Cybils Judging Results: 5 Book Reviews

The winners have been announced, so I can finally release my reviews on the books under consideration, shown in order of my preference for them, not any ranking through Cybils. My category was General YA Fiction. The judging was done by committee for each category, and a majority vote decided the winner.


The Downstairs Girl by Stacey  Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jo Kuan is sassy and witty and delightful, and having been raised by a wise Chinese man (Old Gin), she is also full of old proverbs and sayings she has picked up along the way. Sometimes being an eloquent minority is a blessing, but it gets her into trouble more times than not. Being Chinese, Jo must always know her place. The Downstairs Girl presents race relations in the late 1800s in the South from an interesting outside view. Jo is neither white nor “colored,” and she often doesn’t know where to stand—or sit, more specifically, when the streetcars are segregated. Not fitting into either group, the Chinese often found themselves in worse conditions than blacks: unable to even rent property. And the story also tackles women’s suffrage and not only the desire to vote but the uprising of women who insisted on having a voice in their homes and communities.

That theme of finding your place in the world enrobes the whole story, and that is more than a teenage problem. Jo is ready to fight for her future more than the law will allow, and she is fully aware of the challenges ahead to have what would be considered even a reasonably comfortable life. There’s a bit of romance, and a bit of reality.

I love, love, love this book! I had to stop with about 30 pages left, and all day long I kept fussing about getting back to it for the conclusion. I must say, however, that I do not think this novel should be categorized as YA. Maybe NA, that elusive group, but it really reads more like any women’s historical fiction novel. I fear Lee is missing a huge chunk of readers who would thoroughly enjoy it but won’t pick it up because they don’t read YA. Yes, it is written in first person present tense, which didn’t annoy me as much as it usually does, but that doesn’t make it automatically YA. There’s no high school angst or lingo or even teenage situations to navigate. Jo lives in the world of the adults of the 1890s and faces grown-up problems. Maybe all the fuss about how good the novel is will bring in more readers so Lee’s work can be fully appreciated.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This story was fantastic. While it was unique in having a main character who is Filipino, something I’ve personally never seen before (and actually written by a Filipino, which is extra special), it dealt with age-old issues of family and culture and knowing who we are and where we come from. Jay’s journey to find out more about his cousin ends up being a journey to also find himself in a larger world. I simply loved this book and highly recommend it. While fiction, sadly the situations presented are very real and based on facts. Getting that information out into the world of young readers through a gripping and interesting story is an accomplishment worth applauding.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.



I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly   Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The premise of this book is interesting: two teens thrown together during an explosive night of rioting, one white and one black, with the chapters switching between the two points of view and written by two separate authors—one white and one black.

I admit that I was confused a few times and would forget whose POV I was in and have to reread a bit to get myself back on track, though most of the time the difference was clear, especially through dialogue because the black character drops words and slings slang like it’s her career. The whole story is done in first person present tense, which I’m not a fan of but is the standard in YA books today so you just have to go with it. In this case, it does add to the immediacy of the situation in which the girls find themselves.

Overall, the story was well done and exciting and kept me wanting to turn the page. The novel is certainly dealing with timely topics and the assumptions one race can make about another (going both ways). It would be an excellent read for a teen book club and lead to some lively discussions about the choices the characters make in the story.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.



On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, I’d love to say I enjoyed this book, but I just didn’t. I know I’m not any part of the target audience, but I did enjoy The Hate You Give so I’m not sure that’s the problem. The main character, Bri, was just annoying and constantly confrontational to a level that felt excessive over and over, and I know that’s what Thomas wanted for her but it left me wanting to just shut the book and quit reading. If you can’t get behind the main character, it’s hard to get behind the story. I also felt like I could see every “twist” coming and that the ending was preachy. Reviewing is all about how a book hits us, personally. This one just left me flat.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a sweet book, but it left me a bit flat. Nothing big really happens, problems are easily solved, and all the big UMPH things I expected to happen just didn’t. I’m not saying it’s a book to avoid or anything, but knowing I was picking it up because it was a finalist in an award competition, I expected more. More drama. More peril. Just more. And I was distracted by the meals Emoni creates at home with spices and fresh produce when they are apparently broke and living on the edge of not paying bills every month. Maybe teens don’t understand what groceries cost, but I do.

The writing was good overall, but the two page chapters were annoying, even breaking right in the middle of a scene for some reason. Does Acevedo think teens can’t handle chapters? I don’t know.
If you have a love of cooking, this is certainly a book for you. If you are a teen mom, I’d suggest that this story presents a smooth wash over the problems you are going to face.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.

Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a sweet coming of age romancy story, but a lot of it felt forced or didn’t quite make sense. Rosa is supposedly doing dual credits between high school and college, yet she has full day after full day to deal with community issues and never seems to be attending class—online or otherwise—or doing homework. It also had a very “one of each” vibe at the beginning when the community is introduced. In a mostly Cuban old-school community, there’s a mayor named Yang with a service dog, yet we never hear from him again or find out what the dog is for. He’s just kind of dropped in there with characters of various races and sexual orientation. It just felt carefully designed instead of natural to what that small city would look like. Rosa Santos herself is a nice character, but I also found it hard to swallow the huge leaps she makes from things she has refused to do her whole life. Overall, it’s a cute book, but not the top of my list.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was fully prepared for this to top my list, but I got really tired of reading about the drug use. 300 pages of how great Oxy and Heroin are, but very little about the horrible road of recovery. It was sort of like, went to the clinic and got all better. The recovery is horrendous!! And it never really ends. I personally have two little cousins who were addicts and struggle daily. That on-going part was lost for me. And I really didn’t like Mickey. It was hard to care about her situation. I would not recommend this book to a teen because it seemed to glorify the blessings of drug use (look at all she accomplished before it went bad!) more than really necessary. Well written, but it missed the bar for me on the good it could do.

*I reviewed this book as a second round judge of the Cybils Book Awards, but I checked my copy out of the local library (did not receive a free copy from the publisher) and am under no obligation to post a positive review.


If you've read all the way through, you might notice that my order of preference does not reflect the end result of the voting. That happens sometimes. Heroine continued to slip in my rankings as the days went by, but the other judges loved it and felt it was important and should win. Maybe you should read them all and come to your own conclusion. Unless you have issues with addiction. Then don't read Heroine. It comes with a trigger warning that I would urge you to take seriously.

You can find my previous reviews for New Kid and Coyote Sunrise at these links.

Now on to judging the OWFI writing contest where I get the solo vote for Best Juvenile Book of 2020. 😎