KBA Winner's Circle
PAST WINNERS
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