A Winner, Interviews and The Cybils Awards

Nerds Heart YA. The tournament to highlight under represented literature, has a winner
Last Night I Sang to The Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
I let out a little squeal of happiness with I discovered who won. Benjamin Alire Saenz is such a talented writer and deserves a lot more attention then he gets.

On Wednesday, I will be posting an interview with Jewell Parker Rhodes. I loved Ninth Ward. When I finished it my first thought was "I want to interview the author" But I was hesitant to ask. It was Jewell Parker Rhodes after all. Ninth Ward is her first children's novel but she has an extensive body of work. When, I finally did ask, Rhodes was kind enough to say yes.

If you missed it do check out my recent interview with Jen Cullerton Johnson the author of Seeds of Change. I had difficult time coming up with questions. I had some serious question block ( is that a real thing? If not it should be.) Finally it hit me, with the exception of a group G. Neri interview with Edi and Ari about Yummy , this would be the only other time I would be asking an author questions about a non fiction book. Once I knew what the problem was, it got easier.

This is the fifth year of the Cybils awards or Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Award. I love this award, it gives some well deserved attention to some great books. Anyone is free to nominate a 2010 release. The Cybils site is very easy to browse and the organizer's make everyone feel welcome. I say the same thing about Cybils award every year. Though this the first year, I put my name in to be a judge. I will be on one of the panels but I won't say which one until the full panel is released on the site. I am very happy with my placement and to have the opportunity to participate in the Cybils awards.