MLA 2024 Youth Literary Awards

MLA's Youth Literary Awards recognize outstanding contributions to youth literature and celebrate the best titles for children and teens. For the past year, MLA Youth Literary Award workgroups have spent thousands of hours reading, reviewing, and discussing hundreds of books to choose the very best titles published in 2023 for Michigan kids. It's our pleasure to share the winners of the 2024 Mitten, YouPer, and Thumbs Up! Awards.

The 2024 Mitten Award goes to An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter, and published by Little Brown & Co. The winner of the 2024 YouPer Award is The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell, and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers. The 2024 Thumbs Up! Award winner is Warrior Girl Unearthed, by Angeline Boulley, published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR). Learn more