Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., announces October Books of the Month

Press release from Florida Department of Education

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr., announced October’s chosen books for the Commissioner’s Book of the Month, a monthly reading challenge to promote literacy and reading engagement in preK-12 schools. Each month, Commissioner Diaz highlights five recommended books – one per selected grade range.

“Floridians have experienced challenges this fall due to hurricanes Helene and Milton, but Florida’s students are resilient,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr.  “As Floridians recover from these storms, I encourage families to spend time reading together.”

The Commissioner’s recommendations for October 2024 are:

• PreK – The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
• K-2 – The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Burach
• 3-5 – Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome
• 6-8 – The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène Du Bois
• 9-12 – Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive by Laura Hillenbrand

The selections for each month can be found on the Commissioner’s Book of the Month page of the FDOE website.