Governor General's Literary Awards
Children's Literature

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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)

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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:

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

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

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:

2002

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

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:

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

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

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:

1989

  • Diana Wieler – Bad Boy

Also shortlisted:

  • Kit Pearson – The Sky is Falling
  • Eliane Corbeil Roe – Circle of Light

1988

Also shortlisted:

1987

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