CurriConnects Book List - Florida
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Florida
This carefully organized collection presents books about the state of Florida across three age-appropriate reading levels, complete with Lexile measures to support the selection of books suitable for diverse learners. Each title features a concise description of its content, helping teachers, librarians, and families connect readers with compelling stories about Florida’s people, landscape, and life.
Picture Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever - Marla Frazee, (978-1430108481), Fiction
Interest level: PreK-3, Lexile: 620
Eamon's grandparents host Eamon and his friend James during their summer holidays.
Everglades - Jean Craighead George, (978-0064461948), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: 660
This book examines the evolution of the Florida Everglades and the effects of "civilization" on its unique ecosystem.
How Many Days to America: A Thanksgiving Story - Eve Bunting, (978-0395547779), Fiction
Interest level: PreK-3, Lexile: 580
Caribbean boat people brave many dangers in attempting to arrive in the U.S., where they can celebrate a meaningful Thanksgiving.
Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston - Alicia D. Williams, (978-1534419131), Non-fiction
Interest level: PreK-4, Lexile: 1030
This is the biography of Zora Neal Hurston, an American writer who grew up in Florida.
La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story - Antonio Sacre, (978-0810989672), Fiction
Interest level: PreK-4, Lexile: 610
Nina enjoys learning about the Cuban side of her family's Christmas traditions as she spends a Florida Christmas away from her home in New England.
Marjory Saves the Everglades: The Story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas - Sandra Neil Wallace, (978-1534431546), Non-fiction
Interest level: PreK-4, Lexile: 750
Read about how Marjory Stoneman Douglas dedicated her life to advocating for the protection of the Everglades.
S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet - Carol Crane, (978-1585360123), Non-fiction
Interest level: PreK-3
This book highlights the state of Florida's unique qualities.
The Great Pig Search - Eileen Christelow, (978-0618049103), Fiction
Interest level: PreK-3, Lexile: 560
Bert and Ethel find their missing pigs in strange places as they search for them in Florida.
The Secret River - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, (978-1416911791), Fiction
Interest level: PreK-3, Lexile: 590
Calpurnia and her dog catch sufficient fish to feed neighbors and all the forest animals she wants in this classic children's tale.
Middle Grade Books
90 Miles to Havana - Enrique Flores-Galbis, (978-1250005595), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 790
Julian’s parents send him and his brothers from Cuba to Miami to try and keep them safe during Operation Pedro Pan.
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo, (978-0763607760), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 670
India finds interesting things to pass the time after her minister father moves them to a small town in Florida: a new dog, a job in a pet store, and some unusual friends.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears - Meg Medina, (978-1536212587), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 700
Merci is not like the other kids at her private school. As she is navigating drama at school, she is also facing challenges with her grandfather’s health at home. She tries to handle it on her own and learns important lessons about family and friendship.
Strawberry Girl - Lois Lenski, (978-0064405850), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 650
This children's classic details the story of Birdie and her family working hard on their drought-ridden Florida farm.
Tangerine - Edward Bloor, (978-0152057800 ), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 680
Things are not adding up in Tangerine, Florida. A sinkhole swallows the school, lightning strikes at the same time every day, and Paul’s brother constantly harasses him. Paul begins to make sense of the chaos in his town and family when he makes friends on the soccer team.
The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, (978-0020449317), Fiction
Interest level: 3-8, Lexile: 750
After a young boy comes to love the fawn he has raised, he must decide how she will live when she matures.
Turtle in Paradise - Jennifer L. Holm, (978-0375836909), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 610
It’s 1935. Turtle’s mother finds a job cleaning houses for a woman who does not like kids, so Turtle leaves to live with relatives in Key West. She misses her mom, but she comes out of her shell in her new home.
Young Adult and Adult Books
A Tall Dark Trouble - Vanessa Montalban, (978-1638930129), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12
Miami twins, Delfi and Lela, are cursed. They will never be lucky in love. Their mother wants them to stay away from magic, but they want to pool their powers to solve a string of murders.
After the Sirens - Sharon Farrell, (978-1665068444), Fiction
Interest level: 8-12
After her parents’ divorce, Cate relocates to Miami for her senior year of high school. She has an unexpected encounter with an EMS crew and decides to get her life in order and train to become an EMT.
Copper Sun - Sharon Draper, (978-0689821813), Fiction
Interest level: 8-12, Lexile: 820
Two servant girls, one a slave, escape to a Spanish colony in Florida, where they seek sanctuary.
Paper Towns - John Green, (978-0142414934), Fiction
Interest level: 8-12, Lexile: 850
Margo and Q are plotting a plan of revenge. Margo usually works alone, so Q is excited to be included…until Margo disappears. Q starts to find clues and tries to track her down.
The Devil You Know - Trish Doller, (978-1681190228), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12
Acadia lives in a sleepy Florida town and wants to experience an adventure. When she meets a pair of cousins at a party, she begins an adventure she was not expecting.
The Immeasurable Depth of You - Maria Ingrande Mora, (978-1682636435), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12
Brynn constantly thinks about her death. When her mother reads her journal, she worries that Brynn is going to harm herself and sends her to live with her father off the grid. Since she cannot talk to her friends online, she has resigned herself to being bored all summer. That all changes when she meets Skylar.