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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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 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.