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!

Graphics and awards seals are available and free to use. Please use these resources at your library to help us promote MLA Youth Literary Awards and the amazing job our workgroups do in selecting the very best books for youth! 

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