The YouPer (Young Person) Award recognizes and promotes quality literature for youth in chapter book format. This award was given for the first time in 2014 by the Michigan Library Association. The award is given annually to one chapter book originally published in English during the calendar year that has captured the attention of the youth librarians throughout the State of Michigan for its ability to communicate through literature to an intended audience.
Download the YouPer Award seals to use at your library! Winner, Honor Book and Top Ten Title award seals are available for download here: (To download, right-click on the seal and save it as an image.)
2022 YouPer Award Winner
The winner of the 2022 YouPer Award is Ophie’s Ghosts, written by Justina Ireland, and published by Balzer + Bray (an Imprint of Harper Collins).
We announced the winners and honor books of the 2022 Mitten, YouPer and Thumbs Up! Awards on Friday, May 27 at the MLA 2022 Youth Literary Awards. The awards selection group members worked throughout the year spending thousands of hours reading, reviewing and ranking hundreds of books to determine the top titles published in 2021. Watch the announcement below! Download the full list of winners.
2022 YouPer Award Winner
Ophie’s Ghosts By Justina Ireland
Honor Books
Cece Rios and the Desert of Lost Souls Author: Kaela Rivera Publisher: Harper an Imprint of Harper Collins
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids Author: Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith Publisher: Heartdrum an Imprint of Harper Collins
Top Ten Titles
(Listed in random order)
Starfish Author: Lisa Fipps Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books an Imprint of Penguin Random House
Maya and the Robot Author: Eve L. Ewing Illustrator: Christine Almeda Publisher: Kokila an Imprint of Penguin Random House
Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna Author: Alda P. Dobbs Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
The Swag is in the Socks Author: Kelly J. Baptist Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers an Imprint of Penguin Random House
Playing the Cards You’re Dealt Author: Varian Johnson Publisher: Scholastic Press
Ophie’s Ghosts Author: Justina Ireland Publisher: Balzer + Bray an Imprint of Harper Collins
World In Between Author: Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro Illustrator: Susan Shapiro Publisher: Clarion Books an Imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
The Comeback Author: E. L. Shen Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young People an Imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group
Cece Rios and the Desert of Lost Souls Author: Kaela Rivera Publisher: Harper an Imprint of Harper Collins
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids Author: Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith Publisher: Heartdrum an Imprint of Harper Collins
