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.
Did you find this review helpful?
409 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Hardcover
A. Lincoln and Me
by Louise W. Borden
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
About the B'nai Bagels
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Atheneum
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Adèle & Simon in America
by Barbara McClintock
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adventure to Home
by Robert Wells, illustrated by Mary Stevens
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
Adventures of Perrine
Windermere Readers #10
by Hector Malot, translated by Gil Meynier, adapted by Edith Heal
1954 edition from Rand McNally
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Adventures of Perrine
Windermere Series 4
by Hector Malot, translated by Gil Meynier, adapted by Edith Heal
from Rand McNally
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Adventures of Tim
by Edward Ardizzone
from Chancellor Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Rand McNally
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry
from Rand McNally
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$21.24
Alexi's Secret Mission
by Anita Deyneka
from School of Tomorrow
for 1st-4th grade
in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah
by Emily Jenkins
from Schwartz & Wade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Anak, the Eskimo Boy
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$10.16
Andrew Henry's Meadow
by Doris Burn
from Philomel Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
Exodus Books 5-Star Rating
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14 $8.40 (1 in stock)
Animal Heroes
by Ernest Lloyd
from Pacific Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Animal Story Book
Young Folks Library
from Auxiliary Educational League
for 3rd-5th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Anne Arrives #1
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #1
by L.M. Montgomery, original story, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Anne Dares #5
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #5
by L.M. Montgomery, original story, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Anne Dreams #6
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #6
by L.M. Montgomery (original story), adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Anne Readers Hardcover Set
by L. M. Montgomery; adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Anne's Kindred Spirits #2
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #1
by L.M. Montgomery, original story, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Anne's School Days #3
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #3
by L.M. Montgomery, original story, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Anne's Tragical Tea Party #4
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables #4
by L.M. Montgomery, original story, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
April's Kittens
by Clare Turlay Newberry
from Harper & Brothers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1941 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ark, The
by Margot Benary-Isbert
2021 Revision from Purple House Press
for 3rd-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
B Is for Betsy
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
B Is for Betsy
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bambi's Children
by Felix Salten, illustrated by Erna Pinner
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bambi's Children
by Felix Salten, illustrated by Kurt Wiese
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Beans on the Roof
by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Melodye Rosales
1st edition from Delacorte Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Beaver Pond
by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Unknown Publisher
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Beginning was a Dutchman
by Isla Mitchell, illustrated by Richard Kennedy
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Behave Yourself, Bethany Brant
by Patricia Beatty
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Best Beekeeper of Lalibela
by Cristina Kessler
from Holiday House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Betsy and the Boys
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Betsy's Busy Summer
by Carolyn Haywood
11th printing, 1968 from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Betsy's Play School
by Carolyn Haywood, illustrated by James Griffin
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Betsy's Winterhouse
by Carolyn Haywood
7th printing, 1969 from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Big Doin's on Razorback Ridge
by Ellis Credle
1978th edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Big Goose and the Little White Duck
by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook
by Joyce Lankester Brisley, illustrated by Clara Vulliamy
from Kingfisher
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
from Parragon Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by John Beer
from Barnes & Noble
for 3rd-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Blind Colt
Weekly Reader
by Glen Rounds
from Weekly Reader
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Blind Colt
by Glen Rounds
from Holiday House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Blind Colt
A World Famous Horse Story Library selection
by Glen Rounds
from Holiday House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Blossom Comes Home
by James Herriot
from St. Martin's Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.84
Blueberry Corners
by Lois Lenski
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bluewater Journal
by Loretta Krupinski
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bobbsey Twins #08
by Laura Lee Hope
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-4th grade
in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER)
Bobbsey Twins #08 (tweed)
by Laura Lee Hope
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-4th grade
in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER)
Bobbsey Twins in the Country
by Laura Lee Hope
Undated from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-4th grade
in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Bonny's Big Day
by James Herriot
from St. Martin's Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Bounces of Cynthiann'
by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Boxcar Children
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Boxcar Children (Location: SER-BOX)
Boxcar Children
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
100th Anniversary Edition from Albert Whitman & Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
$12.74
Bright April
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$19.55
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Rand McNally
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon (pictorial hardcover)
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Rand McNally
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
Second Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Bonnie Shields
from Simon and Schuster
Animal Stories: Realistic for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bubo: The Great Horned Owl
by John L. and Jean George, illustrated by Jean George
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bully of Barkham Street
by Mary Stolz, illustrated by Leonard Shortall
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Sky Top
Bunny Brown
by Laura Lee Hope, illustrated by Walter S. Rogers
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-5th grade
in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER)
$5.20 (1 in stock)
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
By the Shores of Silver Lake (Pictorial Cover)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
Book Club Edition from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.99
Caleb's Choice
from Lodestar Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Cape Cod Adventure
by Wilma Pitchford Hays, illustrated by Elinor Jaeger
from Coward McCann
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Carnival in Paris
by Natalie Savage Carlson
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Carrie's War
by Nina Bawden
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Cartoonist
by Betsy Cromer Byars, illustrated by Richard Cuffari
from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Cathie Stuart
by Nora Tully MacAlvay
1958 2nd Printing from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Champion Dog Prince Tom
Weekly Reader Children's Book Club
by Jean Fritz and Tom Clute, Illustrated by Ernest Hart
from Coward McCann
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Fox
by Jill Paton Walsh, illustrated by Robin Eaton
First American Edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Children of the Northlights
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
Reprint from University of Minnesota
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.41
Children of the Northlights
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
1962 Reprint from Viking Press
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Christmas Day Kitten
by James Herriot
2nd edition from St. Martin's Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Christmas Stories
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Walter Seaton
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories
from Delacorte Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Rand McNally
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker & Marla Frazee
from Hyperion Books for Children
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Cody series #1
by Tricia Springstubb, Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Conquista!
by Clyde Robert Bulla, Michael Syson
1st edition from Thomas Crowell
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Copper-Toed Boots
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Purple House Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$22.94
Corn-Farm Boy
by Lois Lenski
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Cornelli
by Johanna Spyri, translated by Louise Brooks
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Courage at Indian Deep
by Jane Resh Thomas
First Edition from Clarion Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Atheneum
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.99
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 3rd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Cowboy Sam and the Indians
by Edna Walker Chandler
from Benefic Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Critter and Other Dogs
by Albert Payson Terhune
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Crystal Tree
by Jennie D. Lindquist
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Daddles
by Ruth Sawyer
from Little, Brown & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Dirt Track Danger
by Robert Bowen, illustrated by William Blair
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Dog Named Chips
by Albert Payson Terhune
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Dog Named Chips
by Albert Payson Terhune
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
12345