The William C. Morris YA Debut Award
Policies and Procedures | Contacts | Nominate a Title | Current Winner | 2009 Finalists
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.
The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award celebrates the achievement of a previously unpublished author, or authors, who have made a strong literary debut in writing for young adult readers. The work cited will illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence, demonstrated by:
- Compelling, high quality writing and/or illustration
- The integrity of the work as a whole
- Its proven or potential appeal to a wide range of teen readers
The Morris Award will be awarded annually at ALA’s Midwinter Youth Media Awards. A shortlist of up to five titles will be announced the second Monday of December.
2009 Winner
 The winner of the 2009 Morris Award is A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Charlotte Miller strikes a bargain with the malevolent Jack Spinner, who can transform straw into gold, to save her family’s mill. With masterly writing and vivid characterization and setting, Bunce weaves a powerfully seductive tale of triumph over evil.
“Bunce has crafted a story that superbly embodies the criteria for this award. Her work is compelling and has broad teen appeal,” said Chair Bonnie Kunzel. “Thoughtful reflection and spirited discussion characterized this outstanding committee’s work as its members selected a shortlist that honors the influence of William C. Morris on the field of young adult publishing.”
In addition to A Curse Dark as Gold, the Morris Award finalists include: Graceling, written by Kristin Cashore, published by Harcourt, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Absolute Brightness, written by James Lecesne, published by HarperTeen/Laura Geringer Books; Madapple, written by Christina Meldrum, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books; and Me, The Missing, and the Dead, written by Jenny Valentine, published by HarperTeen.
Members of the 2009 William C. Morris Award are: Chair Bonnie Kunzel, youth services consultant, Germantown, Tenn.; Molly Krichten, Guthrie Memorial Library - Hanover's (Pa.) Public Library; Jeanette Larson, Pflugerville, Texas; Cindy Lombardo, Cleveland Public Library; Walter Mayes, Girls’ Middle School, Mountain View, Calif.; Susan Riley, Mount Kisco (N.Y.) Public Library; Ian Rosenior, Miami Beach (Fla.) Regional Library, Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library System; Gail Tobin, Schaumburg (Ill.) Township District Library; Diane Tuccillo, Harmony Library, Fort Collins (Colo.) Regional Library District; Susan Fichtelberg, administrative assistant, Public Library of Woodbridge(N.J); and Booklist Consultant, Ilene Cooper.
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