The William C. Morris YA Debut Award honors a book for teens that is published by a first-time author. The winner will be announced during the ALA Youth Media Awards in early 2020. Here is the 2020 shortlist of five titles:

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool