YALSA’s 2016 Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge Begins!

Get a head start on the 2016 Hub Reading Challenge by reading the William C. Morris Award nominees and YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction finalists.  It’s official: there are just six weeks until ALA’s Youth Media Awards, where the winners of the William C. Morris Award, the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, and all of YALSA’s other book awards will be announced– so it’s time to start our annual Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge here on The Hub! We’re hoping the challenge will encourage you to read as many of these outstanding titles as possible.yalsa morris nonfiction seals

Challenge objective

Read all of the 2015 finalists for the William C. Morris Award for debut YA authors, all of the 2015 finalists for YALSA’s Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, or both between now and the Youth Media Awards on January 11th.

Challenge rewards

Beyond experiencing the best of the best that new YA authors and YA nonfiction have to offer, everyone who finishes the challenge may use what they read toward our 2016 Hub Reading Challenge. The Hub Reading Challenge includes prizes (!!!), so by participating in the Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge, you’re getting a head start on reading some of the best books published this year and you’re giving yourself an advantage in trying to win those prizes. 

Challenge guidelines

  • The challenge begins at 8:00 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 8 and ends at 7:45 AM Eastern Time on Monday, January 11. (And in case you’re wondering, the challenge ends on Eastern Time because the awards will be announced live at the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston.)
  • Participants may count the reading they have done since the finalists for each award was announced last week. If you read one of the finalists before the announcement of the shortlist for that award, you must re-read it for it to count.
  • Participants may read either all of the finalists for the Morris Award, all of the finalists for the Nonfiction Award, or both. The challenge cannot be completed simply by picking five titles between the two lists; participants must read the entire list of finalists for one or both awards.
  • Just about everyone who doesn’t work for ALA is eligible to participate. That means non-ALA/YALSA members are eligible. Teens are eligible! Non-US residents/citizens are eligible! (More eligibility questions? Leave a comment or email us.)

How to participate

  • Ready to start reading? Great! Comment here announcing your intention to participate. If you’re going to be tracking what you read on your blog, Goodreads, LibraryThing, YouTube or some other site, include a link to your blog/shelf/channel/profile in your comment. If you’re not tracking your reading online, keep a list some other way.
  • Still undecided? It’s okay to take your time. You may register for the challenge by leaving a comment here and starting your reading any time during the challenge period.
  • The challenge is more fun when it’s social!  Encourage other fans of teen literature or librarians and library workers to participate. If you want to talk about the challenge on Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, use the hashtag #hubchallenge.
  • Every Sunday, we’ll publish a check-in post including a round up of blog posts, book reviews, or comments on social media using the hashtag #hubchallenge. Leave a comment letting us know what you’ve read since the last check-in post. If you’ve reviewed those titles somewhere online, include links to those reviews! Otherwise, let us know what you thought of the books in the comments. We are eager to hear your thoughts.
  • If you’ve finished the challenge since the last check-in post, fill out the embedded form with your name and contact information. Please fill out the form only once.

If you have any questions or problems, let us know in the comments or via email.

Happy reading!

53 thoughts on “YALSA’s 2016 Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge Begins!”

  5. As with every year, I’m definitely participating. Since the awards were announced, I have read First Flight, Symphony for the City of the Dead, and Enchanted Air. The others are on hold for me, so I’ll read them as I gain access.

  7. I’ve always missed the Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge and delved right into The Hub Reading Challenge, so I’m excited to get a head start on that! I’m still working on another challenge (one I saw on pinterest from popsugar about reading different books over the course of the year), so I’ll just be going for the Morris selections.

  9. I’m definitely participating – Morris reading has already begun with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and I just started The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly!

  14. Let’s do this! I’m going to start with whichever one comes in first. They’re all on hold for both lists.

  19. I’m in for the Morris Challenge and then if I have time will attempt the Nonfiction Challenge.

  24. Looking forward to the challenge! I recently started collection development for my library’s YA area, so this will help me learn more about some of this year’s top books!

    1. OK, so nonfiction is complete. Taking a dive into the Morris Award category. Just read The Sacred Secrets of Minnow Bly, so only four to go!

  27. I love! the reading challenges. I am in. I especially enjoy them during breaks from school. I am getting my Morris Award books lined up.

  28. I’m going to try to do both challenges. I’ll be reviewing my books on my Goodreads account.

  38. I’m in! Have all 10 books on hold at local library. Have actually read 2 of them over the summer so they will be rereads. I do not have a website to track those which I have read, but will leave ratings/comments on this website,

  47. I started reading after I first saw this post, but just now got around to commenting my intent to participate. I usually do the Hub Challenge but miss this one somehow! So far I’ve read The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly (tried to read this earlier in the year & get distracted by something else, very creepy read IMO) & Enchanted Air (quick yet powerful poetic memoir).

  51. I’m in! I’m zig-zagging my way through the lists. Starting with Conviction and This Strange Wilderness. Let’s see where my circuitous path gets me.

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