Awards season has arrived

Yes, the Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday, but they weren't the only short-lists offered up this week. On Wednesday, the short list for the first ever William C. Morris YA Debut Award were unveiled. This brand new prize (hosted by the American Library Association) will each year go to a book by a first time author that illuminates the teen experiences and enriches the life of its readers through its excellence.

This year's nominees are:

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth Bunce


Graceling by Kristin Cashore


Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne



Madapple by Christina Meldrum


Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine



The winner will be announced January 26, 2009. In the meantime, stop over at the library and check them out. [Okay, quick admission: right now only two of them are not checked out: Me, the Missing, and the Dead and Absolutely Brightness. But if you want to request the book, just click on the cover and then hit the request button (red) on the SWAN catalog. Type in the prompted info and voila, you'll get a copy of the book in no time. Can you tell that I do this all the time from home?] This librarian has read Madapple and found it intriguing and even a little intriguing, but definitely captivating stuff. I've heard a lot of people raving about Graceling, a fantasy title with a strong feminine lead.

In other awards news, the Michael L. Printz Award - basically the big kahuna in YA literature, will be announced on the same day. The L.A. Times Book Prize, with a category for YA lit, will be announced sometime in April.