Governor General's Literary Awards
Children's Literature

The Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature (Text) is awarded annually for a book written by a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. For more information, visit the official site.
Note: An award was given for ‘juvenile’ books from 1949 to 1958, then dropped. In 1987, the category was reinstated as ‘children's literature’ and awards were given separately for text and illustration. This page lists winners and shortlisted books in the text category.
See also: Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature (French)
indicates a review is available for that book
2014
- Raziel Reid – When Everything Feels like the Movies
Also shortlisted:
- Jonathan Auxier – The Night Gardener
- Lesley Choyce – Jeremy Stone
- Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley – Skraelings
- Mariko Tamaki – This One Summer
2013
- Teresa Toten – The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Also shortlisted:
- Beverley Brenna – The White Bicycle
- Shane Peacock – Becoming Holmes
- Jean E. Pendziwol – Once Upon a Northern Night
- Valerie Sherrard – Counting Back From Nine
2012
- Susin Nielsen – The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Also shortlisted:
- Rachel Hartman – Seraphina
- Allan Stratton – The Grave Robber's Apprentice
- Judd Palmer – The Umbrella
- Deborah Kerbel – Under the Moon
2011
- Christopher Moore – From Then to Now
Also shortlisted:
- Jan L. Coates – A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk
- Deborah Ellis – No Ordinary Day
- Kenneth Oppel – This Dark Endeavour
- Tim Wynne-Jones – Blink & Caution
2010
- Wendy Phillips – Fishtailing
Also shortlisted:
- K.L. Denman – Me, Myself and Ike
- Lesley Fairfield – Tyranny
- Gina McMurchy-Barber – Free as a Bird
- Cheryl Rainfield – Scars
2009
- Caroline Pignat – Greener Grass
Also shortlisted:
- Shelley Hrdlitschka – Sister Wife
- Sharon Jennings – Home Free
- Robin Stevenson – A Thousand Shades of Blue
- Tim Wynne-Jones – The Uninvited
2008
- John Ibbitson – The Landing
Also shortlisted:
- Alma Fullerton – Libertad
- Dianne Linden – Shimmerdogs
- Shenaaz Nanji – Child of Dandelions
- Mariko Tamaki – Skim
2007
- Iain Lawrence – Gemini Summer
Also shortlisted:
- Hugh Brewster – Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: The Story of a Painting
- Christopher Paul Curtis – Elijah of Buxton
- John Wilson – The Alchemist’s Dream
- Eva Wiseman – Kanada
2006
- William Gilkerson – Pirate's Passage
Also shortlisted:
- André Alexis – Ingrid and the Wolf
- Glen Huser – Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen
- Teresa Toten – Me and the Blondes
- Budge Wilson – Friendships
2005
- Pamela Porter – The Crazy Man
Also shortlisted:
- Francis Chalifour – After
- Barbara Nickel – Hannah Waters and the Daughter of Johann Sebastian Bach
- Gail Nyoka – Mella and the N'anga: An African Tale
- Shyam Selvadurai – Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
2004
- Kenneth Oppel – Airborn
Also shortlisted:
- Martine Leavitt – Heck Superhero
- Sharon E. McKay – Esther
- Judd Palmer – The Wolf King
- Ange Zhang – Red Land, Yellow River
2003
- Glen Huser – Stitches
Also shortlisted:
- Sarah Ellis – The Several Lives of Orphan Jack
- Barbara Haworth-Attard – Theories of Relativity
- Kevin Major – Ann and Seamus
- Judd Palmer – The Maestro
2002
- Martha Brooks – True Confessions of a Heartless Girl
Also shortlisted:
- Alan Cumyn – The Secret Life of Owen Skye
- Deborah Ellis – Parvana's Journey
- John Lekich – The Losers' Club
- Karen Levine – Hana's Suitcase
2001
- Arthur Slade – Dust
Also shortlisted:
- Brian Doyle – Mary Ann Alice
- Beth Goobie – Before Wings
- Julie Johnston – In Spite of Killer Bees
- Teresa Toten – The Game
2000
- Deborah Ellis – Looking for X
Also shortlisted:
- Martha Brooks – Being with Henry
- Sharon E. McKay – Charlie Wilcox
- Sheldon Oberman – The Shaman's Nephew
- Duncan Thornton – Kalifax
1999
- Rachna Gilmore – A Screaming Kind of Day
Also shortlisted:
- Don Gillmor – The Christmas Orange
- Graham McNamee – Hate You
- W.D. Valgardson – The Divorced Kids Club and Other Stories
- Frieda Wishinsky – Each One Special
1998
- Janet Lunn – The Hollow Tree
Also shortlisted:
- Gayle Friesen – Janey's Girl
- Julie Johnston – The Only Outcast
- Janet McNaughton – Make or Break Spring
- Sarah Withrow – Bat Summer
1997
- Kit Pearson – Awake and Dreaming
Also shortlisted:
- Cheryl Foggo – One Thing That's True
- James Heneghan – Wish Me Luck
- Teddy Jam – The Fishing Summer
- Barbara Nichol – Dippers
1996
- Paul Yee – Ghost Train
Also shortlisted:
- Jan Andrews – Keri
- David Boyd – Bottom Drawer
- Gillian Chan – Glory Days and Other Stories
- Don Gillmor – The Fabulous Song
1995
Also shortlisted:
- Beth Goobie – Mission Impossible
- Hazel Hutchins – Tess
- Welwyn Wilton Katz – Out of the Dark
- Diana Wieler – RanVan A Worthy Opponent
1994
- Julie Johnston – Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me
Also shortlisted:
- Sarah Ellis – Out of the Blue
- Carol Matas – The Burning Time
- Jim McGugan – Josepha: A Prairie Boy's Story
- Ken Roberts – Past Tense
1993
- Tim Wynne-Jones – Some of the Kinder Planets
Also shortlisted:
- Mitzi Dale – Bryna Means Courage
- James Houston – Drifting Snow: An Artic Search
- Carol Matas – Daniel's Story
- Shirley Sterling – My Name Is Seepeetza
1992
- Julie Johnston – Hero of Lesser Causes
Also shortlisted:
- Margaret Buffie – My Mother's Ghost
- John Ibbitson – 1812: Jeremy and the General
- Thomas King – A Coyote Columbus Story
- Kit Pearson – Looking at the Moon
1991
Also shortlisted:
- Martha Brooks – Two Moons in August
- Roch Carrier – A Happy New Year's Day
- Jean Little – Stars Come Out Within
- Monty Reid – The Last Great Dinosaurs
1990
- Michael Bedard – Redwork
Also shortlisted:
- Jan Andrews – The Auction
- Brian Doyle – Covered Bridge
- Welwyn Wilton Katz – Whale Singer
1989
- Diana Wieler – Bad Boy
Also shortlisted:
- Kit Pearson – The Sky is Falling
- Eliane Corbeil Roe – Circle of Light
1988
- Welwyn Wilton Katz – The Third Magic
Also shortlisted:
- Martha Brooks – Paradise Café and Other Stories
- Brian Doyle – Easy Avenue
- Jean Little – Little by Little
1987
- Morgan Nyberg – Galahad Schwartz and the Cockroach Army
Also shortlisted:
- Welwyn Wilton Katz – False Face
- Donn Kushner – A Book Dragon
- Russell McRae – Going to the Dogs
1958
- Edith L. Sharp – Nkwala
1957
- Kerry Wood – The Great Chief
1956
1955
- Kerry Wood – The Map-Maker
1954
- Marjorie Wilkins Campbell – The Nor'westers
1953
- John F. Hayes – Rebels Ride at Night
1952
- Marie McPhedran – Cargoes on the Great Lakes
1951
- John F. Hayes – A Land Divided
1950
- Donald Dickie – The Great Adventure
1949
- R.S. Lambert – Franklin of the Arctic