Elizabeth C. Bunce’s  A CURSE DARK AS GOLD wins the American Library Association’s William C. Morris YA Debut Award. 2009 is the first year for this award, which honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The work cited will illuminate the teen experience and enrich 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. 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.

A CURSE DARK AS GOLD was published by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic and was edited by Cheryl Klein.