My brain goes on vapor lock whenever I step into the kids' book section of any bookstore. There are just too many choices. Usually, I gravitate to the books I loved as a kid -- but my offspring have made it clear that you can only read The Phantom Tollbooth so many times before you want to tell your mom to just stop telling you that it's "timeless," already.

Kids. No sense of the classics.

Which is why I'm thrilled that the Cybils -- the Children's and YA Bloggers Literary Awards -- have made it into a second year. Two things about the Cybils rock: 1) they're less stuffy than the Newbery's and 2) they cover a wide range of titles, from non-fiction to graphic novels that all have kid appeal.

The list of the best books of 2007 is one to tear out and carry with you to the store. Join me, won't you, in a journey out of the books of days past.