The Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) Program is a statewide reading motivational program for students in grades K through 8, sponsored by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME). 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.
For more information on the Sunshine State Young Readers Awards, click here.

Sunshine State Young Readers Jr. Award Books
2021-2022 List for Grades K-2

Picture Books

The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers

Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca Gomez  Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri

Fussy Flamingo by Shelly Vaughan James Illustrated by Matthew Riviera

How to be a Pirate by Isaac Fitzgerald

Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris Illustrated by Ana Gonzalez

The One and Only Dylan St. Claire by Kamen Edwards Illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler

Roy Digs Dirt by David Shannon

Unicorns are the Worst by Alex Willan

The Yawns are Coming! by Christopher Eliopoulous

You Matter by Christian Robinson

Independent Readers

Geeger the Robot Goes to School by Jarrett Lerner

Puppy Problems by Paige Braddock

Ready for School! by Bob McMahon

Shark Report by Derek Anderson

See the Cat by David La Rochelle  Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Books
2021-2022 List for Grades 3-5

The Amelia Six by Kristin L. Gray

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Charlie & Frog by Karen Kane

The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough

Following Baxter by Barbara Kerley

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton

How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley

The Newspaper Club by Beth Vrabel

Roll With It by Jamie Sumner

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas

Wish Upon a Sleepover by Suzanne Selfors

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Books
2021-2022 List for Grades 6-8

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson & Kwame Alexander

Bloom by Kenneth Oppel

Bouncing Back by Scott Ostler

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Cleo Porter and the Body Electric by Jake Burt

Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Muhamad

Wildfire: A Novel by Rodman Philbrick

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat