Cait Levin’s Imposter Wins Massachusetts YA Book Award ’26

Teens in Print is proud to announce the winning title of the 2026 Massachusetts YA Book Award, Cait Levin’s Imposter.

The Canton, MA author’s story focuses on high school sophomore, Cam, who loves techie things. But once she enters a computer science class, she meets obnoxious boys who don’t believe she should be there. Supported by her best friend, Viv, the pair join an extracurricular RoboSub team as the only two girls there and soon find their way to a national stage. Will they prove their haters right and flop so publicly? Or will they code like a girl…and win?

“Imposter explores how we react when our passions and interests are met with skepticism and disregard,” Levin described. “It follows Cam, a high school sophomore, as she confronts the reality many girls and women face in STEM. It’s an honor for Cam’s story to win the Massachusetts Book Award. My deepest hope is that the book will find more readers who need to hear it, and that they will be inspired to keep pursuing what lights them up even when—especially when—naysayers try to dim that light.”

Honorary mentions for the Massachusetts YA Book Award go to The Ripple Effect by Rebecca Caprara and A World Without Summer by Nicholas Day.

Presented by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, the Massachusetts Book Awards honor noteworthy works from Massachusetts authors, artists, and poets. Courtney Andree, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, shared this sentiment about this year’s cohort of creators: “This year’s award winners invite us to grapple with the elusiveness of equality, find hope in the enduring bonds of family, confront the realities of a rapidly changing climate, and consider the vastness of the universe and our place in it. MCB is thrilled to recognize this amazing group of Massachusetts writers, illustrators, translators, poets, and publishers! We feel fortunate to be a part of such a vibrant and fearless literary community.”

Massachusetts Center for the Book (MCB) is a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring a love of reading, honoring the rich literary culture of the Commonwealth, promoting unrestricted access to books and libraries, and fostering literacy and learning. Founded in 2000, MCB is charged with developing, supporting, and promoting cultural programming to advance the cause of books, libraries, and reading in Massachusetts. As the designated Commonwealth affiliate of the Library of Congress, the Center runs youth and family literacy programs, like the Reading Challenge and Letters About Literature; represents Massachusetts at the National Book Festival; operates the Massachusetts Book Awards and Mass Kids Lit Fest; and partners with community organizations on literary initiatives and events, big and small, across the state.