Happy Cybils Day!

Valentine's Day is a waste. Celebrate great books today instead!

Winners are posted here: http://www.cybils.com/

Game of Thrones: Review Haiku

If you, like I, don't

have HBO and don't watch,
hit the high points here.

Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel Volume I and Volume II by George R.R. Martin; adapted and illustrated by Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson. Bantam, 2012 & 2013, 240 pages.

The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters: Review Haiku

Percy J. goes graphic:
just right for kids who like
action more than words.

The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan; adapted, illustrated, and colored by Jose Villarrubia, Robert Venditti, and Attila Futaki. Hyperion, 2010 & 2013, 128 pages.

Hard Luck: Review Haiku

Will Greg ever learn
how to be a thoughtful friend?
Outlook is hazy.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney. Amulet, 2013, 224 pages.

And Then There Were Nuns: Review Haiku

Twice-divorced seeker
looks for solace and purpose
among the habits.

And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life by Jane Christmas. Greystone Books, 2013, 304 pages.

Rose Under Fire: Review Haiku

Heart-stopping, heart-wringing
reminder of war horror.
Never again.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. Hyperion, 2013, 360 pages.

Through the Evil Days: Review Haiku

Get cozy and be glad
you aren't outside, pregnant,
in upstate New York.

Through the Evil Days (A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Novel) by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Minotaur/St. Martin's Press, 2013, 357 pages.

How to Fake a Moon Landing: Review Haiku

Preaching to the choir
in handy comic format.
Shelve this in high schools!

How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial by Darryl Cunningham. Abrams, 2013, 176 pages.

NEWBERYCALDECOTTZOMGWTFBBQ

AND THEN THE INTERNET EXPLODED.

The ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced today starting at 8:00am ET. Wish I could be there in person.

#alayma

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield: Review Haiku

Gorey and Belloc
for a new generation.
Love Winterbottom!

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield by John Bemelmans Marciano, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Viking, 2013, 144 pages.

The Abominables: Review Haiku

The power of kindness
and yellow lorry drivers.
(Also: HUBERT.)

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson. Abrams, 2013, 272 pages.

Heaven Is Paved with Oreos: Review Haiku

Not a sequel, but
a fine treatise on love and
regret. (That blurb, though?)

Heaven Is Paved with Oreos by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. HMH, 2013, 208 pages.

Genius: Review Haiku

Publish or perish
with Einsteinian background.
Moody and thoughtful.

Genius by Steven T. Seagle. First Second, 2013, 128 pages.

Donner Dinner Party: Review Haiku

This series rocks so
hard I almost don't have words.
Except: CANNIBALS.

Donner Dinner Party (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales) by Nathan Hale. Amulet, 2013, 128 pages.

The Great American Dust Bowl: Review Haiku

History and
meteorology and
agriculture, oh my.

The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown. HMH, 2013, 80 pages.

Salt: Review Haiku

Two boys, two cultures;
poignant look at man's inhumanity
to man.

Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost. FSG, 2013, 160 pages.

Two Boys Kissing: Review Haiku

Not sure what real teens
make of the Greek chorus, but
this is wise, loving.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. Knopf, 2013, 208 pages.

Reality Boy: Review Haiku

I would prefer to
believe people like Gerald's
parents don't exist.

Reality Boy by A. S. King. Little Brown, 2013, 368 pages.

Zero Tolerance: Review Haiku

Smart, thoughtful, and real
take on mistakes and their
consequences. Good stuff.

Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills. FSG, 2013, 232 pages.

P.S. EXCEPT EXCEPT EXCEPT: Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen, not Auschwitz, as claimed on page 161. This is a) widely known; and b) TOTALLY EASY TO FACT-CHECK. RAAAAAGE.

Dog Songs: Review Haiku

Start your year with a
dose of poetry, lovingly
swathed in dog hair.

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver. Penguin, 2013, 144 pages.