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.
2018
The Hate U Give
Call Number: YA
After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.
2017
The Serpent King
Call Number: YA
The son of a Pentecostal preacher faces his personal demons as he and his two outcast friends try to make it through their senior year of high school in rural Forrestville, Tennessee without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self.
2016
Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Call Number: YA
16-year-old Simon finds himself the target of blackmail when a schoolmate finds Simon's email sent to a boy anonymously met online. and who also goes to their school. As his email correspondence with “Blue” progresses, Simon must deal with not only his blackmailer, who wants to be set up with Simon’s friend, but his own circle of friends and family as he decides how and when to come out, and on his own terms.
2015
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
Call Number: YA
This is Gabi Hernandez's diary from her senior year of high school in a Southern California town close to the border. Gabi is smart, loyal, opinionated, self-deprecating, witty and observant. She's also overweight, loves to snack, write poetry, and dreams of (hopefully) getting into Berkeley and then also that her mother will actually allow her to go. Over the course of the year, she learns about the person she is and the woman she hopes to be while living in a traditional Catholic, Mexican-American community.
2013
Seraphina: A Novel
Call Number: YA
Dragons and humans have drawn up a tenuous treaty that allows for peace in the kingdom of Goredd. Musician Seraphina Dombegh just joined the kingdom’s court when a member of the royal family is murdered. Serephina gets drawn into the investigation with the extremely intelligent Prince Lucian Kiggs, but as they get closer to the truth, the secret to Seraphina’s talent is in danger of being revealed.
2012
Where Things Come Back: A Novel
Call Number: YA
Set in rural Arkansas against the backdrop of a potential rare bird sighting that prompts a flurry of attention to his small town, 17-year-old Cullen just wants to get out of this place until a series of events, including the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, compels him to rethink everything he thought he knew to be true.
