I love this time of year… I like that the days are turning cooler (well, here in Kansas, the days are still dang hot, but the nights at least are cooler, which I appreciate)… I like the buildup to Hallowthanksmus, the festivities, the stuff, the fun… My inner baker rears it’s head and realizes that it’s cool enough to begin baking cookies and muffins and bread without turning the house into an inferno.

And the kidlit blogosphere is hopping. There’s, for your enjoyment this month, the 31 flavorite YA authors at readergirlz… they’ve managed to nab a bunch of talented YA authors — including Meg Cabot (tonight), Lisa Yee (October 22) and Stephenie Meyer (October 31) to “chat nightly at our group forum at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST (with the exception of the Halloween chat, which will be held at 9 PM PST/MIDNIGHT EST).” Sounds like fun.

And, for those of us not on a Cybil panel, there’s the opportunity to nominate our favorite poetry, picture books (both fiction and non), middle grade books, YA books (both fiction and non), graphic novels, and fantasy/science fiction books for the nomination process. What? You haven’t heard of the Cybils? From their web site:

Like all revolutions, this one started small, with a single post on a blog devoted to children’s literature. The Newbery Awards seemed too elitist and the Quills, well, not enough so. Was there a middle ground, an annual award that would recognize both a book’s merits and popularity?

The Cybils found that middle ground. The public nominates their favorite children’s books from 2007 in seven categories: Picture Books; Non-fiction Picture Books; Middle Grade fiction; Poetry; Young Adult fiction; Non-fiction (YA/MG); and Graphic Novels. Nominations open on October 1.

When we say “the public,” we mean it. Anyone with an e-mail address may nominate one book per category. Then groups of bloggers get to work. First, a nominating committee reads ALL the titles in a given category. After nearly two arduous months, this committee winnows the nominees to five finalists. A second committee of bloggers considers the shortlist and, after much debate, chooses the best of the best for 2007.

If that isn’t enough for you to do… this week is BOTH Buy a Friend a Book Week and Banned Books Week. Hey… you could buy a friend a banned book, and kill two birds with one stone! I’m not sure I’ll get around to reading a banned book this week; there are too many other books on my bedroom floor waiting for me. Ah, well. I’ll have to plan better next year.

So, what are you doing still hanging around here?