2018 YouPer Award

The 2018 YouPer Award Work Group read and discussed 60 titles. Collectively, work group members estimate that they spent 1250 - 1500 hours reading and reviewing submissions. "The selection process for the YouPer Award is intense, exciting and rewarding," said YouPer Work Group Co-Chair Tracy Bedford. "There are many hours spent reading and discussing books-which of course, as librarians, we all love. Our differing opinions make for lively discussions and give us each the opportunity to hear about books we might not have heard about otherwise."

The work group reads throughout the year to narrow selections to the top five or "High Five" titles. The 2018 YouPer High Five were announced at the 2018 Spring Institute Conference. The winning title and Honor Books were announced at the 2018 MLA Annual Conference.

2018 YouPer High Five

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
Forever or a Long, Long Time by Caela Carter
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Posted by John David Anderson
Refugee by Alan Gratz

2018 MLA YouPer Award Winner and Honor Books

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow Named 2018 MLA YouPer Award Winner

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend book cover

The Michigan Library Association (MLA) is pleased to announce Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, published in 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, is the winner of the 2018 MLA YouPer (Young Person) Award.

Morrigan Crow is cursed with unluckiness and is doomed to die on her eleventh birthday. But a strange man, Jupiter North, sweeps her away to the magical city of Nevermoor, where she will compete for a spot in the Wundrous Society, against hundreds of children with special talents. Only Morrigan isn’t sure what her special talent might be. Either Morrigan will become a part of the mysterious Wundrous Society, or she will have to go back home and face her deadly fate.

“We chose Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow for several important reasons. We felt the book was truly creative. It builds a whole new world that we want to learn more about, and we fell in love with the protagonist, Morrigan,” Said YouPer Work Group Co-Chair Alexa Lalejini, “She is on an incredible journey and her persistence in the face of mistakes and trouble is admirable. We felt that given the political environment of the world today, a heroic female protagonist would reflect and encourage children who read about her. This librarian-nominated book ended up being a favorite of many. Morrigan Crow is the new female Harry Potter - a girl on a quest, a hero in the making. Her world is fascinating, and we can’t wait to her more about it.”

Jessica Townsend lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Her pet fascinations include public transport, ancient cities, hotels, opera singers, Halloween, secret societies and gigantic cats - all of which have weaselled their way into Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, her award-winning first novel released in 2017. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, the second book in this record-breaking series, will be released in 2018.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was the biggest-selling Australian children's debut since records began. It has won the 2018 ABIA for Book of the Year, Book of the Year for Younger Readers and Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year; the 2018 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year and Children's Category; the 2017 Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction; the 2018 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Younger Fiction and was named a CBCA notable book.