The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards with a shortlist of up to five titles named in early December.
For the first time ever, I have already read all of the Morris Award finalists before they were announced. Here they are:
- Blood Water Paint written by Joy McCullough
- Check, Please! written and illustrated by Ngozi Ukazu
- Children of Blood and Bone written by Tomi Adeyemi
- Darius the Great Is Not Okay written by Adib Khorram
- What the Night Sings written and illustrated by Vesper Stamper
They are all fantastic books, but my heart is leaning towards Darius the Great Is Not Okay. But I’d also love to see Blood, Water, Paint, a novel in verse, win. It is hard to know what the discussion about these five, very different books will be like, or say who will win. I will be at the Youth Media Awards in Seattle when the winner is announced on Monday, January 28th. I will also attend the awards presentation afterwards to celebrate all five finalists and whichever book wins. You can read more about each book on YALSA”S Morris Award page.
Stay tuned the Nonfiction finalists should be announced soon.
booksandbassets 