What is Middle Grade Speculative Fiction?
This Cybils award category includes books with “talking animals, time-travel, ghosts, and paranormal abilities, and all the other books that might not have obvious magic on every page, and which are set here on Earth, but which push past the boundaries of daily life into what is almost certainly impossible.” Science fiction and fantasy books are speculative fiction. Books nominated in this category should have been published between October 16, 2015 and October 15, 2016 and should be appropriate for children ages eight to twelve, or from third to seventh grades.
Who can nominate books for this award?
Anyone. ONE book per CATEGORY per PERSON.
What hasn’t been nominated yet?
Lots of great science fiction and fantasy books for middle grade children haven’t been nominated so far. If any of the following are on your favorites list, rush over to nominate your pick at the Official Cybils Nomination Page. Not picked yet (and feeling blue):
A Little Taste of Poison by R.J. Anderson. Sequel to A Pocketful of Murder.
Fuzzy by Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger. Robots. NOMINATED
Rebel Genius by Michael Dante DeMartino. NOMINATED
The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst. NOMINATED
This Is Not a Werewolf Story by Sandra Evans. Shapeshifting. NOMINATED
The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers.
The Imagination Box by Martin Ford.
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee.
Fortune Falls by Jenny Goebbels. A town where superstitions are real. NOMINATED
A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff.
The Dastardly Deed by Holly Grant. The League of Beastly Dreadfuls, Book Two.
The Crimson Skew by S.E. Grove. The Mapmakers Trilogy, Book 3. NOMINATED
Lucky by Chris Hill.
The Secrets of Solace by Jaleigh Johnson. Sequel to The Mark of the Dragonfly.
Time Stopped by Carrie Jones.
Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan. NOMINATED
Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlman.
Foxheart by Claire LeGrand.
Vault of Shadows by Jonathan Maberry. The Nightsiders, Book 2.
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure by Ann Martin.
27 Magic Words by Sharelle Moranville.
A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue by J.A. Myhre.
Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle. NOMINATED
The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O’Reilly. A doll story.
The Doorway and the Deep by K.E. Ormsbee. Sequel to The Water and the Wild.
Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park. Wing and Claw, Book 1.
The Gathering by Dan Poblocki. Shadow House, Book 1.
The Glass Castle by Trisha Priebe and Jerry Jenkins.
Railhead by Phillip Reeve. Sentient trains. NOMINATED in YA.
The Lost Compass by Joel Ross. Sequel to The Fog Diver. NOMINATED
Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix by Kate Saunders.
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders. Inspired by E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It stories. I’m unclear about the publication date on this one but if it’s eligible, it’s a good book.
Gears of Revolution by J. Scott Savage. Mysteries of Cove, Book 2. NOMINATED
The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman. NOMINATED
Red by Liesl Shurtliff. Little Red Riding Hood.
Hawking’s Hallway by Neil Shusterman and Eric Elfman. Accelerati Trilogy, Book 3.
Rip Van Winkle and the Pumpkin Lantern by Seth Adam Smith.
Ember Falls by S.D. Smith. Green Ember series, Book 2. Rabbits with swords. NOMINATED
The Storyteller by Aaron Starmer. The Riverman trilogy, Book 3.
Sunker’s Deep by Lina Tanner. The Icebreaker Trilogy, Book 2.
Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance.
The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez by Robin Yardi. Thieving skunks? NOMINATED
The Haunting of Falcon House by Eugene Yelchin. An historical fiction/mystery/ghost story set in 1891 Russia.
That’s a LOT of books that haven’t been nominated. I am on the judging panel to choose a shortlist of recommended titles in this category from the long list of books nominated. We want to choose the best books from this year’s books with the finest literary quality and kid appeal. SO if any of those are likely to combine good writing and an engaging story, please nominate it. If it’s not nominated, it can’t be considered.
When do nominations close?
Saturday, October 15th, is the last day to nominate your favorite books in this and other categories for the Cybils awards. Get your nominations in now.