The Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) Program is a statewide reading motivational program for students in grades 3 through 8. The purpose of the SSYRA Program is to encourage students to read independently for pleasure and to read books that are on, above, and below their reading level in order to improve their reading fluency. Sunshine State books are selected for their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres, curriculum connections, and/or multicultural representation. The SSYRA committee is comprised of 20 qualified school librarians located throughout the state of Florida, subdivided into two committees- grades 3-5 and grades 6-8.

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Books

2025 - 2026 List for Grades 6-8

Brick Dust and Bones by M.R Fournet

Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner

Control Freaks by J.E Thomas

Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

Heroes by Alan Gratz

The Hoop Con (Play the Game) by Amar Shah

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

Skyriders by Polly Holyoke