The William C. Morris YA Debut Award celebrates the achievement of a previously unpublished author, or authors, who have made a strong literary debut in writing for young adult readers. The work cited illuminates the teen experience and enriches the lives of its readers through its excellence, demonstrated by compelling, high quality writing and/or illustration, the integrity of the work as a whole, and its proven or potential appeal to a wide range of teen readers. The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults.

2011

THE FREAK OBSERVER
Blythe Woolston
Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 9780761362128
Ages 12-18
208 pages
August 2010

For eight years, Loa Sollilja's world ran like one of those mechanical models of the solar system, with her baby sister, Asta, as the sun. Asta suffered from a genetic disorder that left her a permanent infant, and caring for her was Loa's life. Everything spun neatly and regularly as the whole family orbited around Asta.

But now Asta is dead, and 16-year-old Loa's clockwork galaxy has collapsed. As Loa spins off on her own, her mind ambushes her with vivid nightmares and sadistic flashbacks --- a textbook case of PTSD. But there are no textbook fixes for Loa's short-circuiting brain. She must find her own way to pry her world from the clutches of death.

-Four other books were finalists for the award: CROSSING THE TRACKS by Barbara Stuber, GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD by Karen Healey, HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER by Lish McBride, and HUSH by Eishes Chayil.