kashmira Sheth
Balzer + Bray

Nominated by: Rupa Valdez
Reviewed by: Sandra



Buddy Zooka: In the French Quarter and Beyond

by Tracey Tangerine
Broken Levee Books

Nominated by: Jessica Sattell



Camp X: Trouble in Paradise

by Eric Walters
Puffin Canada

Nominated by: Justin Stoller



Classic Starts: Great Expectations (Classic Starts Series)

by Charles Dickens
Sterling Publishing

Nominated by: Derry Wilkens
Reviewed by: Sandra



Classic Starts: Moby-Dick (Classic Starts Series)

by Herman Melville
Sterling Publishing

Nominated by: Katie Connors
Reviewed by: Sandra



Clementine, Friend of the Week

by Sara Pennypacker
Hyperion

Nominated by: Angie
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sherry



Closed for the Season

by Mary Downing Hahn
Sandpiper

Nominated by: Pink Me
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



Countdown

by Deborah Wiles
Scholastic

Nominated by: Anne Marie Pace
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sherry



Crunch

by Leslie Connor
Katherine Tegen Books

Nominated by: Deena Lipomi
Reviewed by: CherylV | Everead | Melissa | Sherry



Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool

by Odo Hirsch
Kane/Miller Book Pub

Nominated by: Charlotte
Reviewed by: Melissa



Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom

by Susin Nielsen
Tundra

Nominated by: Sandra Stiles
Reviewed by: Sandra



Departure Time

by Truus Matti
namelos

Nominated by: Sheila Ruth



Dream of Night

by Heather Henson
Atheneum

Nominated by: Christina Miller
Reviewed by: Everead | Sandra



Edgar Allan's Official Crime Investigation Notebook

by Mary Amato
Holiday House

Nominated by: Kathleen Morandini



Elite Ambition (Canterwood Crest)

by Jessica Burkhart
Aladdin

Nominated by: jennifer (yabooknerd)



Ellie McDoodle: Best Friends Fur-Ever

by Ruth McNally Barshaw
Bloomsbury USA

Nominated by: Charlie Barshaw



Emily's Fortune

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Sherry Early
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sherry



Emma's River

by Alison Hart
Peachtree

Nominated by: Lesley



Fairview Felines

by Michele Corriel
Blooming Tree Press

Nominated by: Kari Olson



Finally

by Wendy Mass
Scholastic

Nominated by: Kelly Jensen
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Everead | Melissa | Sherry



Finding Family

by Tonya Bolden
Bloomsbury USA

Nominated by: Edi



Finn Reeder, Flu Fighter: How I Survived a Worldwide Pandemic, the School Bully, and the Craziest Game of Dodge Ball Ever

by Eric Stevens
Stone Arch Books

Nominated by: Liz Rouse
Reviewed by: Sandra



Fiona Finkelstein Meets Her Match!!

by Shawn K. Stout
Aladdin

Nominated by: Gwenda Bond



Gaff

by Shan Correa
Peachtree

Nominated by: Lesley
Reviewed by: Sherry



Grease Town

by Ann Towell
Tundra

Nominated by: Lawrene Denkers
Reviewed by: Sherry



Guinea Dog

by Patrick Jennings
Egmont USA

Nominated by: Grier Jewell



Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley

by Stephanie Greene
Clarion Books

Nominated by: Dianne White
Reviewed by: Sandra



Heart of a Samurai

by Margi Preus
Amulet

Nominated by: Chris Abouzeid
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog)

by Art Corriveau
Amulet

Nominated by: Laura Mihalick



How to Survive Middle School

by Donna Gephart
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Jennifer Schultz
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa



I Fooled You: Ten Stories of Tricks, Jokes and Switcheroos

by
Candlewick Press

Nominated by: JoAnn Early Macken



I, Emma Freke (Exceptional Reading & Language Arts Titles for Intermediate)

by Elizabeth Atkinson
Carolrhoda Books

Nominated by: Elizabeth Dingmann
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



I, Q: The White House

by Roland Smith
Sleeping Bear Press

Nominated by: Barb
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks



Island Sting

by Bonnie J. Doerr
Leap Books

Nominated by: Mia Brown
Reviewed by: Sandra



It's Raining Cupcakes

by Lisa Schroeder
Aladdin

Nominated by: Jone Rush MacCulloch
Reviewed by: Sandra



Julia Gillian And The Dream Of The Dog

by Alison McGhee
Scholastic

Nominated by: Becky



Leaving Gee's Bend

by Irene Latham
Putnam

Nominated by: Amy @ Hope Is the Word
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



Mallory Goes Green!

by Laurie B. Friedman
Carolrhoda Books

Nominated by: Madigan McGillicuddy



Mamba Point

by Kurtis Scaletta
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Jenny McNeil



Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth

by Sandra Dutton
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Nominated by: Jennifer Russell



Max Cassidy: Escape from Shadow Island

by Paul Adam
Walden Pond Press

Nominated by: Lori Calabrese
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



Me and Rolly Maloo

by Janet S. Wong
Charlesbridge

Nominated by: Lili Cohen
Reviewed by: Sandra



Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

by Alan Silberberg
Aladdin

Nominated by: Elizabeth Bird
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Everead | Melissa | Sandra



Mockingbird

by Kathryn Erskine
Philomel

Nominated by: Sarah Wethern
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sandra



Mom, There's a Dinosaur in Beeson's Lake (Secrets of a Lab Rat)

by Trudi Trueit
Aladdin

Nominated by: Librarian Kate
Reviewed by: Sandra



Monica and the Bratty Stepsister

by Diana G Gallagher
Stone Arch Books

Nominated by: Jennifer Glidden



Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Annmarie Algya



My Best Frenemy (Friends for Keeps)

by Julie Bowe
Dial

Nominated by: Carol Avery
Reviewed by: Sandra



My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

by Kristina Springer
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Nominated by: Deena Lipomi



My Life as a Book

by Janet Tashjian
Henry Holt

Nominated by: Debbie Nance
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Sandra | Sherry



My Life with the Lincolns

by Gayle Brandeis
Henry Holt

Nominated by: Michael Kurth
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks



NERDS: Book Two: M Is for Mama's Boy

by Michael Buckley
Amulet

Nominated by: Alyssa
Reviewed by: Sandra



Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders: The Neil Flambe Capers #1

by Kevin Sylvester
Key Porter

Nominated by: Laura



Nice and Mean

by Jessica Leader
Aladdin

Nominated by: Paul W. Hankins



Noonie's Masterpiece

by Lisa Railsback
Chronicle Books

Nominated by: morninglightmama
Reviewed by: Sandra



Nuts

by Kacy Cook
Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books

Nominated by: Karen Branstetter
Reviewed by: Sandra



One Crazy Summer

by Rita Williams-garcia
Amistad

Nominated by: Jennifer Laughran
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | CherylV | Melissa | Sandra | Sherry



Only One Year

by Andrea Cheng
Lee & Low Books, Inc.

Nominated by: Anamaria Anderson
Reviewed by: Sandra



Orphan

by John Weber
WestSide Books

Nominated by: Evelyn Fazio
Reviewed by: Sandra



Out of My Mind

by Sharon M. Draper
Atheneum

Nominated by: Carol Wilcox
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Sandra | Sherry



Palace Beautiful

by Sarah DeFord Williams
Putnam

Nominated by: Rose Green
Reviewed by: Sandra



Penny Dreadful

by Laurel Snyder
Random House Children's Books

Nominated by: Terry Doherty
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | karen_kidsmomo | Melissa



Pies & Prejudice (Mother Daughter Book Club)

by Heather Vogel Frederick
Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Deborah Khuanghlawn
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks



President of the Whole Fifth Grade

by Sherri Winston
Little, Brown

Nominated by: Ames O'Neill



Quenton Cohen: Professional Chef

by MAC
Toasted Coconut Media

Nominated by: Brandon Carter



Ratfink

by Marcia Thornton Jones
Dutton Juvenile

Nominated by: Madigan McGillicuddy
Reviewed by: Sandra



Ray, reflected

by Eric Elkins
Ghost Road Press

Nominated by: Michelle Bar-Evan



River Odyssey

by Philip Roy
Ronsdale Press

Nominated by: Erinna Gilkison



Rocky Road

by Rose Kent
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Cathy Carmode Lim
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sandra



Saint Training

by Elizabeth Fixmer
Zonderkidz

Nominated by: Vicki Palmquist
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks



Scones and Sensibility

by Lindsay Eland
Egmont USA

Nominated by: Kim Baccellia
Reviewed by: Sherry



Seaglass Summer

by Anjali Banerjee
Wendy Lamb Books

Nominated by: Alysa Stewart
Reviewed by: Sandra



Shooting Kabul (Paula Wiseman Books)

by N. H. Senzai
Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Amanda Snow
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sandra | Sherry



Sir Seth Thistlethwaite and the Soothsayer's Shoes

by Richard Thake
Owlkids Books

Nominated by: Kendal Gerard



Sparks

by Ally Kennen
Marion Lloyd Books

Nominated by: Jenny Schwartzberg



Spies Inc.

by John Keilman
Storybuilders

Nominated by: Carolyn Starks



Spike and Ali Enson

by Malaika Rose Stanley
Transworld Publishers

Nominated by: Chimaechi Ochei



Stolen Child

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Scholastic Canada

Nominated by: Nicola Manning
Reviewed by: Sandra



Storm Mountain

by Tom Birdseye
Holiday House

Nominated by: Olivia Louise Griffiths



The Adventures of Andy & Spirit: Book 1

by Mary Jean Kelso
Guardian Angel Publishing

Nominated by: Mary Jean Kelso



The Archaeolojesters

by Andreas Oertel
Lobster Press

Nominated by: Catherine Knowles - Lobster Press
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Burgular Who Bit the Big Apple (Field Trip Mysteries)

by Steve Brezenoff
Stone Arch Books

Nominated by: Cara McCann



The Candymakers

by Wendy Mass
Little, Brown

Nominated by: Alvina



The Case of the Crooked Carnival (Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives)

by Michele Torrey
Sterling Publishing

Nominated by: Derry Wilkens



The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye: An Enola Holmes Mystery

by Nancy Springer
Philomel

Nominated by: Beverly Wrigglesworth
Reviewed by: Melissa



The Case of the Terrible T. rex (Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives)

by Michele Torrey
Sterling Publishing

Nominated by: Katie Connors



The Dancing Pancake

by Eileen Spinelli
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Little Willow
Reviewed by: Melissa | Sandra



The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom: The Body Thief

by Stephen M. Giles
Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks

Nominated by: Danielle Smith (The1stdaughter)
Reviewed by: CherylV | TheBoyReader



The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

by Geraldine Mccaughrean
HarperCollins

Nominated by: Shelf-employed
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter

by John Gosselink
Amulet

Nominated by: Jason Wells
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Devil's Door: A Salem Witchcraft Story (Historical Fiction Adventures)

by Paul B. Thompson
Enslow

Nominated by: Lisa Corrado



The Dog in the Wood

by Monika Schröder
Front Street

Nominated by: Connie Janke
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Dreamer

by Pam Munoz Ryan
Scholastic

Nominated by: Liz Jones
Reviewed by: Everead



The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

by Barbara O'Connor
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Nominated by: Sara Holmes



The Fences Between Us (Dear America)

by Kirby Larson
Scholastic

Nominated by: Rebecca Herman
Reviewed by: Sherry



The Fizzy Whiz Kid

by Maiya Williams
Amulet

Nominated by: Brett Wright
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines

by Jo Ann Yhard
Nimbus

Nominated by: Colleen McKie
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Ghostwriter Secret (Brixton Brothers)

by Mac Barnett
Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Bigfoot
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks



The Healing Spell

by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Scholastic

Nominated by: Natasha Maw
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling

by Maryrose Wood
Balzer + Bray

Nominated by: Melissa
Reviewed by: Melissa



The Kneebone Boy

by Ellen Potter
Feiwel & Friends

Nominated by: Jennifer Donovan
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sherry



The Other Half of My Heart

by Sundee T. Frazier
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Valerie Kemp
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

by Amy Ignatow
Amulet

Nominated by: Tom Angleberger



The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye

by Bonnie Shimko
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Nominated by: Kate Messner
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Sandra



The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin

by Michael D. Beil
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Beverly Wrigglesworth
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Sandra



The Reinvention of Edison Thomas

by Jacqueline Houtman
Front Street

Nominated by: Rosanne Lindsay
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt

by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Dial

Nominated by: Torey Yates
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sandra



The Seventh Level

by Jody Feldman
Greenwillow Books

Nominated by: Laura Purdie Salas
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger
Amulet

Nominated by: Sarah (aquafortis)
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sandra | Sherry | TheBoyReader | theowl



The Summer Before (Babysitters Club)

by Ann M. Martin
Scholastic

Nominated by: JB
Reviewed by: Sandra



The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet

by Erin Dionne
Dial

Nominated by: Jenny Moss
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



The Wonder of Charlie Anne

by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Margo Tanenbaum
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



This Is Me From Now On

by Barbara Dee
Aladdin

Nominated by: Danielle Smith (The1stdaughter)
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | CherylV



This Means War!

by Ellen Wittlinger
Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Kara Dean
Reviewed by: Sandra | Sherry



Throwing Heat (Fred Bowen Sports Stories)

by Fred Bowen
Peachtree

Nominated by: Danielle Smith (The1stdaughter)



To Come and Go Like Magic

by Katie Pickard Fawcett
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Nominated by: Beth Hull
Reviewed by: Sherry



Tortilla Sun

by Jennifer Cervantes
Chronicle Books

Nominated by: Saundra Mitchell
Reviewed by: 5MinutesforBooks | Melissa | Sandra | Sherry



Touch Blue

by Cynthia Lord
Scholastic

Nominated by: Abby Johnson



Travels With Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana

by Patti Wheeler
Claim Stake Publishing

Nominated by: Karen Lucente
Reviewed by: Sherry



Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm
Random House Children's Books

Nominated by: Eric Carpenter
Reviewed by: Everead | Melissa | Sherry



Twenty Gold Falcons

by Amy Gordon
Holiday House

Nominated by: Terry Borzumato-Greenberg
Reviewed by: Sandra



Violet in Bloom: A Flower Power Book

by Lauren Myracle
Amulet

Nominated by: Mary Ann Zissimos



Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World

by Vordak T. Incomprehensible
Egmont USA

Nominated by: Jennifer Brod



Warriors in the Crossfire

by Nancy Bo Flood
Front Street

Nominated by: Lola Schaefer
Reviewed by: Sandra



What Happened on Fox Street

by Tricia Springstubb
Balzer + Bray

Nominated by: Miss Sarah
Reviewed by: Melissa



What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader

by Adrianne Ambrose
Bell Bridge

Nominated by: Deborah Smith



When Molly Was a Harvey Girl

by Frances M. Wood
Kane/Miller Book Pub

Nominated by: jama rattigan
Reviewed by: Melissa



Wildfire Run

by Dee Garretson
HarperCollins

Nominated by: Terri Bruch



Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess

by Hilary McKay
Margaret K. McElderry

Nominated by: April Beckman
Reviewed by: Everead | Melissa | Sandra



Words That Start with B

by Vikki Vansickle
Scholastic Canada

Nominated by: Maral Maclagan



Year of the Tiger

by Alison Lloyd
Holiday House

Nominated by: David Rosenberg
Reviewed by: Sandra



Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker: Girl vs. Superstar

by Robin Palmer
Puffin

Nominated by: Bri Meets Books



Zora and Me

by Victoria Bond
Candlewick Press

Nominated by: Colleen Mondor
Reviewed by: Melissa


The following nominated books are ineligible:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

by Jeff Kinney
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Pub Date: November 9, 2010, past October 15 deadline

Nominated by: Christie Ibarra



Forge

by Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Pub Date: October 19, 2010, therefore past October 15th deadline.

Nominated by: Kathy M Burnette



I Am Jack

by Susanne Gervay
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Pub date October 13th 2009

Nominated by: Nicole Geiger



Teddy Robinson Storybook, The (Kingfisher Modern Classics)

by Joan Robinson
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Reprint edition

Nominated by: Marina Cambareri



The Glory Wind

by Valerie Sherrard
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: pub date February 2011

Nominated by: Brent Sherrard



The Peril of the Sinister Scientist

by Janet Ann Collins
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: july 2009 pub date

Nominated by: Nancy Carty Lepri



The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

by Barbara O'Connor
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Nominated last year

Nominated by: Kristine Michael



Word Nerd

by Susin Nielsen
Publisher not defined

Status: Not Eligible
Reason ineligible: Published September 2008

Nominated by: Erin W.