Here’s a list of some middle grade speculative fiction books of 2018 that have yet to be nominated for a Cybils Award. Anyone can nominate, and it’s a simple process. If you’ve read any of the following and want to nominate your favorite or if you’ve read books from this year in other categories, go ye forth to the Cybils website and nominate. Nominations close after October 15th.
The Rose Legacy by Jessica Day George. The orphaned Anthea Thornley is sent north to her uncle’s farm where she meets horses, a breed of animal she has been taught were dangerous and are now extinct. But Anthea has much to learn about her own family history and the history of her country and about horses. NOMINATED.
The Griffin’s Feather by Cornelia Funke. Sequel to Dragon Rider.
A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem: A Dastardly Plot by Christopher Healy. The first book in a new alternate history adventure by the author of The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. NOMINATED
The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd. “When the Problim children’s ramshackle bungalow in the Swampy Woods goes kaboom, the seven siblings—each born on a different day of the week—have to move into their grandpa’s bizarre old mansion in Lost Cove.” NOMINATED
The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast by Samantha Clark. “A boy washes up on a mysterious, seemingly uninhabited beach. Who is he? How did he get there? The boy can’t remember.” NOMINATED
Outlaws of Time: The Last of the Lost Boys by N.D. Wilson. This third book in the series introduces Sam Miracle’s son and heir. NOMINATED
The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings by Sarah Prineas.“The powerful Lost Books at the palace library are infecting the rest with an evil magic, and two unlikely friends must figure out who, or what, is controlling the books and their power. If they can’t, the entire kingdom could be at risk.” NOMINATED
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book VI: the Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood. The final book in the Ashton Place series?
Voyage of the Dogs by Greg van Eekhout. Dogs in space—called Barkonauts? NOMINATED
The Phantom Tower by Keir Graff. “Twin brothers discover their new home is also a portal–for an hour a day–to a parallel dimension.”
The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr. A dragon freed from a teapot meets a very special friend. NOMINATED
Pages and Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James.
Spindrift and the Orchid by Emma Trevayne.
The Road to Ever After by Moira Young. In this Christmas tale, orphan Davy Davidson meets the eccentric Miss Flint, and as they travel together, Miss Flint begins to age backwards.
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin. “An anarchic, outlandish, and deeply political saga of warring elf and goblin kingdoms.” Long-Listed for the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. NOMINATED
A Fever, a Flight, and a Fight for the World: The Rwendigo Tales Book Four by Jennifer Myhre. May be young adult. Set in East Africa. NOMINATED in YA.
Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudy Trueit. From National Geographic, kids train to become the next generation of scientists to explore the galaxy.
Bravelands #3: Blood and Bone by Erin Hunter.
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris. NOMINATED
2018 Cybils Nominations Categories:
Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books
Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction
Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction
Fiction Picture Books/Board Books
Graphic Novels
Junior/Senior High Nonfiction
Middle-Grade Fiction
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction
Young Adult Speculative Fiction