William C. Morris Award

Bestowed annually, the William C. Morris Award honors a young adult title written by a first-time author writing for teens.

The 2025 winner:

Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo. Bloomsbury. Apr. 2024. 448p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781547614004.
Gr 10 Up–”I think I’m in trouble, but I think you can help me.” These are some of Maddie Price’s last words to her former friend Jo-Lynn Kirby before she disappears. The rest of Rochester may deem her a runaway, but it’s the last interaction with Maddie that Jo can’t get past. While it means digging into her past trauma and facing former friends, Jo is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to Maddie. The deeper she digs into Maddie’s disappearance, the more Jo questions what she knows and who she is really searching for. Is it Maddie or the girl she was before? Of course, there is more to the story than even Jo expected. This is a captivating novel about finding the truth and oneself: readers will enjoy trying to figure out what happened to Maddie along with Jo and figuring out who they can and who they shouldn’t trust. Adamo has a good grip on being a teenager in today’s world, making many situations relatable and realistic. This title may be a mystery, but it’s also very much about being a teenager. The topic of sexual assault does occur within the book, which can be triggering for some readers. Most of the cast cues white; there is LGBTQIA+ representation among supporting characters. VERDICT This strong debut belongs on library shelves, especially where mysteries are popular.–Reviewed by Amanda Borgia
 

2025 William C. Morris Award Finalists:

Aisle Nine by Ian X, Cho. HarperCollins. Sept. 2024. 272p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780063206809.
Gr 9 Up–It’s another boring day for Jasper at Here For You discount mart. It might seem that’s the only chaos in the life of this teen, but it’s not. Not only does he deal with severe amnesia, but at any moment there might be a mess in Aisle Nine. This rundown store is just one of many sites all around the world with a portal to Hell that opens and spews out demons. Helping to combat these demons is Jasper’s crush Kyle, who might have been a part of his life before amnesia, and the other members of the mysterious Vanguard Corporation. How did the world get like this? Cho’s debut captures the mundane humor of a dead-end job, the chaos and panic of a world where random demonic attacks are commonplace, and all the drama of young adult love, set against the backdrop of an oncoming holiday shopping season. Comedy and horror go hand in hand, and Cho provides readers with a cast of characters whose range can handle both genres, while remaining relevant to the everyday lives of this novel’s readers. VERDICT This book will delight readers with its dark comedy, but also provides enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. A perfect release for the upcoming spooky season.–Reviewed by Adam Fisher

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley. S. & S. Feb. 2024. 416p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781665914604.
Gr 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old Sid Spencer is an awkward teen living in Wellsie who is trying to navigate high school, adoption, and romance. She is a curly-haired Korean American girl who feels isolated even though she lives in a tourist town. Wellsie is located on a fault line that has sealed away magic. But when the fault line is ruptured it releases zombies and her brother, Matty, goes missing. Brian Aster, a friend of Sid’s brother, reveals that he is a guardian of the fault line. Sid joins the guardians to save her brother, fight the undead, and protect the magic. This fantasy has plenty of horror and romance while dealing with strong themes of friendship, family, loss, and finding self- worth. Characters are witty and likable; the action is fast paced, coupled with gruesome scenes. Wasley builds an intriguing world while keeping the themes in check. Relatable characters grow throughout the novel and find inner strength sending a positive message to readers about the value of believing in oneself. Wasley writes with clarity and charm, allowing her characters’ true selves to shine through. Sid and Matty, who are Asian American, were adopted by white parents and live in a predominately white community. VERDICT Fans of zombie fiction and Buffy the Vampire Slayer will enjoy the gore and pacing of this novel. Recommended.–Reviewed by Karen Alexander

Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. Jan. 2024. 368p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780063287860.
Gr 9 Up–This novel explores the coming-of-age of two Latina girls during their senior year of high school in East Oakland. Both Leti and Belén navigate a terrain that is saturated in casual racism, belittlement, sexism, and daily toxicity, but for Belén, all of these plus her father’s abandonment have sent her into an emotional tailspin. As related by Belén, everyone else’s lives and upheavals function as distraction from the heaviness of her own depression. Ixta explores the shortcomings of underfunded public education and a higher education system that wants trauma porn to inform student applications. For Leti’s college essay, she must divulge her teen pregnancy. But Ixta upends the notion that teen girls who get pregnant have thrown away their futures. Readers see that Leti, for all of her shrinking self-consciousness, is a fighter. This realistic novel lays bare the ways in which some of the most harmful damage a young girl can experience happens in the home. Belén witnesses the infidelity of her father and that of Leti’s father, as well as the abuse visited upon Leti’s body. Belén, the observant one, is belittled and treated with contempt for the behavior of the father. Yet she can still love deeply and begin the act of forgiving and healing. This novel explores the effects of family strife, the behaviors children learn from their own parents, and what catalysts spark their evolution and journey away from those damaging situations. VERDICT Readers will be inspired by Belén’s path to healing but not before it makes them ugly cry.–Reviewed by Stephanie Creamer

The Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin. Zando. Jun. 2024. 368p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781638931003.
Gr 9 Up–Franklin’s debut is a haunting tale where reality and fantasy intertwine in a way that will have readers questioning reality. Following the upheaval of her life due to her father’s arrest, 17-year-old Rhi finds herself living in Happy Valley, NY, under the care of an unfamiliar uncle. The story may feel a touch slow initially, but it quickly takes a fantastical turn when she encounters wolves guarding four feral girls deep within the forest. Rhi is instantly drawn to them and is determined to unravel the mystery of the girls’ origins. As the narrative unfolds, the girls, who claim to be princesses from another realm, become increasingly more desperate to sort truth from lies. Against the backdrop of mass media attention, Rhi and the girls travel a path to self-discovery, with poignant moments of introspection and raw revelations. This novel does not shy away from difficult topics. Mental health, sexual assault, and suicide are present with an emphasis on healing and empowerment. The overarching themes are of friendship, feminism, and the inner strength that these women share when they are together. The unforgettable characters and unique plot of this novel lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. There is some limited diversity among the characters. VERDICT A good purchase for libraries where Rory Power or Nina LaCour are popular.–Reviewed by Claire Covington