The story behind the award....
Disappointed with the misguided choices of awards committees over the years, Jonathan Hunt, teacher, librarian, Adbooks member, and overall book guru, inaugurated the Hunt Award in 2001. The titles, nominated by Jonathan, were voted upon by members of the Adbooks Discussion Group.
How the JHunt works...
The nominations, selected from works published during the year, are presented to the Adbooks group in the fall. Passionate discussions, alliances, and covert strategy sessions ensue, culminating each week as group members vote one book off the list, Survivor-style. By January, only five hardy titles remain. Members cast their final votes for the award winner.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
| The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | Sherman Alexie | Winner |
| Mistik Lake | Martha Brooks | Finalist |
| One Whole and Perfect Day | Judith Clarke | Finalist |
| Right Behind You | Gail Giles | Finalist |
| Dreamquake | Elizabeth Knox | 1/6/08 |
| Tamar | Mal Peet | 12/30/07 |
| The Wednesday Wars | Gary D. Schmidt | Finalist |
| The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Brian Selznick | 12/2/07 |
| The Wall | Peter Sis | 11/25/07 |
| The Arrival | Shaun Tan | 12/23/07 |
| The New Policeman | Kate Thompson | 12/9/07 |
| Story of a Girl | Sara Zarr | 12/16/07 |
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
| Clay | David Almond | 12/31/06 |
| The Pox Party | M.T. Anderson | Finalist |
| This Is All | Aidan Chambers | Finalist |
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Rachel Cohn & David Levithan | 12/11/06 |
| The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs | Jack Gantos | 12/24/06 |
| An Abundance of Katherines | John Green | 12/17/06 |
| Surrender | Sonya Hartnett | 1/14/07 |
| Dairy Queen | Catherine Murdock | 1/7/07 |
| Ptolemy's Gate | Jonathan Stroud | Finalist |
| The King of Attolia | Megan Whalen Turner | Finalist |
| The Rules of Survival | Nancy Werlin | Finalist |
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | Winner |
And the 2005 winner is...
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary Pearson!
| Hitler Youth | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | Finalist |
| Looking for Alaska | John Green | 11/26/05 |
| Black Juice | Margo Lanagan | 1/1/06 |
| Day of Tears | Julius Lester | 1/8/06 |
| Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie | David Lubar | 12/11/05 |
| A Wreath for Emmett Till | Marilyn Nelson | Finalist |
| John Lennon | Elizabeth Partridge | Finalist |
| A Room on Lorelei Street | Mary Pearson | Winner |
| Criss Cross | Lynne Rae Perkins | Finalist |
| Poison | Chris Wooding | 12/25/05 |
| Elsewhere | Gabrielle Zevin | 12/18/05 |
| I Am the Messenger | Markus Zusak | 12/4/05 |
And the 2004 winner is...
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire S�enz!
| The Fire-Eaters | David Almond | 12/12/04 |
| Bucking the Sarge | Christopher Paul Curtis | 12/19/04 |
| The Realm of Possibility | David Levithan | Finalist |
| Saving Francesca | Melina Marchetta | Finalist |
| The Year of Secret Assignments | Jaclyn Moriarty | 1/2/05 |
| Airborn | Kenneth Oppel | Finalist |
| How I Live Now | Meg Rosoff | 12/5/04 |
| The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray | Chris Wooding | 12/26/05 |
| No Shame, No Fear | Ann Turnbull | Finalist |
| Doing It | Melvin Burgess | 11/28/04 |
| Under the Wolf, Under the Dog | Adam Rapp | 1/9/05 |
| Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood | Benjamin Alire S�enz | Winner |
| The River Between Us | Richard Peck |
| True Confessions of a Heartless Girl | Martha Brooks |
| A Northern Light | Jennifer Donnelly |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | Mark Haddon |
| Postcards from No Man's Land | Aidan Chambers |
| Bronx Masquerade | Nikki Grimes |
| The House of the Scorpion | Nancy Farmer |
| The Lightkeeper's Daughter | Iain Lawrence |
| Up on Cloud Nine | Anne Fine |
| True Believer | Virginia Euwer Wolff |
| Troy | Adele Geras |
| When Dad Killed Mom | Julius Lester |
| Lord of the Deep | Graham Salisbury |
| The Land | Mildred Taylor |