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
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Curlfriends. 1, New in town
Miller, Sharee (Illustrator)
Paper Book
New Kid meets The Baby-sitters Club in this graphic novel series opener about the Curlfriends, four inseparable Black girls who show us the meaning of true friendship-and being your true self. Charlie has a foolproof plan for the first day at her new middle school. Even...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

The firefly summer
Matson, Morgan
Paper Book
Three starred reviews! "Heartfelt and hilarious, witty and wise, with indelible characters and laugh-out-loud humor. A fantastic read for any season of the year." --Stuart Gibbs, New York Times bestselling author In New York Times bestselling author...

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

Heroes
Gratz, Alan, 1972- author.
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Refugee, Ground Zero, and Two Degrees comes this heart-pounding, inventive, and powerful new novel about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor... as only Alan...

Sunshine State Books for Grades 6-8

Shinji Takahashi and the mark of the coatl
Kagawa, Julie
Paper Book
"One cannot fight destiny, boy. Even if one did not ask for it. The idol calls for you, and you must answer its call..." Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky kid being raised by his globe-trotting aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian...

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

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

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


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