Why Worry

So, I haven't posted since Thursday.  That worries me.  Good bloggers schedule posts for times such as these, so that when life happens or gets in the way, blog posts go as scheduled.  Not for me apparently and that worries me.  These of course are minor in the grand scheme of things, but I think I worry too much and that worries me.  See...a little obsessive right?

They say, "don't worry, be happy."  If only it worked that way.  I worry about things that don't happen, things that could happen, might happen, what if...you name it. Did I remember to turn the stove off, did I unplug the iron, did I turn off the water outside?

This weekend it froze in Conroe, TX; 15 degrees to be exact.  It stayed below freezing until about noon on Friday, then back down to 15 Friday night, 17 Saturday night, and then 21 last night.  I worried about the pipes freezing.  Should we leave water dripping, why didn't we wrap the pipes, will the horses be okay, why won't the dog come in out of the cold, etc?  My husband didn't seem to be bothered by any of it at all.  Of course, I worry in silence.  Just like the worrying I did at the deer lease that caused me to have the anxiety attack and end up in the emergency room New Year's Eve, but that's another story.

Well, this is a busy week for me with testing at school, our buyer's group's auction on Wednesday, that I'm in charge of, meetings, and the like.  I've worried about being able to get it all done, to give 100% to everything.  I didn't need what happened this evening, but life has a way of making you stop.

When we drove the truck on Friday night, it was making some weird noises and acting a little funny, but we chalked it up to the cold weather.  My truck didn't move for the rest of the weekend, until this morning.  I made it to work, no problem.  So, on to my meeting in Houston I went after school.  Needless to say, I didn't make it to my meeting.  Less than halfway there, the engine started making strange noises and the oil light came on with an obsessive beeping.  Enter hubby to the rescue.  It just needs oil, he thinks, so we drive the short distance to the auto parts.  Oil's in, so we head home.  I didn't make it very far before the light and beeping begin again.  I tell you the beeping is annoying, so hubby and I switched trucks.  Long story short, we were able to get the truck home, but now I have a whole new set of worries.  What's wrong with the truck, what's it going to cost to fix it, how am I going to get everything done with us sharing a truck, how long will it be down, etc.?

Why am I telling you this?  It is what makes me me.  I worry.  It's just who I am.  Yes, I'm a book blogger, but who am I?  Do you want to know more about me?  Well, now you know a little more.  Will my stats go down because I don't post every day?  Will you keep coming back to read what little ol' me has to say?  I worry about that.  I shouldn't be so obsessive about my stats, but I am.  I quit letting it bother me that I'm not on Twitter ALL the time like I was before I started this job.  I should quit letting some of the rest of it bother me.  Go ahead, tell me. You know you want to.

If you're still reading, thank you.  Thank you for caring about me enough to stick with my rambling.  I know it's a break from bookish posts, but some times, such posts are necessary.  Back to the bookishness tomorrow.

Penguin's 52 Books for 2010

I subscribe to Penguin's newsletters and thought you would enjoy what was in it today.  They are listing 52 books to make you Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise in 2010.  I won't be reading all of them, as they don't all appeal to me, but there are some choices that I am going to take a look at.  Hopefully you will find one or two that are to your liking as well!

January

Must Read – And Another Thing…by Eoin Colfer
Healthy - The Idle Parent by Tom Hodgkinson
Wealthy - The Thrift Book by India Knight
Wise - The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton

February
Must Read - Superfreakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
Healthy - Doctoring the Mind by Richard Bentall
Wealthy - Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Wise - The English Rebel by David Horspool

March
Must Read - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Healthy - Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Wealthy - Keynes by Robert Skidelsky
Wise - The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

April
Must Read - The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Healthy - On Kindness by Adam Phillips & Barbara Taylor
Wealthy - Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy & Paul Merrett
Wise - Storm of War by Andrew Roberts

May
Must Read - The Defence of the Realm by Christopher Andrew
Healthy - The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson
Wealthy - Nudge by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
Wise - Bluestockings by Jane Robinson

June
Must Read – The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman
Healthy – Remember, Remember by Ed Cooke
Wealthy - All Consuming by Neal Lawson
Wise - A Mess of Iguanas, A Whoop of Gorillas by Alon Shulman

July

Must Read – In Praise of Older Women by Stephen Vizinczey
Healthy - Why do people get ill? By Darian Leader & David Corfield
Wealthy - Bad Money by Kevin Phillips
Wise - The Uses of Literacy by Richard Hoggart

August
Must Read - Ant & Dec – ooh, What a lovely pair! by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly
Healthy - The Divided Self by R.D. Laing
Wealthy - Binge Trading by Seth Freedman
Wise - Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono

September
Must Read – The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
Healthy - Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrence
Wealthy - Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Wise – The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett

October
Must Read – Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Healthy - Don't Swallow Your Gum by Dr Aaron Carroll and Dr Rachel Vreeman
Wealthy – Freefall by Joseph Stiglitz
Wise – How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker

November
Must Read - The Prophecy by Chris Kuzneski
Healthy - Blood and Guts by Roy Porter
Wealthy - The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Wise - What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

December
Must Read - Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Healthy - The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
Wealthy – Power Presentation by Patsy Rodenburg
Wise - Driven to Distraction by Jeremy Clarkson

Bonus titles
Must Read - The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov
Healthy - The River Café Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers
Wealthy - Good Value by Stephen Green
Wise – The Rough Guide to Happiness by Nick Baylis

"Waiting On" Wednesday - The Beautiful Between

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


The Beautiful Between
By Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Publication Date: May 11th 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how.

If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince, son of a great and rich New York City family. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. Together they form a council of two, helping each other with their homework and sharing secrets. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.






I like a good story, and this sounds like a good story.  What I mean is, that there are no vampires, verewolves, etc. in this one.  It's just the story of 2 characters who become friends, share secrets, and learn the truth.  I also like the fact that the cover is black and white...not usually done.

Because of A Book with Chynna Laird

I'm proud to have another WOW! author visiting the blog for the first Because of A Book post of the new year.  Please help me welcome, Chynna Laird, author of Not Just Spirited: One Mom's Sensational Journey with Sensory Perception Disorder (SPD).
  

Chynna T. Laird is a mother of three beautiful girls Jaimie (six), Jordhan (four) and baby Sophie (ten months) and a gorgeous baby boy Xander (two). In addition to living her dream building up her at-home freelance writing business (Lily Wolf Words), she's also studying to obtain her B.A. in Psychology, specializing in Early Childhood Development.

In her spare time(!) Chynna plays piano and violin, reads, and writes--often about her adventures as a Mom. Last year she released a children's picture book she's written called, I'm Not Weird, I Have SPD where she describes--through the voice and perspective of four-year old Alexandra--what it's like to live with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (Sensory Processing Disorder). Chynna's third book, The Sensory Diet: Setting Your SPD Child Up for Success will be released in January 2011. 

---

Because of a Book…

by Chynna Laird

When I was a little girl, writing and reading were my forms of escape—my ways of coping with the chaos around me. My mother suffered with bipolar disorder, which she refused to acknowledge or treat, and often self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. Despite her struggles, however, my mother was a brilliant and creative musician, poet and writer. I learned very early on that tapping into her creative genius was the primary way to get close to her…to “reach” her. So, I wrote, took up piano and read—as much and as often as I could.

It was wonderful getting her attention when her mind was able to focus on me. As I grew up, and those close times grew less frequent, I wrote more to cleanse myself, to talk about things I couldn’t to anyone else or created people and places far away from where I was. I was also very lucky because my favorite uncle, Uncle Craig, was a distributor with Golden Books so I got a lot of book samples and my shelves overflowed with wonderful children’s stories.

“Books are amazing things,” Uncle Craig used to say. “They can take you away, inspire you, teach you or just make you feel good. The best books are those ‘real life ones’ that teach others about the things most of us don’t want to discuss. Those are the books get us talking and that’s important.”

And that’s why I started writing professionally. I never had any intention of becoming a freelance writer, let alone an author. But my mom’s gift of creativity, my Uncle’s wise words and my own passion for raising awareness for important issues inspired me to send out my first story. I still remember it: It was about an elderly man who sat beside me on the bus every morning during one of the toughest years of my young life.

We never even knew each other’s names but he cared enough just to listen to me. Then one day, he didn’t get on the bus and I never saw him again. The underlying message in the story was that we shouldn’t judge others because of age, gender or heritage. And that the main thing teenagers need is that one person who will listen to them.

Now, I write stories about issues that others don’t always like talking about: mental illness, eating disorders, alcohol abuse and other important topics, like my daughter, Jaimie’s struggle with an “invisible” disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). I don’t rage on about them; I simply teach by showing how I, or others I know, dealt with them. Or I create characters going through such issues who find positive ways to go on.

Through wonderful authors like Brian Doyle, I’ve learned that you can talk about these important issues without being preachy—it’s not what you talk about, it’s how you talk about it. And also remembering that people may not always like what I’m saying but it “gets them talking.”

And that’s so important.

---

About Not Just Spirited:  What would you do if your child suffered with something so severe it affected every aspect of her life?

And what if your cries for help fell on deaf ears at every turn? You'd follow your gut and fight until someone listened. And that's what Chynna Laird did. When she was just three months old, her daughter Jaimie's reactions to people and situations seemed odd. She refused any form of touch, she gagged at smells, she was clutzy and threw herself around and spent most of her day screaming with her hands over her ears and eyes.

By the time she turned two, Jaimie was so fearful of her world they spent most days inside. What was wrong with Chynna's miracle girl? Why wouldn't anyone help her figure it out? Jaimie wasn't "just spirited" as her physician suggested nor did she lack discipline at home. When Jaimie was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) at two-and-a-half, Chynna thought she had "the answer," but that was just the jumping off point for years of questions. Chynna embarked on a three-year quest for the right treatments to reveal the Jaimie she loved so much. With the right diagnosis and treatment suited to Jaimie, her family finally felt hope. Not Just Spirited is an insider’s peek at one family dealing with an “invisible” disorder and fighting to find peace for their daughter.  

Buy it a Amazon
Buy it at Powell's

Review: A Reliable Wife

Title:  A Reliable Wife

Author:  Robert Goolrick

Review Copy Provided by:  Algonquin via Shelf Awareness newsletter

About the Book:  Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. Her plan is simple: she will win this man's devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is that Truitt — a passionate man with his own dark secrets —has plans of his own for his new wife. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

My Review:  When I saw this book in the Shelf Awareness newsletter, I was very intrigued and knew I had to read it.  It's been a while since I've read any adult fiction, and I'm so glad that this is the one I chose to read.  This book really held my attention.  I mean, every time I had to put it down, I was antsy until I could pick it up and read it again.

I fell in love with Catherine from the beginning and felt sorry for Ralph a lot of the time.  Catharine was trying to better herself by lying, and Ralph was just looking for companionship.  Neither one of them was completely honest with the other, but one thing is true, whether they knew it or not.  They were in love!  Like any good love story, there is a 3rd party trying to mess it up.

This story had a lot of twists.  I liked that.  The author did a great job of keeping some things hidden until just the right moment.  There were parts of the story that you thought you had figured out, and then, just like that, you were proven wrong, or led another way.  It really held my attention and kept me thinking.

If you haven't read this one, you should!

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday - 1/3/10

Welcome to another edition of my combo meme In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday.  You can find these hosted by some wonderful ladies: Kristi at The Story Siren and Marcia at The Printed Page, respectively.  They host these memes so that book bloggers can share the books that come into their houses.  I appreciate them both and hope that you will visit their blogs.

I didn't do a mailbox post last week, so this is a combination of the books I received the week of Christmas and this past week of New Year's.

For Review:

Magic Tree House #43: Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osbourne, from Random House

Jack and Annie are on their third mission to find (and inspire!) creative people to bring happiness to others through the arts (Mozart and Louis Armstrong so far). Set in Ireland, Jack and Annie meet an Irish girl and go on a magical adventure that changes the girl’s life—she grows up to be Lady Gregory, who helped bring back the Irish legends, started a theater, and helped the Irish people regain both their heritage and their pride.

Magic Tree House Research Guide: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Do the folk stories about leprechauns match our ideas about them today? Are there other fairies in Irish tradition? What are the origins of these stories? Why do people believe in leprecahuns and fairies? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide #21: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore, Jack and Annie’s guide to the wee folk of Ireland.

Kyle's Island (ARC) by Sally Derby, from Charlesbridge
For as far back as Kyle can remember, he spent summers at Gram's cottage on the lake--fishing all day, and hanging out with the whole family. But this year is different. His father has moved out, his grandmother has died, and his mother is selling the cottage because they can't afford the upkeep.

One Amazing Thing (ARC) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, from Voice
Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair.
When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There's little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, "one amazing thing" from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. From Chitra Divakaruni, author of such finely wrought, bestselling novels as Sister of My Heart, The Palace of Illusions, and The Mistress of Spices, comes her most compelling and transporting story to date. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival--and about the reasons to survive.

Not Just Spirited: A Mom's Sensational Journey with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by Chynna T. Laird, from Loving Healing Press
What would you do if your child suffered with something so severe it affected every aspect of her life?

And what if your cries for help fell on deaf ears at every turn? You'd follow your gut and fight until someone listened. And that's what Chynna Laird did. When she was just three months old, Jaimie's reactions to people and situations seemed odd. She refused any form of touch, she gagged at smells, she was clutzy and threw herself around and spent most of her day screaming with her hands over her ears and eyes.

By the time she turned two, Jaimie was so fearful of her world they spent most days inside. What was wrong with Chynna's miracle girl? Why wouldn't anyone help her figure it out? Jaimie wasn't "just spirited" as her physician suggested nor did she lack discipline at home. When Jaimie was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) at two-and-a-half, Chynna thought she had "the answer," but that was just the start of a three-year quest for the right treatments to bring the Jaimie she loved so much out for others to see. With the right diagnosis and treatment suited to Jaimie, this family finally felt hope. Not Just Spirited is one mother's journey to finding peace for her daughter, Jaimie. As Chynna says often, "Knowledge breeds understanding. And that's so powerful."

Chynna will be guest posting on the blog Tuesday for Because of A Book.

How Do Lions Say I Love You? (board book) by Diane Muldrow, from Random House

How do animals say “I love you”?

Bears like to say it with a kiss on the muzzle.

A mama cow says it with a lick and a nuzzle.

Sweet, simple rhymes and soft pastel illustrations show some of the unique and touching ways in which different animals show love to their little ones and each other.

Ferocious Wild Beasts by Chris Wormell, from Knopf
A wonderfully witty and utterly charming story about fear.

Jack is lost in the forest—a forest that his mom has told him is full of ferocious wild beasts! But the creatures that Jack meets there seem perfectly friendly to him, even if they are a bit worried about the ferocious wild beasts he’s been telling them about . . .

But then they hear a terrible roar . . . Who can it be?

You're Lovable to Me by Kat Yeh, from Random House
IN THIS WARMHEARTED tale of multigenerational love, repentant bunnies apologize to their mama for the day’s shenanigans. Mama Bunny gathers her children together and reassures them that she will always love them: “No matter what your feelings are, whatever they may be . . . I’m your mama. You’re my bunnies. And you’re lovable to me.” After the young bunnies are tucked in, Mama Bunny’s papa drops by for tea and to tell her that she, too, is his bunny and infinitely lovable to him.

Kiss Kiss by Selma Mandine, from Random House

“What is a kiss like?” That’s what a teddy bear asks a little boy in this sweet and enchanting picture book. From Grandmother’s noisy kisses, to Father’s prickly kisses, to Little Brother’s chocolate kisses, Teddy learns there are many different kinds of kisses—but the best kisses are from the ones you love!

For Cybils Judging:

In the Snow
In the Garden

Friday Fill-Ins - 1/2/09

I know it's Saturday, but I wanted to get this in as the first one of the year, since I posted my New Year's post yesterday...enjoy!!

 1. Last night could have been better.  The ER is not where I wanted to spend NYE.
2. I'm making the best of this year.
3. The funniest thing is watching my husband on the Wii Fit.
4. We made it this far...so where do we go from here?
5. He said he loves her; she said then show me.
6. There's money to be made and it's up to us to find it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing Wii with my hubby, tomorrow my plans include relaxing, I hope and Sunday, I want to read because it is supposed to rain all day!

It's a New Year!

 
Not sure I was ready for 2009 to be over, but ready or not, 2010 is here! I haven't posted since Christmas. We had a great Christmas, then left to spend the weekend in Angleton with our best friends. We came home Sunday night and my dad called wanting to go hunting on Monday. So, off I went to South Texas, until yesterday afternoon. We had a good time and came home with a deer, a hog, and three coons. Could have been better, but the deer were moving pretty slow.

I was so glad to be home and ready to spend a nice quiet evening with my husband, but we ended up in the ER. My feet and hands started tingling and I had a burning in my chest. They took me right in and after blood work, a chest x-ray, and a CT scan, everything came back negative. What a relief! Knowing everything is okay is good, but not knowing why it happened is not. They said I could have had an anxiety attack worrying about it. I can't stop worrying. Every little tingle or gas pain makes me worry. I know they said nothing was wrong, but I'm still going to follow up with my doctor on Monday. All I know is I'm going to try, this next year, to not take things for granted.

It's a new year, which means new opportunities. My blogging goals are to continue with my weekly feature, Because of a Book, as well as the weekly memes I do from other blogs: In My Mailbox, Mailbox Monday, Waiting On Wednesday, and Friday Fill-Ins. I don't plan to add any more to my plate as I want to review as much as I can. I said last year at this time that I hoped to be able to do a Year in Review post, but again, I let time get away from me and didn't get it done. I entered some challenges last year, but wasn't real good at keeping track of the books for them. So, this year, I'm not entering challenges, so to speak. I'm just going to challenge myself to read as much as I can and review everything I read. I'm also going to do a better job at visiting and commenting on others' blogs. I have a lot of blogs that I subscribe to, and I have been feeling guilty about not reading them regularly and leaving comments. I want to do that, because it helps me to stay in touch with what's going on in the blogging world.

On another note, the Cybils' shortlists were released today. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Fiction Picture Books judging panel.  First let me say what an honor it was to be able to read many of the books that were nominated in this category.  The other judges and I had a long Google Wave chat where we hashed out the best of the best, and the following list of finalists are what we decided on.

Fiction Picture Books

Curious Garden, The
by Peter Brown
Little, Brown
Nominated by: Eric Carpenter
When a little boy discovers a near-dying garden atop the buildings in his drab city, he quickly learns the changes that can occur under the caring hands of one dedicated person. This magical tale--coupled with beautiful illustrations--enables children to see just how much they, too, are capable of.
--Katie Harvey

Lion & the Mouse, The
by Jerry Pinkney
Little, Brown
Nominated by: Kirsten Cutler
Jerry Pinkney builds on his outstanding résumé with this remarkable, nearly wordless retelling of the classic Aesop fable. One of the most significant artistic achievements of the year, the rich, expressive illustrations invite young readers to interpret the tale in their own way.
--Travis Jonker
 
Jeremy Draws a Monster
by Peter McCarty
Henry Holt
Nominated by: Lily
One day, Jeremy--who never goes out--uses his special crayon to draw a monster. He draws like mad to satisfy the demanding beast, but only finds peace when he sends the beast on its way. Simply told and creatively illustrated, this book wraps itself around the deeper meaning within--that we draw our own monsters, and neither feeding nor ignoring them will make them go away. Brilliant.
--Pam Coughlan
 
Listeners, The
by Gloria Whelan
Sleeping Bear Press
Nominated by: Joe
In the time when slavery gripped the South, Ella May and her two friends become the ears for the community as they make "listening" trips in the evenings--trips where they learn news from the outside world and the Master's plans. Beautifully written and illustrated, this is a book that will open your eyes and touch your heart.
--Shelly Burns
 
All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon
Beach Lane Books
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith
A multicultural family (and those around them) starts a day with a morning on the beach, endures a thunderstorm, shares a meal and ends with a quiet night at home. A wide audience will enjoy the lyrical rhyming couplets and breathtaking illustrations--this book is perfect to cuddle and read aloud with young children.
--Natasha Maw
 
Book That Eats People, The
by John Perry
Tricycle Press
Nominated by: Bri Meets Books
Whatever you do, do not allow your little ones to read this book if they have the slightest hint of peanut butter and jelly on their fingers. You see...this book eats people and has already consumed little Sam Ruskin, sweet Victoria Glassford and a security guard. This wonderfully dark story has as much devious fun as a picture book can hold.
--Natasha Maw

Silly Tilly
by Eileen Spinelli
Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books
Nominated by: Kathy Temean
Silly Tilly is not your ordinary goose. Quite the opposite, in fact — and her barnyard friends have decided they’ve had enough of her silliness. But as the farm quickly turn dull, Tilly’s friends realize that her quirkiness makes Tilly special. Funny, rhyming text and colorful illustrations make this book a treat to read aloud, and Tilly's wacky antics will leave kids giggling.
--Katie Harvey

Visit the Cybils site and check out the other categories of books.

Easy Readers & Short Chapter Books
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction Middle Grade/YA
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction