Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Realistic books have plots, characters, and settings that might
be found in real life. The characters in the books on this list are dealing with
life's ups and downs.
Avi.
Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel.
A ninth-grader's suspension for humming "The Star-Spangled Banner"
during homeroom becomes a national news story.
Bauer, Joan.
Squashed.
As a sixteen-year-old pursues her two goals -- growing the biggest pumpkin in Iowa
and losing twenty pounds herself -- she strengthens her relationship with her
father and meets a young man with interests similar to her own.
Bauer, Marion Dane
On My Honor.
When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river
that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at
having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their
disobedience.
Bawden, Nina.
Granny the Pag.
Originally abandoned by her actor parents, who later attempt to gain custody, Cat
wages a spirited campaign to decide her own fate and remain with her grandmother.
Blume, Judy.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, Margaret talks
over her problems with her own private God.
Byars, Betsy.
The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown.
A boy is puzzled by the comic and confusing questions of youth and by disturbing
insights into adult conflicts.
Byars, Betsy.
The Not-Just-Anybody Family.
With a young brother in the hospital, a grandfather in jail, and their mother
traveling with a rodeo, Maggie and Vern try to settle family problems.
Cleary, Beverly.
Dear Mr. Henshaw.
In his letters to his favorite author, Leigh reveals his problems in coping with
his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own
place in the world.
Creech, Sharon.
Walk Two Moons.
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents
take a car trip retracing her mother's route.
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963.
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African
American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go
to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
Danziger, Paula and Ann Martin.
P.S. Longer Letter Later.
Best friends Elizabeth and Tara*Starr continue their friendship through
letter-writing after Tara*Starr's family moves to another state.
Fine, Anne.
The Tulip Touch.
Natalie, who lives in the large hotel managed by her father, has a dangerous
friendship with Tulip, the wildly uncontrollable girl on a neighboring farm.
Fleischman, Paul.
Seedfolks.
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a
trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing
so, the gardeners themselves are transformed.
Freeman, Suzanne.
The Cuckoo's Child.
Mia refuses to believe that her parents are not coming back after they're reported
lost at sea.
Konigsburg, E.L.
The View From Saturday.
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and
attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to
represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
MacLachlan, Patricia.
Baby.
Taking care of an abandoned baby helps a family come to terms with the death of
their own infant son.
Myers, Walter Dean.
Scorpions.
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of a Harlem gang, Jamal finds that his
enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun -- until a tragedy occurs.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.
Shiloh.
When he finds a beagle in the hills near his home, Marty tries to hide it from his
family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to mistreat his dogs.
Paterson, Katherine.
Bridge to Terabithia.
The life of a boy in rural Virginia expands when he befriends a newcomer who
subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia,
during a storm.
Paterson, Katherine.
The Great Gilly Hopkins.
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she
schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.
Paulsen, Gary.
The Crossing.
Manny, a street kid fighting for survival in a Mexican border town, develops a
strange friendship with an emotionally disturbed American soldier who decides to
help him get across the border.
Rylant, Cynthia.
Missing May.
After the death of her beloved aunt who has raised her, Summer and her uncle Ob
leave their West Virginia trailer in search of the strength to go on living.
Smith, Doris Buchanan.
A Taste of Blackberries.
No one, least of all his best friend, dreamed that Jamie's exuberance and a
harmless prank could end in his sudden death. But when it does, his friend must
find the strength to bear his grief and his feeling that he might have saved his
friend.
Soto, Gary.
Taking Sides.
Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his
divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a suburban
neighborhood.
Spinelli, Jerry.
Maniac Magee.
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he
accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
Spinelli, Jerry.
Wringer.
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at
his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.
Voigt, Cynthia.
Bad Girls.
After meeting on the first day in Mrs. Chemsky's fifth-grade class, Margalo and
Mikey help each other in and out of trouble, as they try to maintain a friendship
while each asserts her independence.
Realistic fiction can also be funny! Take a look at MCPL's "Humor"
booklists, also.
Compiled by Mary D'Eliso for MCPL Children's Services
(8/98).
