
| 2007 | Susan Patron | The Higher Power of Lucky |
| 2006 | Lynne Rae Perkins | Criss Cross |
| 2005 | Cynthia Kadohata | Kira-Kira |
| 2004 | Kate DiCamillo | The Tale of Despereaux |
| 2003 | Avi | Crispin: The Cross of Lead |
| 2002 | Linda Sue Park | A Single Shard |
| 2001 | Peck, Richard | A Year Down Yonder |
| 2000 | Curtis, Christopher Paul | Bud, Not Buddy |
| 1999 | Sachar, Louis | Holes |
| 1998 | Hesse, Karen | Out of the Dust |
| 1997 | Konigsburg, E. L. | The View from Saturday |
| 1996 | Cushman, Karen | The Midwife's Apprentice |
| 1995 | Creech, Sharon | Walk Two Moons |
| 1994 | Lowry, Lois | The Giver |
| 1993 | Rylant, Cynthia | Missing May |
| 1992 | Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds | Shiloh |
| 1991 | Spinelli, Jerry | Maniac Magee |
| 1990 | Lowry, Lois | Number the Stars |
| 1989 | Fleischman, Paul | Joyful Noise |
| 1988 | Freedman, Russell | Lincoln |
| 1987 | Fleischman, Sid | The Whipping Boy |
| 1986 | MacLachlan, Patricia | Sarah, Plain and Tall |
| 1985 | McKinley, Robin | The Hero and the Crown |
| 1984 | Cleary, Beverly | Dear Mr. Henshaw |
| 1983 | Voigt, Cynthia | Dicey's Song |
| 1982 | Willard, Nancy | A Visit to William Blake's Inn |
| 1981 | Paterson, Katherine | Jacob Have I Loved |
| 1980 | Blos, Joan W. | A Gathering of Days |
| 1979 | Raskin, Ellen | The Westing Game |
| 1978 | Paterson, Katherine | Bridge to Terabithia |
| 1977 | Taylor, Mildred D. | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
| 1976 | Cooper, Susan | The Grey King |
| 1975 | Hamilton, Virginia | M. C. Higgins, The Great |
| 1974 | Fox, Paula | The Slave Dancer |
| 1973 | George, Jean Craighead | Julie of the Wolves |
| 1972 | O'Brien, Robert C. | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH |
| 1971 | Byars, Betsy | The Summer of the Swans |
| 1970 | Armstrong, William H. | Sounder |
| 1969 | Alexander, Lloyd | The High King |
| 1968 | Konigsburg, E. L. | From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler |
| 1967 | Hunt, Irene | Up a Road Slowly |
| 1966 | Trevino, Elizabeth Borton de | I, Juan de Pareja |
| 1965 | Wojciechowska, Maia | Shadow of a Bull |
| 1964 | Neville, Emily Cheney | It's Like This, Cat |
| 1963 | L'Engle, Madeleine | A Wrinkle in Time |
| 1962 | Speare, Elizabeth George | The Bronze Bow |
| 1961 | O'Dell, Scott | Island of the Blue Dolphins |
| 1960 | Krumgold, Joseph | Onion John |
| 1959 | Speare, Elizabeth George | The Witch of Blackbird Pond |
| 1958 | Keith, Harold | Rifles for Watie |
| 1957 | Sorensen, Virginia Eggertsen | Miracles on Maple Hill |
| 1956 | Latham, Jean Lee | Carry On, Mr. Bowditch |
| 1955 | DeJong, Meindert | The Wheel on the School |
| 1954 | Krumgold, Joseph | And Now Miguel |
| 1953 | Clark, Ann Nolan | Secret of the Andes |
| 1952 | Estes, Eleanor | Ginger Pye |
| 1951 | Yates, Elizabeth | Amos Fortune, Free Man |
| 1950 | DeAngeli, Marguerite | The Door in the Wall |
| 1949 | Henry, Marguerite | King of the Wind |
| 1948 | DuBois, William Pene | The Twenty-one Balloons |
| 1947 | Bailey, Carolyn Sherwin | Miss Hickory |
| 1946 | Lenski, Lois | Strawberry Girl |
| 1945 | Lawson, Robert | Rabbit Hill |
| 1944 | Forbes, Esther | Johnny Tremain |
| 1943 | Gray, Elizabeth Janet Vining | Adam of the Road |
| 1942 | Edmonds, Walter D. | The Matchlock Gun |
| 1941 | Sperry, Armstrong | Call It Courage |
| 1940 | Daugherty, James | Daniel Boone |
| 1939 | Enright, Elizabeth | Thimble Summer |
| 1938 | Seredy, Kate | The White Stag |
| 1937 | Sawyer, Ruth | Roller Skates |
| 1936 | Brink, Carol Ryrie | Caddie Woodlawn |
| 1935 | Shannon, Monica | Dobry |
| 1934 | Meigs, Cornelia | Invincible Louisa |
| 1933 | Lewis, Elizabeth Foreman | Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze |
| 1932 | Armer, Laura Adams | Waterless Mountain |
| 1931 | Coatsworth, Elizabeth Jane | The Cat Who Went to Heaven |
| 1930 | Field, Rachel | Hitty |
| 1929 | Kelly, Eric P. | The Trumpeter of Krakow |
| 1928 | Mukerji, Dhan Gopal | Gay-Neck |
| 1927 | James, Will | Smoky, the Cowhorse |
| 1926 | Chrisman, Arthur Bowie | Shen of the Sea |
| 1925 | Finger, Charles Joseph | Tales from Silver Lands |
| 1924 | Hawes, Charles Boardman | The
Dark Frigate, wherein is told the story of Philip Marsham who lived in the time of King Charles and was bred a sailor |
| 1923 | Lofting, Hugh | The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle |
| 1922 | VanLoon, Hendrik Willem | The Story of Mankind |