2021 THUMBS UP! AWARD

The 2021 work group, chaired by Tracy Bedford, Rochester Hills Public Library, considered 82 titles, reading, evaluating, reviewing and deliberating for more than 4,000 hours to select the top titles for teens aged 13-18 published in 2020.

2021 Thumbs Up! Award Work Group

Chair: Tracy Bedford, Rochester Hills Public Library
Vice-Chair: Kristen Jayska, Livonia Public Library
Kayla Dies, Paw Paw District Library
Shanni Kerr, Ionia Community Library
Becky Mangini, Chesterfield Public Library
Amanda Shepard, Herrick District Library
Sarah Swiderski, Salem-South Lyon District Library
Sarah Welch, Big Rapids Community Library

2021 Thumbs Up! Award Winner

The winner of the 2020 Thumbs Up! Award is Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, published by Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins).

In Punching the Air, Amal, sixteen years old, is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. He is tempted to succumb to his rage and despair, until his art, and his words, give him a purpose. He knows this shouldn’t be his story and he will use his talents to change it.

Writing this book, Ibi Zoboi worked with prison-reform activist Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five, wrongly convicted and eventually proven innocent only after spending years imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Their collaboration lends a true voice to Amal’s story and makes for a gripping read of this novel in verse.

"Punching the Air is a gripping story set in a prison, which is a setting not often found in YA literature," said 2021 Work Group Chair Tracy Bedford, Rochester Hills Public Library. "The design of the book, with verse and black and white illustration make the setting something the reader could almost feel. The fact that the author collaborated with one of the Central Park Five lends to the accuracy of the story and made this a truly special book."

The winners and honor books of the 2021 Youth Literary Awards were announced on March 12, 2021, at Spring Institute for Youth Services 2021 during the Literary Awards Lunch Break. Watch the video announcement:

2021 Thumbs Up! Award Honor Books

The 2021 Thumbs Up! Award Honor books include Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson, Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles,The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf, and A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown.

2021 Thumbs Up! Award Teen Choice

Teens aged 13 to 18 from throughout Michigan voted online for their favorite book from the Top Ten Titles to determine the 2021 Thumbs Up! Teen Choice. The winner of the 2020 Teen Choice is Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi.