'Seraphina' wins 2013 William C. Morris Award

SEATTLE —“Seraphina” written by Rachel Hartman, has been named the 2013 winner of the William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. The award was presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting held Jan. 25–29 in Seattle.

When the death of a royal prince threatens the fragile peace between humans and dragons in Goredd, court musician Seraphina is drawn into the murder investigation. But even as she aids Prince Lucian in his mission to uncover the murderer, Seraphina conceals a dangerous secret of her own—her half-human, half-dragon heritage.

“Hartman’s vivid descriptions and clever wordplay immerse readers in Seraphina’s world,” said Morris Award Chair Joy Kim.

The award is named for William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. William “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 Morris Award is awarded annually at ALA’s Midwinter Youth Media Awards and will be presented at a reception in Seattle on Jan. 28, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Washington State Convention Center in room 606.

The 2013 Morris Award finalists, announced in December, included: “Wonder Show,” written by Hannah Barnaby, published by Houghton Mifflin, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers; “Love and Other Perishable Items,” written by Laura Buzo, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; “After the Snow,” written by S. D. Crockett, published by Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” written by emily m. danforth, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Members of the 2013 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair Joy Kim, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, Wash.; Lee Catalano, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.; Diane Colson, Palm Harbor (Fla.) Library; Michael Fleming, Pacific Cascade Middle School Library, Issaquah, Wash.; Sarah Holtkamp, Chicago Public Library; Shelly McNerney, Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park, Kans.; Anne Rouyer, New York Public Library; Judy Sasges, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, Wash.; Vicky Smith, Kirkus Reviews, South Portland, Maine; Sandy Sumner, administrative assistant, Morehead (Ky.) State University Camden–Carroll Library; Ilene Cooper, Booklist, Chicago.

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or email: yalsa@ala.org.

For more information on the William C. Morris Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visitwww.ala.org/yma.

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