U.P. Notable Books

An annual book list focusing on literature from Michigan's Upper Peninsula created by The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association.


Updated March 24, 2025
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Tin camp road
Airgood, Ellen
Paper Book
Laurel Hill and her precocious daughter Skye live on Lake Superior, where the local school has classes of just four children, and the nearest hospital is a helicopter ride away. One otherwise normal afternoon, their landlord decides to evict them in favour of a more profitable summer rental, and,...
The women of the copper country : a novel
Russell, Mary Doria
Paper Book
From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow comes an inspiring historical novel about "America's Joan of Arc" Annie Clements--the courageous woman who started a rebellion by leading a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world. In July...
Hunter's moon : a novel in stories
Caputo, Philip
Paper Book
"Powerful....Caputo's wisdom runs deep. Few writers have better captured the emotional lives of men." --The New York Times Book Review From Philip Caputo--the author of A Rumor of War, The Longest Road, and Some Rise By Sin<...
Michigan Indian boarding school survivors speak out : a narrative history
Brunner, Sharon Marie
Winner of the U.P. Notable Books Award (2025) The impact of Indian boarding schools has been devastating for generations of Native Americans, and the aftershocks continue to affect their descendants today. Michigan was home to three: in Baraga, Harbor Springs and Mt....
A face in the rock : the tale of a Grand Island Chippewa
Graham, Loren R.
Paper Book
Eight miles long and four miles wide, Grand Island lies off the south shore of Lake Superior. It was once home to a sizable community of Chippewa Indians who lived in harmony with the land and with each other. Their tragic demise began early in the nineteenth century when their fellow tribesmen...
The Marsh King's daughter
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER   "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."--Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick! A Printz Medal AND Morris Award Winner! Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground.
The big island : a story of Isle Royale
May, Julian
Paper Book
First published in 1968, this engrossing and beautiful picture book about wildlife on Isle Royale is available again Isle Royale, "the big island" of this book, is a wilderness national park in Lake Superior and home to a unique and fascinating ecosystem of animals, most...
Who am I?
Buchholtz, Julie
Paper Book
"Who am I?" a young girl asks her mom as she snuggles close. "You are the fire that burns and the eagle that soars. You are the oak tree and the wild rose," says momma. Written from an Indigenous perspective, Who Am I? tells the story of how we are all connected to our ancestors, our past and future...
World War II conscientious objectors : Germfask, Michigan, the Alcatraz camp
Kopecky, Jane.
Paper Book
Civilian Public Service Camp 135 at Germfask, Michigan was a bubbling cauldron whose story is finally exposed. Here Jane Kopecky reveals the nearly-forgotten story of Camp Germask, where some of the most ardent war-resisters among World War II conscientious objectors were held for 13 months in 1944...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Audiobook
"Isabella Star LaBlanc brings an authentic-sounding narration to this powerful audiobook...Dialogue, including words in other languages, is handled with effortless transitions and clear depictions between characters. This audiobook should not be missed." -- AudioFile Magazine, ...
The women of the copper country
Russell, Mary Doria
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestselling AuthorIn July 1913, twenty-five-year-old Annie Clements has spent her whole life in the copper-mining town of Calumet, Michigan, where men risk their lives for meager salaries and women labor in the houses of the elite and send their husbands and sons deep underground...
The wicked sister
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
She thought she'd buried her past. But what if it's been hunting her this whole time? From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Marsh King's Daughter comes a startling novel of psychological suspense as two generations of sisters try to unravel their tangled...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground. "One of this year's most buzzed about...
The women of the copper country
Russell, Mary Doria
Paper Book
From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow comes an inspiring historical novel about "America's Joan of Arc" Annie Clements--the courageous woman who started a rebellion by leading a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world. In July...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline.
Paper Book
An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick! A Printz Medal AND Morris Award Winner! Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground.
The Marsh King's daughter
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER   "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."--Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological...
The Marsh king's daughter : a novel
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER   "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."--Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological...
The Marsh King's daughter : a novel
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER   "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."--Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological...
The wicked sister
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
She thought she'd buried her past. But what if it's been hunting her this whole time? From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Marsh King's Daughter comes a startling novel of psychological suspense as two generations of sisters try to unravel their tangled...
The Marsh king's daughter a novel
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER   "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."--Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological...

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