They’re Here! Some Observations.

The Cybils finalists for 2014, that is. And the diversity tally this year is something to shout about (in a good way, I mean). Some personal highlights from this year’s Cybils finalists:

• One of our most longstanding blog buds, Melissa Wiley, is a finalist in the Easy Readers category for her book Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Scare. YAY YAY YAY!
• I’m very excited to start judging Round 2 in the Graphic Novels category–so many amazing finalists for both Young Adults and Elementary & Middle Grades. And I haven’t read that many of them prior to this–just In Real Life and The Shadow Hero. I’m eager to read Jimmy Gownley’s The Dumbest Idea Ever!, which I read some buzz about when it came out (I love the title), and I’ve also heard great things about The Harlem Hellfighters…but most of all I’m pleased to see the level of variety: the diversity of authors as well as subject matter and style.
• There are some awesome-looking middle grade finalists this year. I don’t read as much middle grade fiction, but I really want to check out Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (yay for more books by South Asian authors!) and Death by Toilet Paper.
• I haven’t yet managed to review Brown Girl Dreaming, but I’m happy (and not surprised) to see it make the Poetry list. As a rule I don’t generally read novels in verse, but somehow I feel differently about the memoir form, and this one is unlike anything else I’ve read. 
• I’ve only read three of the seven YA Spec Fic finalists! My TBR list just grew…
• I haven’t, shockingly, read ANY of the YA Fiction finalists. Not even Pointe by Brandy Colbert, which has been on my radar for a while. MOAR BOOKS.

What do you think of the Big Reveal? What finalist titles are you looking forward to most? Inquiring minds (or, anyway, mind) want to know.