• 1988: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
• 1989: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
• 1990: Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
• 1991: We're Back!: A Dinosaur’s Story by Hudson Talbott, illustrated by Beverly Lazor-Bahr
• 1992: The Call of the Wolves by Jim Murphy, illustrated by Mark Alan Weatherby
• 1993: The Dog Who Had Kittens by Polly M. Robertus, illustrated by Janet Stevens
• 1994: Look Out, Patrick! by Paul Geraghty
• 1995: Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Elise Primavera
• 1996: Coyote Steals the Blanket: A Ute Tale by Janet Stevens
• 1997: Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Mark Buehner
• 1998: The Secret Shortcut by Mark Teague
• 1999: Just Another Ordinary Day by Rod Clement
• 2000: John Willy and Freddy McGee by Holly Meade
• 2001: Mouse, Look Out! by Judy Waite, illustrated by Norma Burgin
• 2002: Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
• 2003: Hoodwinked by Arthur Howard
• 2004: I Stink! by Kate McMullan, illustrated by Jim McMullan
• 2005: Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss
• 2006: My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
• 2007: Arrowhawk: A True Survival Story by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
• 2008: Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Jack E. Davis
• 2009: Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude, written and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley, illustrated by Carol Heyer & Scott Goto
• 2010: Chester by Melanie Watt
• 2011: Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson & Mary Nethery, illustrated by Jean Cassels
• 2012: I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
• 2013: Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Tim Bowers
• 2014: Silly Doggy! by Adam Stower
• 2015: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• 2016: Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
• 2017: Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Tim Bowers
• 2018: Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
  
• 2019: Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson
• 2020: Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings
• 2021: We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
• 2022: Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Heather Fox
• 2023: Kafka and the Doll by Larissa Theule, illustrated by Rebecca Green

Young Reader Category

• 1993: Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume
• 1994: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
• 1995: The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• 1996: Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth by Barbara Park
• 1997: Shape-Changer by Bill Brittain
• 1998: Tarot Says Beware by Betsy Byars
• 1999: Frindle by Andrew Clements
• 2000: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• 2001: Harry the Poisonous Centipede by Lynne Reid Banks
• 2002: Weird Stories from the Lonesome Cafe by Judy Cox
• 2003: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
• 2004: The Edison Mystery by Dan Gutman
• 2005: The Stranger Next Door by Peg Kehret
• 2006: Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret
• 2007: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng2008: The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret2009: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
• 2010: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
• 2011: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan2012: Stolen Children by Peg Kehret
• 2013: Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
• 2014: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
• 2015: Ungifted by Gordon Korman2016: Ava and Pip by Carol Weston
• 2017: Dash by Kirby Larson
• 2018: Loot by Jude Watson
  
• 2019: A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy
• 2020: A Dog Like Daisy by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
• 2021: Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech
• 2022: A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry
• 2023: Zeus, Dog of Chaos by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Intermediate Category

• 1988: Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements
• 1989: Baby-sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts
• 1990: There's a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar
• 1991: My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville
• 1992: Matilda by Roald Dahl
• 1993: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
• 1994: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• 1995: Flight #116 Is Down by Caroline B. Cooney
• 1996: The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon
• 1997: Loch by Paul Zindel
• 1998: Crash by Jerry Spinelli
• 1999: The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel
• 2000: Virtually Perfect by Dan Gutman
• 2001: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• 2002: Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts
• 2003: Zach's Lie by Roland Smith
• 2004: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
• 2005: Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen
• 2006: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
• 2007: Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith
• 2008: Magyk by Angie Sage
• 2009: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
• 2010: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• 2011: Stepping Up by Mark Fink
• 2012: Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
• 2013: Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
• 2014: Smile by Raina Telgemeier
• 2015: Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow
• 2016: Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
• 2017: A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
• 2018: Took by Mary Downing Hahn
  
• 2019: Framed! by James Ponti
• 2020: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
• 2021: The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano
• 2022: 96 Miles by J. L. Esplin
• 2023: City Spies by James Ponti

Young Adult Category

• 1989: Locked in Time by Lois Duncan
• 1990: Experiment in Terror by Bernal C. Payne, Jr.
• 1991: Princess Ashley by Richard Peck
• 1992: Whispers from the Dead by Joan Lowery Nixon
• 1993: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
• 1994: Plague Year by Stephanie S. Tolan
• 1995: The Giver by Lois Lowry
• 1996: Winners and Losers by Stephen Hoffius
• 1997: Shadow by Joyce Sweeney
• 1998: Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
• 1999: Tangerine by Edward Bloor
• 2000: Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan
• 2001: Hero by S.L. Rottman
• 2002: Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney
• 2003: Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
• 2004: Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli
• 2005: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
• 2006: Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman
• 2007: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• 2008: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• 2009: Peak by Roland Smith
• 2010: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• 2011: Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers
• 2012: The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
• 2013: Divergent by Veronica Roth
• 2014: Legend by Marie Lu
• 2015: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
• 2016: Yaqui Delgado Watns to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
• 2017: The Art of Secrets by James Klise
• 2018: The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
  
• 2019: The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
• 2020: The Lives of Desperate Girls by MacKenzie Common
• 2021: No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky
• 2022: Lovely War by Julie Berry
• 2023: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson