MLA Youth Literary Awards

The MLA Youth Literary Awards promote excellence in literature for youth. Each year work groups made up of library staff in Michigan spend thousands of hours reading, reviewing and discussing hundreds of books to come up with the top titles published in the calendar year.

Mitten Award The Mitten Award recognizes and promotes quality literature for youth in picture book format.	YouPer Award The YouPer (Young Person) Award recognizes and promotes quality literature for youth in chapter book format.	Thumbs Up! Award The Thumbs Up! Award recognizes an outstanding contribution to teen literature that has both literary quality and teen appeal for those 13 to 18 years of age.
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2024 MLA Youth Literary Awards Top Ten Titles

Check out the top titles of the 2024 Mitten, YouPer and Thumbs Up! Awards! MLA Youth Literary Award workgroups spent thousands of hours reading, reviewing and discussing hundreds of books to determine the top titles for youth published in 2023. 

Save the date! The winners and honor books will be announced on Friday, June 7 at 10:00 AM on our social media and website!

2024 Mitten Award Top Ten Titles  

An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter

How To Count to One: And Don't Even Think About Bigger Numbers! by Caspar Salmon, illustrated by Matt Hunt

Big written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison

The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish written and illustrated by Chloe Savage

Mole is Not Alone written and illustrated by Maya Tatsukawa 

Scroll written and illustrated by Hui Li

Stickler Loves the World by Lane Smith, illustrated by Lane Smith

Summer is for Cousins by Rajani Larocca, illustrated by Abhi Alwar

The Red Jacket written and illustrated by Bob Holt

I'm Going to Build a Snowman by Jashar Awan, illustrated by Jashar Awan

2024 YouPer (Young Person) Top Ten Titles

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist

The Story of Gumluck the Wizard written and illustrated by Adam Rex

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors by Aida Salazar & Yamile Saied Mendez (editors)

Mexikid written and illustrated by Pedro Martin

2024 Thumbs Up! Top Ten Titles!

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

All the Fighting Parts: A Novel by Hannah V. Sawyerr

America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History by Ariel Aberg-Riger

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

All That’s Left to Say by Emery Lord

Waxways #1, A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa      

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson

MLA 2023 Youth Literary Awards Winners and Honor Books

We announced the winners and honor books of the 2023 Mitten, YouPer and Thumbs Up! Awards on Friday, June 16, 2023 at the MLA 2023 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 2022. Watch the announcement below! Download the full list of winners.