Empowering Florida's Future
Blog
Read our blog for a summary of the SSYRA Books and Orange Blossom Nonfiction Books. We’ve included teacher resources and parent discussion guides for each book.
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Hope Buried in the Dust: “The Last Dragon on Mars” by Scott Reintgen
"Keep your eyes down and your feet moving, or this planet will rust you." That's the survival philosophy Lunar Jones has built his life around on a dying Mars. It's practical wisdom for a place where resources are scarce, hope is scarcer, and looking up at the...
Are They Real? “I.R.L.” by Jenny Goebel
Lucy is done with her old school and everyone in it. Moving to rural Alaska feels less like a setback and more like an escape—a chance to leave the bullies behind and become someone new. What she doesn't expect is that her new school runs entirely remotely from...
Cooper Changes Everything: “Dog Trouble” by Kristin Varner
Ash is not a bad kid. He's just made some bad decisions. Slipping grades, a vandalism charge, a reputation heading in the wrong direction—his parents have run out of patience, and Ash finds himself shipped off to Ferncliff Island to live with his dad and complete...
Two Lives, One Real One: “Bye Forever, I Guess” by Jodi Meadows
Ingrid has a talent for keeping her two lives separate. At school, she plays the role of popular girl Rachel's charity case—tolerated, useful, invisible in all the ways that matter. Online, she's someone else entirely: a powerhouse in her favorite MMORPG and the voice...
Not Your Typical Night: “There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter” by Elayne Crain
Freddie has been through a lot of babysitters. He has never liked a single one. So when a new babysitter arrives, his expectations are exactly as low as you'd expect. And for a moment, it looks like he's right to be skeptical. The babysitter seems nervous. Their table...
The Politeness Problem: “No More Gnomes” by Beth Mills
Herbert has worked very hard to be the politest kid in town. He has the medal to prove it. And then Ms. Goat arrives with a gnome. "No More Gnomes" is a picture book about the very relatable tension between what we feel on the inside and what good manners require us...