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CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the 91��ý (91��ý), selected five books as finalists for the 2025 William C. Morris Award, which honors the year’s best books written for young adults by a previously unpublished author.

YALSA will name the 2025 award winner at the Youth Media Awards on January 27, 2025, during the 91��ý’s : The Library Learning Experience conference in Phoenix, AZ.

The 2025 William C. Morris Award finalists are:

“Aisle Nine,” written by Ian X. Cho and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.

“Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear,” written by Robin Wasley and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

“Not Like Other Girls,” written by Meredith Adamo and published by Bloomsbury YA, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

“Shut Up, This Is Serious,” written by Carolina Ixta and published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

“The Wilderness of Girls,” written by Madeline Claire Franklin and published by Zando Young Readers, an imprint of Zando.

“The 2025 Morris Committee thoroughly enjoyed the journey of seeking out the newest debut novels of this year while determining which titles best met the award criteria,” said Jessica Lorentz Smith, chair of the 2025 William C. Morris Award Committee. “The reading had us laughing, crying, and asking questions while celebrating the challenge of creating a list of just five incredible titles. The work is so rewarding for all of us library professionals.”

The Morris Award is named after 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.

More information on the finalists and the award can be found on the Morris Award page. Publishers and library staff can purchase finalist seals to place on the finalist titles at .

Members of the 2025 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair Jessica M Lorentz Smith, Bend Senior High School, Oregon; Rebecca Baldwin, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio; Jen Blair, Beaverton School District, Oregon; Melissa M. Carroll, Sonoma County Library - Rohnert Park, California; Brandi Hamlin, St. Charles City-County Library, Missouri; Dr. Evelyn Scharf Hunter, The Chattanooga Public Library, Tennessee; Megan Jackson, Free Library of Philadelphia; Zoe Smolen, New York Public Library; Loren Spector, Los Angeles Public Library.

The mission of the Young Adult Services Association (YALSA) is networking, advocacy and professional development. The Young Adult Services Association empowers all those involved in the profession to provide equitable, diverse and inclusive teen services. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources, please visit .

For more information on the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and other 91��ý Youth Media Awards, please visit .