Sunshine State Young Readers Award

Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (SSYRA) Program: is a statewide motivation program in Florida for students in grades 3-5 (elementary school) and grades 6-8 (middle school)^[1]

History

The Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) is a program co-sponsored by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Library Media Services and the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME). The award was established in 1984. This program is designed to entice students to read high interest, contemporary literature for personal enjoyment. The long-term goal of the program is to nurture lifelong readers who will continue to read for information needs and personal pleasure.^[2] Sunshine State books are selected for their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres, curriculum connections and/or multicultural representation.^[1] FAME has hosted the website for the SSYRA since 2012.^[3]

Selection of Books

The SSYRA Committee selects 15 books for one of the two lists for elementary or middle school. Nominations are made by students, librarians, parents, and educators of Florida. Each Spring, students who have read at least three of the nominated books vote for their favorite book. The author of the book from each list that receives the most votes from the students are awarded the Sunshine State Young Readers Award.^[4]

Criteria for Nominations

In order to be nominated for the 2014–15 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, books must be fictional, have a copyright date of 2012 or later, have an author who currently resides on the continent of [[North America],] and be age-appropriate for either grades 3–5 or grades 6–8.^[5]

Sunshine State List of Titles 2014-2015

Elementary School Titles (Grades 3–5)^[5]

• Dorko the Magnificent by Andrea Beaty
• Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
• The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader
• Elvis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee
• Capture the Flag by Kate Messner
• Hooper Finds a Family: a Hurricane Katrina Dog's Survival Tale by Jane Paley
• When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica Perl
• Abbey Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power by David Pogue
• Stranded by Jeff Probst
• The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors
• Rump: the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
• King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke
• 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos by Vivian Vande Velde

Middle School Titles (Grades 6–8)^[5]

• I, Emma Freke by E.J. Atkinson
• Doll Bones by Holly Black
• The Raft by S. A. Bodeen
• Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson
• Homesick by Kate Klise
• Ungifted by Gordan Korman
• The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
• Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
• Apothecary by Maile Meloy
• The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki
• Dead City by James Ponti
• Half Upon a Time by James Riley
• Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

References