YALSA Unveils Five William C. Morris Award Finalists
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-- School Library Journal, 12/02/2009
A modern tale of star-crossed lovers, a story about a dead teen, and Cinderella with a twist are among the five books selected as finalists for the 2010 William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author and is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
The 2010 finalists are: Ash (Little, Brown) by Malinda Lo, a fairy tale about a girl's move from comfort to despair to true love with a little help from fairies and magic; Beautiful Creatures (Little, Brown) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, a Southern Gothic love story; The Everafter (HarperCollins) by Amy Huntley, about a dead teen who re-experiences certain times in her life; Flash Burnout (Houghton) by L. K. Madigan, which deals with family, teen romance, drug addiction, and friendship; and Hold Still (Penguin) by Nina LaCour, a story about starting over after a friend’s suicide.
“The five finalists represent a terrific field of new YA talent with writing styles ranging from first person narratives to gothic horror, lyrical retelling of fairy tales to stark contemporary issues,” says Judy Nelson, the 2010 Morris committee chair. “The committee wrestled with the selections but chose writers and stories that were fresh, compelling, unusual and believable.”
The award is named for William C. Morris, an influential figure in the publishing world who was know for promoting literature for children and teens. YALSA will host a reception honoring the shortlist authors and the winner, as well as YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction Award winners, at a free reception on January 18 from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Westin Copley Place Essex Center South. Librarians and publishers can purchase finalist seals from YALSA to place on books www.alastore.ala.org.
Members of the 2010 William C. Morris Award are chair Judy Nelson of the Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, WA; Jeana Actkinson of Bridgeport High School in Texas; Joni Richards Bodart of the School of Library and Information Science at the State University of California in San Jose; Susan Fichtelberg of the Public Library of Woodbridge, NJ; Angela Frederick of the Nashville Public Library in Tennessee; Clio Hathaway of the Martin Memorial Library in York, PA; Melanie Koss of Northern Illinois University; Anne Leon of Alvin Sherman Library-Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL; Gail Zachariah of Keene Public Library in New Hampshire; David Durante of Pierce County Library System in Graham, WA; and Chicago-based Booklist consultant Ilene Cooper.
