KBA Winner's Circle

2024

• Preschool: I'm Terrified of Bath Time by Simon Rich

• K-2: The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett

• 3-5: Odder by Katherine Applegate

• 6-8: Alone by Megan E. Freeman

• 9-12: Five Survive by Holly Jackson

2023

• Preschool: Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover) by Helen Yoon

• K-2: Chez Bob by Bob Shea

• 3-5: Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd

• 6-8: Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

• 9-12: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

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