KBA Winner's Circle

Video Announcement

Past Winners

2022
  • Preschool:  Find Fergus by Mike Boldt
  • K-2:  Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln by Shari Swanson
  • 3-5:  Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley
  • 6-8:  When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson
  • 9-12:  Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
2021
  • Preschool:  Hair Love by Matthew Cherry
  • K-2: Zombies Don't Eat Veggies! by Jorge Lacera
  • 3-5: Max & the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce
  • 6-8: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
  • 9-12: Paul, Big, and  Small by David Glen Robb

2020
  • Preschool: A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar 
  • K-2: We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
  • 3-5: Mac B, Kid Spy: Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett
  • 6-8: Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
  • 9-12: Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal
2019
  • Preschool: Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy
  • K-2: Escargot by Dashka Slater
  • 3-5: The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner
  • 6-8: The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne
  • 9-12: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
2018
  • Preschool: Mother Bruce by Ryan Higgins
  • K-2: Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp
  • 3-5: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
  • 6-8: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
  • 9-12: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
2017
  • K-2: I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton
  • 3-5: Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Pollaco
  • 6-8: The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
  • 9-12: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
2016
  • K-2: The Monkey Goes Bananas by CP Bloom
  • 3-5: Duke by Kirby Lawson
  • 6-8: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
  • 9-12: Faking Normal by Courtney Stevens
2015
  • K-2: Trooper by Meg Kearney
  • 3-5: Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre
  • 6-8: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
  • 9-12: I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff
2014
  • K-2: This Is Not My Hat (Candlewick) by Jon Klassen.
  • 3-5: Wonder (Knopf) by R. J. Palacio.
  • 6-8: The Ghost of Graylock (Scholastic) by Dan Poblocki.
  • 9-12: I Hunt Killers (Little, Brown) by Barry Lyga.
2013
  • K-2: Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes (Harper) by Eric Litwin; James Dean, ill.
  • 3-5: Smile (Graphix) by Raina Telgemeier.
  • 6-8: Legend (G. P. Putnam's Sons) by Marie Lu.
  • 9-12: Divergent (Katherine Tegen Books) by Veronica Roth.
2012
  • K-2: Chalk (Marshall Cavendish) by Bill Thomson.
  • 3-5: Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (Harper) by Lincoln Peirce.
  • 6-8: A Tale Dark and Grimm (Dutton) by Adam Gidwitz.
  • 9-12: Room (Little Brown) by Emma Donoghue.
2011
  • K-2: Rhyming Dust Bunnies (Atheneum) by Jan Thomas.
  • 3-5: Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle (Little Brown Books for Young Readers) by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery.
  • 6-8: Million-Dollar Throw (Philomel Books) by Mike Lupica.
  • 9-12: Maze Runner (Delecorte) by James Dashner.
 2010
  • K-2: Peter Spit a Seed at Sue (Houghton Mifflin) by Jackie French Koller; Johan Manders, illustrator.
  • 3-5: Swindle (Scholastic) by Gordon Korman.
  • 6-8: The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins) by Neil Gaiman.
  • 9-12: The Hunger Games (Scholastic) by Suzanne Collins
2009
  • K-2: Dogku (Simon & Schuster) by Andrew Clements; Tim Bowers, ill.
  • 3-5: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams) by Jeff Kinney
  • 6-8: Call Me Hope (Little, Brown) by Gretchen Olson
  • 9-12: Thirteen Reasons Why (Razorbill) by Jay Asher
2008
  • K-2: Good Boy, Fergus (Scholastic) by David Shannon
  • 3-5: The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic) by Brian Selznick
  • 6-8: Rules (Scholastic) by Cynthia Lord
  • 9-12: Impulse (Margaret K. McElderry) by Ellen Hopkins
2007
  • K-2: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More (Harcourt) by Karen Beaumont
  • 3-5: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo
  • 6-8: Avalon High (HarperCollins) by Meg Cabot
  • 9-12: Twilight (Little, Brown) by Stephenie Meyer
 2006
  • K-2: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Hyperion) by Mo Willems
  • 3-5: The Report Card (Simon & Schuster) by Andrew Clements
  • 6-8: So B. It (HarperCollins) by Sarah Weeks
  • 9-12: Looking for Alaska (Penguin) by John Green
2005
  • K-2: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Hyperion) by Mo Willems
  • 3-5: The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo
  • 6-8: Surviving the Applewhites (HarperCollins) by Stephanie S. Tolan
  • 9-12: Son of the Mob (Hyperion) by Gordon Korman
2004
  • K-2: Hungry Hen (HarperCollins) by Richard Waring; Caroline Jayne Church, illustrator
  • 3-5: Scranimals (Greenwillow) by Jack Prelutsky; Peter Sis, illustrator
  • 6-8: A Corner of the Universe (Scholastic) by Ann M. Martin
  • 9-12: The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Little Brown) by Alice Sebold
2003
  • K-2: Hoodwinked (Harcourt) by Arthur Howard
  • 3-5: Albert (Harcourt) by Donna Jo Napoli
  • 6-8: Knocked Out by Nunga- Nungas: Further, Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Harper Collins) by Louise Rennison
  • 9-12: The Brimstone Journals (Candlewick) by Ron Koertge
2002
  • K-2: One Lucky Girl (Dorling Kindersley) by George Ella Lyon; Irene Trivas, illustrator
  • 3-5: So You Want to be President? (Philomel) by Judith St. George; David Small, illustrator
  • 6-8: Stuck in Neutral (HarperCollins) by Terry Trueman
  • 9-12: Monster (HarperCollins) by Walter Dean Myers
2001
  • K-2: Don't Need Friends (Doubleday) by Carolyn Crimi; Lynn Munsinger, illustrator
  • 3-5: The Babe and I (Gulliver) by David A. Adler; Terry Widener, illustrator
  • 6-8: Secrets of the Mummies (Hyperion) by Shelley Tankaka; Greg Ruhl, illustrator
  • 9-12: Speak (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) by Laurie Halse Anderson
2000
  • K-3: Hooway for Wodney Wat (Houghton Mifflin) by Helen Lester; Lynn Munsinger, illustrator
  • 4-8: Smoky Mountain Rose (Dial) by Alan Schroeder; Brad Sneed, illustrator
1999
  • K-3: A Perfect Pork Stew (Orchard) by Paul B. Johnson
  • 4-8: Christopher Changes His Name (Firefly) by Itah Sadu; Roy Condy, illustrator
1998
  • K-3: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse (Greenwillow) by Kevin Henkes
  • 4-8: Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman (Dial) by Alan Schroeder; Jerry Pinkney, illustrator
1997
  • K-3: Officer Buckle and Gloria (Putnam) by Peggy Rathmann
  • 4-8: Piggie Pie! (Clarion) by Margie Palatini; Howard Fine, illustrator
1996
  • K-3: Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm (Mulberry) by Jerdine Nolan; Mark Buehner, illustrator
  • 4-8: The Christmas of the Reddle Moon (Dial) by J. Patrick Lewis; Gary Kelley, illustrator
1995
  • K-3: The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (Orchard) by Paul B. Johnson
  • 4-8: The Hero of Bremen (Holiday House) retold by Margaret Hodges; Charles Mikolaycak, illustrator
1994
  • K-3: Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! (Puffin) by David McPhail
  • 4-8: Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak (Bantam) by Jeff Moss; Chris Demarest, illustrator
1993
  • K-3: Tuesday (Clarion) by David Wiesner
  • 4-8: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky (Dial) illustrated by Susan Jeffers
 1992
  • K-3: Basket (Orchard) by George Ella Lyon; Mary Szilagyi, illustrator
  • 4-8: Something Big Has Been Here (Greenwillow) by Jack Prelutsky; James Stevenson, illustrator
1991
  • K-3: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Simon & Schuster) by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; Lois Ehlert, illustrator
  • 4-8: The Butterfly Jar (Bantam) by Jeff Moss; Chris Demarest, illustrator
1990
  • K-3: The Lady With the Alligator Purse (Little, Brown) illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
  • 4-8: The Stranger (Houghton Mifflin) by Chris Van Allsburg
1989
  • K-3: The Wolf's Chicken Stew (Putnam) by Keiko Kasza
  • 4-8: Class Clown (Morrow) by Johanna Hurwitz
1988
  • K-3: Hey Al! (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) by Arthur Yorinks; Richard Egielski, illustrator
  • 4-8: Who Needs a Bratty Brother (Lodestar) by Linda Gondosch; Helen Cogancherry, illustrator
1987
  • Polar Express (Houghton Mifflin) by Chris Van Allsburg
1986
  • Badger's Parting Gifts (Lothrop) by Susan Varley
1985
  • Angelina Ballerina (Crown) by Katherine Holabird; Helen Craig, illustrator
1984
  • Move Over Twerp (Dial) by Martha Alexander
1983
  • Jumanji (Houghton Mifflin) by Chris Van Allsburg