Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is kind of a newcomer to the long list of literary genres. Primarily aimed at children and adolescents (the corresponding genre in adult literature is usually just called "literary fiction"), realistic fiction is recognizable by its relatable characters and situations. What sets it apart from historical fiction is that the stories do not center around an actual historical event or person, though they may be set in a very real time period.

Characters deal with the things everyone else deals with—death, friendship, loneliness, embarrassment, first love—and they don't get transported to a make-believe island as a solution to their problems. They have to work it out, which is one of the main appeals of this genre; kids like to read about other kids (real or imaginary) going through the typical young person's trials and how they deal with it.

Not that all realistic fiction is sad and gloomy. It's just what it sounds like—stories about real-life from a fresh perspective. Also, we aren't suggesting there are no realistic elements to a fantasy like The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: there are, which is precisely what makes reading that book so rewarding. It's just that real kids don't fight literal dragons, they fight bullies, or their own insecurities, or ferocious acne.

A lot of the best and most-loved stories fall squarely within the limits of realistic fiction. Huckleberry Finn wasn't a real pirate, but he really rafted the Mississippi; Anne Shirley wasn't a Medieval princess, but she really became Matthew and Marilla's daughter; Anna and Caleb Witting aren't big on imagination, but they are big on really accepting Sarah into their family (at least, eventually).

The full range of human experience is explored in these stories, its darkness, its light, its sorrow, its joy. This is the purpose of literature, after all: to show us true life, and in showing us, to better prepare us for it. These books are some of the best at doing just that.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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120 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Mass market paperback
18 Penny Goose
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Sally M. Walker
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
26 Fairmont Avenue
by Tomie De Paola
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Afraid to Ride
by C. W. Anderson
from Scholastic Book Services
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
All Alone
by Claire Huchet Bishop
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
All-of-a-Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
from Yearling
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
2018 Hardcover from Random House Books for Young Readers
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
from HarperCollins
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy-Tacy #3
by Maud Hart Lovelace
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy-Tacy #3
by Maud Hart Lovelace
First Harper Trophy Edition from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Betsy-Tacy
Betsy-Tacy #1
by Maud Hart Lovelace
2nd edition from HarperCollins
Family/Friendship Story for 3rd-6th grade
HarperTrophy
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy-Tacy #2
by Maud Hart Lovelace
2nd edition from HarperCollins
Family/Friendship Story for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Big Balloon Race
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Big Wave
by Pearl S. Buck
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Birds' Christmas Carol
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Yesterday's Classics
Christmas/Advent for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$15.95
Blue Ridge Billy
from Dell Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.39
By the Great Horn Spoon!
by Sid Fleischman
from Little, Brown & Company
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon Pulse
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Caddie Woodlawn's Family
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
Canada Geese Quilt
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.99
Canada Geese Quilt
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
from Cobblehill Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cay
by Theodore Taylor
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Centerburg Tales
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Children On Troublemaker Street
by Astrid Lindgren
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Close to Famous
by Joan Bauer
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Dancing Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Daniel's Duck
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Clyde Robert Bulla & Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Daughter of the Mountains
by Louise Rankin
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure Animal for 3rd-7th Grade
Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Ellen Tebbits
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Emily's Runaway Imagination (Dockray illustrations)
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Tracy Dockray
2008th edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Emily's Runaway Imagination (Krush illustrations)
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Family Under the Bridge
by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1959 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
Five Little Peppers #1
by Margaret Sidney
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Follow My Leader
by James B. Garfield
from Puffin Books
Animal Stories: Realistic for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Follow My Leader
by James B. Garfield
from Scholastic Inc.
Animal Stories: Realistic for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
George the Drummer Boy
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley
from HarperCollins
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup
by Sharon Creech, illustrated by Chris Raschka
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Greg's Microscope
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Millicent Selsam & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Non-Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Hannah
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Gloria Whelan
from Random House
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
from Yearling
Humorous Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Hattie and the Wild Waves
by Barbara Cooney
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Henry and Ribsy
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Henry and the Clubhouse
Henry Huggins Book 5
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Henry and the Paper Route
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperTrophy
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Henry Huggins
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Hill of Fire
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Thomas Lewis & Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Homer Price
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Homer Price
Puffin Modern Classics
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
House on Walenska Street
by Charlotte Herman
from Avyx, Inc.
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Hundred Penny Box
by Sharon Bell Mathis
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
Newbery Honor
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Hundred Penny Box
by Sharon Bell Mathis
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1976 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao Lord
from HarperCollins
Immigration for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (7 in stock)
Jake Drake, Bully Buster
by Andrew Clements
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Journey to America
Journey to America Saga #1
by Sonia Levitin
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1946 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.39
Lad: A Dog
by Albert Terhune
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Lena, the Sea, and Me
by Maria Parr, illustrated by Lara Paulussen, translated by Guy Puzey
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Lentil
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction/Humor for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Lion to Guard Us
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little House - Softcover Boxed Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$79.91
Little Princess
Puffin Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Little Princess
Adell Yearling Classics
by Frances Hodgeson Burnett
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Little Women Trilogy
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$22.07
Lotta On Troublemaker Street
by Astrid Lindgren
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Midnight Fox
by Betsy Byars
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Minstrel in the Tower
by Gloria Skurzynski
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.99
Molly's Pilgrim
A Bantam First Skylark
by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (5 in stock)
No More Dead Dogs
by Gordon Korman
from Little, Brown & Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Noonday Friends
by Mary Stolz
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
Newbery Honor
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
One Morning in Maine
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Paint Brush Kid
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Random House
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Penny Pony
A Young Puffin
by Barbara Willard, illustrated by Juliette Palmer
1972 reprint from Puffin Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe.
by Bette Greene
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-5th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Pinky Pye
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Pinky Pye
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Pioneer Cat
by William H. Hooks
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.99
Pippi Longstocking
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Planet of Junior Brown
by Virginia Hamilton
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Planet of Junior Brown
by Virginia Hamilton
Aladdin Paperbacks: May.2006 from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-5th grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Project Mulberry
by Linda Sue Park
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona Quimby Books
by Beverly Cleary
from Avon Books
Humorous Stories for 2nd-4th grade
1978 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
1982 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
1982 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Collection Book 2
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Road to Agra
by Aimee Sommerfelt, illustrated by Ulf Aas
from Scholastic Book Services
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ruby Holler
by Sharon Creech
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Sensible Kate
by Doris Gates
from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
12