Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2025-2026

By Doogie Horner

On his first day at a new school, Stanley wishes he could disappear. Then, after a big spill at the science fair, POOF! Stanley is invisible! It’s awesome! He can do anything he wants, and no one will know! Except for one person—the inventor of the ruined project.

By Carlie Sorosiak

Clementine is brilliant lab mouse who impresses all the scientists. When she finds herself suddenly freed, she discovers the joys of freedom. She finds a new home with a boy named Gus and his Pop, who teaches her chess and encourages her to use her greatness for good.

By Roland Smith

Asia and Ring Wilde are on a trip with their conservation biologist mother in the Amazon rainforest. Dr. Wilde is on a mission to reintroduce the golden lion tamarin monkey when she disappears. The children set off to find their mother. Will they have the skills to track her down and solve the mystery of what happened to her?

By H.D. Hunter

In the year 2048, Cameron lives with his parents in Futureland, a traveling theme park that hovers above the cities it visits. Now in Atlanta, the family intends on staying, giving Cameron the chance to attend Middle School and make friends. The AI robots called ‘revs’ that run the park are starting to act strangely, and Cameron even starts suspecting that something is wrong with his parents. Will Cameron and his new friends be able solve the mystery in time to save Futureland?

By Jose Pablo Iriarte

When the great Ignacio Ramirez is banned from the afterlife, he discovers one person on Earth can still see him – his grandson Benny. Benny feels like he has enough problems without having to deal with the ghost of his Abuelo. However, with the clock ticking down for the late celebrity to earn his place in the afterlife party, the two must work together whether they like it or not.

By Kiah Thomas

In the world of Elipsom, callers have the ability to summon objects. Unfortunately, Quin doesn’t have the gift like the rest of his family. Quin discovers that called items are not created, but actually stolen from another world--and his mother knows about it! Now he has to decide whether he will side with his family or betray them and save the other world.

By Leigh Luna

Clementine is on her way to school but decides she is not in the mood for math tests and tutors. She convinces her friends Nubbins Squirrel and Penelope Rabbit to skip school with her. The friends meets up with Jesse Otter who is preparing to go to a mysterious island on his giant turtle, Annabelle. Ready for adventure, Clementine and her friends stow away.

By Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko

Dogtown is a shelter for all types of dogs. When Metal Head, a robot dog, decides to escape and try to go back home, Chance decides to go along for support. The two dogs embark on an adventure to find their forever homes. Along the way, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses.

By Christina Soontornvat

Plum leaves home to enroll at the prestigious Guardian Academy on Lotus Island. Here, students are trained by Guardian Masters to harness their inner power and defend the defenseless. Plum struggles to keep up with her classmates and is unable to discover her inner animal form. Will Plum find the strength, determination, and self-discovery needed to unlock her true potential?

By Julie Kagawa

In a world of floating islands, pirates, and danger, Remi discovers a baby dragon and forms an unbreakable bond. Meanwhile a princess learns that the islands are sinking, and only a "True Dragon" has the power to save them all. The boy and princess must put aside their differences and join forces to save their homes and protect the future of their world.

By Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

Two boys stumble upon a secret involving a mysterious free little library and a library that was tragically destroyed by fire years earlier. As the boys dig deeper into the mystery, they unravel clues that lead them toward uncovering the library’s hidden past.

By Lindsay Currie

The Deltas, as they call themselves, are three best friends who enter an abandoned 1950’s funhouse. They seek the treasure of town legend, supposedly left behind by three triplets. Mystery, adventure, and more than a few puzzles follow as the trio tackle hidden passages and elaborate challenges in order to win the ultimate prize.

By Laura Parnum

Halle dreams of becoming a scream queen. She practices her loudest scream every day and has learned a lot from studying the horror movies of her favorite director, Maximus Price, who lives just outside town. When the chance to go to his home arises, Halle grabs it with both hands. She doesn'trealize that real life horrors await her at Price Manor.

By Christyne Morrell

Trex has a brain implant that saved his life--but it has a side effect. Now he shocks everything he touches. In a new town, his overprotective mom finally agrees to let him go to a real school. Trex can’t wait, but he doesn't count on Mellie, the town spy. She is convinced she saw lightning coming from Trex’s fingers, and she's not going to stop spying until she gets the truth.

By Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry lives with her family deep in the wild woods. Living off the grid is pretty exciting, but her happy life in the wild ends abruptly when her younger brother gets sick. Her family moves to the city to be closer to the hospital. Juniper Berry knows how to handle bobcats, bears, and mountain lions, but can she survive the toughest predator of all―middle school?

By M.R Fournet

Marius Grey hunts Monsters. He's not supposed to. He's twelve, and his job as a Cemetery Boy is to look after the ghosts in his family's graveyard. He should be tending these ghosts and–of course–going to school to learn how to live between worlds without getting into trouble. But, Marius has an expensive goal. He wants to bring his mother back from the dead, and that takes a LOT of mystic coins, which means a LOT of Monster Hunting.

By Arianne Costner

Meet Jack Reynolds. Making people laugh is his life's work. Jack's wacky MyTube channel is really starting to take off. The only problem is, for the truly epic posts, he needs a collaborator. And, well, he doesn't exactly have any friends. So Jack has to swallow his pride and join the new after-school Speed Friendshipping club. But who would make the best partner in comedy?

By J.E. Thomas

The kids at Benjamin Banneker College Prep are a little… competitive. The minute Principal Yee announces an epic competition, seventh-grader Frederick Douglass Zezzmer knows he has to win. But it won’t be easy. The competition doesn’t just include STEM. It also has arts and sports. Not Doug’s best subjects. Even worse, it’s a TEAM competition.

By Sharee Miller

Even though Charlie's used to starting over as the new kid—thanks to her military family's constant moving—making friends has never been easy for her. Charlie is ready to give up on making new friendships. Then she meets the Curlfriends, a group of Black girls who couldn't be more different from each other, and learns that maybe there is a place for Charlie to be her true self after all.

By Sally J. Pla

Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?

By Morgan Matson

For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. But this summer is different – she’s received a letter from her estranged grandparents inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos. Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are not just clues to her past but an actual, real-life treasure map!

By Erin Entrada Kelly

It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his sixteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere and reveals that he’s the world’s first time traveler, Michael and Gibby are stunned but curious. Then Michael discovers that his new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years. Michael wants—no, needs—to get his hands on that book. But how far is he willing to go to get it?

By Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

When Chloe Alvarez’s uncle Will dies, he leaves one last gift for Chloe: his African grey parrot, Charlie. The parrot has a vast vocabulary, and soon Chloe hears her say something odd: "It was murder," followed by "homicide" and "cyanide." Chloe becomes convinced her uncle Will’s death was foul play. With the help of her family, Chloe begins the investigation to uncover Uncle Will’s murderer.

By Alan Gratz

December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. With their dads stationed at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, the boys get to soak up the sunshine while writing and drawing their own comic books. World War II might be raging overseas, but so far America has stayed out of the fight. There's nothing to fear, right? December 7th, 1941: Frank and Stanley are touring a battleship when Japanese planes zoom overhead, dropping bomb after bomb. As explosions roar and sailors scream, The war has come to them. If the boys make it through this infamous day, can their friendship--and their dreams--survive?

By Amar Shah

Raam Patel is eager to prove himself ever since he didn’t make the middle school’s basketball team. So, when Hoop Con comes to town he is determined to be there and take his shot. His big moment proves to be unforgettable... but not in the way he’d hoped. Raam gets schooled by the camp’s golden boy right in front of his NBA idol. To make matters even worse, this fail goes viral. Raam is used to being the underdog, but becoming the newest meme might be something even he can’t overcome alone.

By Katherine Marsh

Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one hundred-year-old great-grandmother, GG, to ride out the pandemic. Forced to unpack GG’s storage boxes, Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings. The photo serves as a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret.

By Alicia D. Williams

It’s the last few months of eighth grade, and Isaiah feels lost. He thought his summer was going to be him and his boys, Drew and Darius, hanging out, doing wheelies, watching martial arts movies, and breaking tons of Guinness World Records before high school. But now, more and more, Drew seems to be fading from their friendship, and though he won’t admit it, Isaiah knows exactly why. Because Darius is…gone.

By Julie Kagawa

Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the anything-but-ordinary. On the run from Hightower Corporation who wants the guardian’s power, Shinji must team up with a young tech whiz named Lucy and the ragtag cast of characters from the Society of Explorers and Adventurers to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic.

By Erin Bow

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school. Two years after the infamous event, Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers there are busy listening for signs of life in space. Will Simon finally have a new story to tell?

By Polly Holyoke

Twelve-year-old Kiesandra's best friend is her winged horse, N'Rah. She, like every other person with a skysteed, can communicate with N'Rah through her mind. Their bond is critical when one day, monsters from long ago reemerge to ravage a nearby village. No one knows how to fight the fearsome chimerae except Kie's uncle ... and now Kie.

By Howard Calvert

Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has entered a road race, but what was she thinking? With only a week to go before the big day, she worries that she doesn't stand a chance against the other animals competing.

By Justin Colon

Lurking in the lake at Cucumonga Campground is a fearsome and frightening creature. Legend says that it swallows kids, canoes, and even whales whole. But all Hector sees are cute, cuddly, quacking ducks. Until he breaks the campground's most important rule--Don't Feed the Ducks--and releases...the Quacken.

By Bambi Edlund

At the park, people give squirrels free peanuts. And nobody screams when a squirrel crosses their path. But for Rat, it's all screams and no nuts ... until he comes up with a plan: be more like a squirrel--squirrel-ish!

By X Fang

When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car." No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all…

By Lu Fraser

Mavis is a chicken who finds EVERYTHING scary (night-time and daytime and anything hairy!). So when the slumbering peace of their cozy barn is disturbed by someone trying to steal their friend Sandra the sheep, will Mavis be able to find her bright spark of braveness and save Sandra?

By Katie Gilstrap

Like all porcupines, Penny Lu is nearsighted, so predators can be hard to spot. Thankfully, her pointy quills make her look powerful. But sometimes Penny Lu doesn't feel powerful. And she wonders what she'd do if she came face-to-face with the predator she fears the most-THE BEAR!

By Margaret Chiu Greanias

When Red discovers a new book about pandas, she can't wait to read it! Except it's about only one kind of panda, and red pandas are completely left out. So she decides to take matters into her own paws and write her own book.

By Michelle Knudsen

When a lady mistakes him for kitten, big hairy spider Luigi resists her kind advances until tasty breakfasts and getting tucked into bed convince him otherwise, but he soon learns what might be at stake when you pretend to be someone you're not.

By Peter Millett

In this funny and heartwarming picture book, meet a shy little giraffe named Kipekee. She's a bit different from the other giraffes--she was born with no spots.

By Deborah Underwood

There once was a man who loved his tidy home and who didn't like animals. Then one day, a cat appeared. The man and the cat both liked napping and watching the rain and eating dinner precisely at six. Well, maybe this one animal could stay. Next came a dog...

By Kate DiCamillo

Orris the rat lives alone in an old barn surrounded by his treasures, until the day his solitude is disrupted by a sudden flutter of wings and a loud screech. A small owl has gotten caught in a trap in the barn. Can Orris rescue the owl, despite the fact that owls and rats are natural enemies?

By Jarrett Lerner

Bash is a young ghost who has never been good at scaring people is nervous about his first day at scare school, where he will learn to master the necessary skills to become a successful ghost.

By Bernard Mensah

Eight-year-old Kwame is eager to start Juju School and learn calabash magic, yet none of the teachers can figure out what kind of magic is in his gourd. When one of Kwame's new friends is possessed by an evil magic, its power is revealed.

By Rekha Rajan

The Jackson family, including eight-year-old Jaden and his sister Leela, travel the United States responding to disasters, helping people and rescuing animals--but they have never responded to a wildfire like the one raging in Northern California.

By Nessa Bellido Schwarz

Meet George the flybot, a one-of-a-kind robotic fly on his first secret mission! George zips off to the Himalayas to search for a camera that went missing during a 1924 Mount Everest summit attempt. George understands that he might change history by discovering who really conquered Mount Everest. But George has another mission of his own: to learn more about how humans act and feel, and maybe--just maybe--find a friend.