YALSA's Morris Award Seal
By Pam Spencer Holley – In December of each year, the Young Adult Library Services Association [YALSA], a division of the American Library Association, announces the five finalists in both the William C. Morris and Excellence in Nonfiction Awards. At the Midwinter meeting of ALA, the winners of these two awards, along with other youth media awards, will be announced on Monday, January 23rd. Titles of all winners can be found at www.ala.org/yma
The William C. Morris Award honors a debut book published by a first-time author who is writing for young adults, ages 12 to 18.
The five finalists for this award are listed below:
The Girl of Fire and Thorns
The Girl of Fire and Thorns, written by Rae Carson and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Elisa bears the Godstone indicating she’s a chosen one, but it’s unclear what she’s been chosen to do in a work that weaves together religion, politics and more in a fast-paced fantasy.
Paper Covers Rock, written by Jenny Hubbard and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.
After a drowning at an exclusive boarding school, junior Alex journals the events that led to the death of his classmate in a story about a code of silence that compromises the code of honor.
Under the Mesquite, written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall and published by Lee and Low Books.
Following her mother’s cancer diagnosis, Lupita as oldest assumes more family responsibility yet never gives up her dream to attend college.
Between Shades of Gray
Between Shades of Gray, written by Ruta Sepetys and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group USA.
In a little-known piece of history from World War II, 15-year-old Lithuanian Lina and her family are sent by Stalin to Siberia where it seems no one could possibly survive in the cold, bleak terrain.
Where Things Come Back, written by John Corey Whaley and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Although it would seem that nothing ever happens in Lily, Arkansas, Cullen’s seventeenth summer proves otherwise as disconnected events collide.
The Excellence in Nonfiction Award honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 through October 31 publishing year. The five finalists for this award are listed below:
Sugar Changed the World
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science, written by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Blending facts with personal narrative, this true tale of the sugar trail provides readers an intimate and troubling portrait of the white grains that sweeten everything from coffee to bubblegum.
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, written by Karen Blumenthal and published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
The Temperance movement eventually led to the passage of the 18th Amendment, although no one ever thought it would result in gangsters, alcohol-related crimes, and bootlegging.
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way), written by Sue Macy and published by National Geographic Children’s Books.
With the invention of the bicycle, women quickly left their restraining corsets and skirts for bloomers as young or old, African American or white, adventurer or activist, they all took to the road… and freedom.
Music Was IT: Young Leonard Bernstein, written by Susan Goldman Rubin and published by Charlesbridge.
This lively account of the passionate life of young Leonard Bernstein begins with his childhood in Boston and concludes with his brilliant conducting debut at Carnegie Hall when he was only 25-years-old.
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery, written by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
Treating history as mystery, Sheinkin takes readers through means, motive, and opportunity as he outlines Arnold’s path towards treason.
More complete information about these, and other YALSA awards, can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa
- A member of YALSA [Young Adult Library Services Association] for more than 25 years, Pam Spencer Holley is a Past President, chaired the 1987 Best Books for Young Adults, the 2004 Printz Committee and the 2009 Odyssey Committee. She authored the series What Do Children and Young Adults Read Next?, vol. 1-6 [The Gale Group, 1994-2004], and continues to write for their online product Books and Authors. She is a former biology teacher, middle and high school librarian, and coordinator of libraries for Fairfax County Public Schools, from which she retired in 1998.
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