Summer Reads for Teens

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

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.

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Teens in Florida read and Florida school librarians know it! The Florida Teens Read (FTR) program is a student- choice reading award program to determine which YA book wins the annual award as the favorite of teens in Florida. The reading list is comprised of fifteen titles that have been chosen by a committee of fourteen school librarians specifically to engage high school students (grades 9 through 12) in reading and reflect their interests as well as represent a variety of genres, formats, reading levels, viewpoints, and ethnic and cultural perspectives.

Updated June 13, 2025
S
St. Lucie County Library System
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Confessions of a class clown
Costner, Arianne
Paper Book
This middle-school class clown's hilarious online videos might get thousands of views . . . but is fame worth the price of friendship? A heartfelt story with multiple perspectives about the challenges of social media. Meet Jack Reynolds. Making people laugh is his life's work....

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Curlfriends new in town
Miller, Sharee (Illustrator)
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER!   2024 Golden Kite Award Winner * An NPR and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year   "I want to be friends with them all" -- Vashti Harrison, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Little...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

The fire, the water, and Maudie McGinn
Pla, Sally J.
Paper Book
Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad This contemporary novel is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish. A Schneider Family Book...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

The first state of being
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER INDIE BESTSELLER Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2024 Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2024 for Kids and Teens BookPage Best Middle...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Fowl play
Tubb, Kristin O'Donnell
Paper Book
Knives Out meets Finding Orion in this funny and heartwarming middle grade mystery by award-winning author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb about a girl investigating the recent death of her uncle only to find the healing power of family. Chloe Alvarez has never been to the reading of a last will...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Heroes
Gratz, Alan, 1972- author.
Ebook

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Mid-Air
Williams, Alicia, 1970- author.
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning illustrated middle grade novel in verse "full of vulnerability and hope" (...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Another first chance
Couch, Robbie
Paper Book
They Both Die at the End meets You've Reached Sam, in this "superb...thought-provoking" (Booklist, starred review) speculative young adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Robbie Couch that explores all the different ways love can live on after...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

All the fighting parts
Sawyerr, Hannah V.
Paper Book
In the vein of Grown and The Poet X, Hannah V. Sawyerr's All the Fighting Parts is a searing and defiant young adult novel in verse about reclaiming agency after a sexual assault within the church community. Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

The bad ones
Albert, Melissa
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND INDIE BESTSELLER! Bestselling author Melissa Albert returns with The Bad Ones, a supernatural horror novel about four mysterious disappearances in a town haunted by a sinister magical history Goddess, goddess,...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Bring me your midnight
Griffin, Rachel
Ebook

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Going dark
De la Cruz, Melissa, 1971- author.
Paper Book
"An intense rollercoaster of a thriller and a searing indictment of which victims get our attention and sympathy." -#1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu In this ripped-from-the-headlines Gone Girl meets A Good...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

The kill factor
Oliver, Ben (Science fiction writer) author.
Paper Book
A brand-new game show that offers young criminals the chance at freedom has been greenlit. Little do they know, winning is their only chance at survival. A captivating examination of the dark truths around the criminal justice system, Ben Oliver, critically acclaimed author of The Loop trilogy,...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Pieces of me a novel
McLaughlin, Kate, 1971- author.
Paper Book
The next gut-punching, compulsively readable Kate McLaughlin novel, about a girl finding strength in not being alone. When eighteen-year-old Dylan wakes up, she's in an apartment she doesn't recognize. The other people there seem to know her, but she doesn't know them -...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Ready or not
Porretta, Andi, author, illustrator.
Paper Book
This "bright and bittersweet" (Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) graphic novel for fans of Jenny Han and This One Summer follows a group of friends in a post-graduation summer of adventures and offbeat dares. With senior year finally behind them,...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Sunrise nights
Zentner, Jeff
Ebook
Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro. Jude loves photography, and he's good at it, too. Between his parents' divorce and his anxiety, being...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Rez ball
Graves, Byron
Paper Book
This compelling debut novel by new talent Byron Graves tells the relatable, high-stakes story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be. These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Stars and smoke
Lu, Marie, 1984- author.
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times bestseller! He's a secret. She's an agent. This mission might just be impossible. A smoldering enemies-to-lovers novel about a global superstar and a hotshot young spy on a collision course with danger&...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Twelfth knight
Follmuth, Alexene Farol
Paper Book
Reese's Book Club Summer YA Pick '24 "YA is a feeling. It's a warm summer day reading in the sun, lots of nostalgia, gushing together over the characters in Twelfth Knight."--Reese Witherspoon From the New York Times bestselling author of...

Florida Teen Reads Summer List

Wander in the dark
Emill, Jumata
Paper Book
In this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of The Black Queen, two brothers must come together to solve the murder of the most popular girl in school after one of them is caught fleeing the scene of her death. A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR

Florida Teen Reads Summer List


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.