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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65 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Trade Paperback, Used Books & Materials
26 Fairmount Avenue
by Tomie dePaola
from Mondo Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Anne of Avonlea
by L. M. Montgomery
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Apple Picking Time
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Beloved Dearly
by Doug Cooney
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
by Maud Hart Lovelace
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Book About Christopher Columbus
by Ruth Belov Gross, Illustrated by Syd Hoff
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
1st Edition 2nd Printing from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Captain Nobody
by Dean Pitchford
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Coals of Fire
by Elizabeth Bauman
from Herald Press
for ages 7 and up
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Coming On Home Soon
by Jacqueline Woodson
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Computer Nut
by Betsy Cromer Byars
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Escape
by Mona Dunckel
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Freak the Mighty
by Rodman Philbrick
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Cadillac
by Mildred D. Taylor
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Cadillac
by Mildred D. Taylor
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Happy Yellow Car
by Polly Horvath
for 3rd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Harriet Spies Again
by Helen Ericson (based on Louise Fitzhugh)
Reprint from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Jake Drake, Bully Buster
by Andrew Clements
Reissue from Atheneum
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Jenny Wren
by Dawn L. Watkins
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Katy
by Mary Evelyn McCurdy (formerly Notgrass)
from Notgrass Company
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Kellyhorns
by Barbara Cooney
from Volo Hyperion
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Kirsten's Cook Book
American Girl
by Jodi Evert
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cooking for Kids (Location: COOK-KID)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Lemonade War
The Lemonade War #1
by Jacqueline Davies
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Rocky Ridge Years Book 1
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lumber Camp Library
by Natalie Kinsey-warnock
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Mary on Horseback
by Rosemary Wells
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Midnight Clear
by Katherine Paterson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Molly's Pilgrim
by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
Most Wonderful Doll in the World
by Phyllis McGinley
from Scholastic Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1951 Caldecott Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
No Children, No Pets
by Marion Holland
from Avyx, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
No Talking
by Andrew Clements
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nory Ryan's Song
by Patricia Reilly Giff
from Yearling
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Paper Wishes
from Square Fish Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World
by Deb Brammer
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Penny's Worth of Character
by Jesse Stuart
2001 Printing from Jesse Stuart Foundation
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Place in the Sun
by Jill Rubalcaba
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Plain Girl
by Virginia Sorensen
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.00 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Question of Yams
by Gloria Repp
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Rickshaw Girl
by Mitali Perkins
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.95 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Sea Star
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Shoemaker Martin
by Leo Tolstoy & Bernadette Watts
from North-South Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Skippack School
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Herald Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Stories Julian Tells
by Ann Cameron
Reprint from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Ruby Bridges
by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
Rep Anv Sp from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Ruby Bridges
by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Summer My Father Was Ten
by Pat Brisson
from Boyds Mill Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Summer of Sundays
by Lindsay Eland
Reprint from Egmont
for 3rd-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Swift Rivers
by Cornelia Meigs
from Walker and Company
Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1933 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Talented Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker & Marla Frazee
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Three Months Under the Snow
by J. J. Porchat
from Prism Productions
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Through Grandpa's Eyes
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for K-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Through the Thunderstorm
by W.G. Van de Hulst, illustrated by Willem G. Van de Hulst, Jr.
from Inheritance Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Travels With my Family
by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel
from Groundwood Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Treasure in an Oatmeal Box
by Ken Gire
from Cook Communications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot
Violet Mackerel
by Anna Bradford, Illustrated by Elanna Allen
from Simon and Schuster
for 1st-4th grade
in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
First Scholastic Printing from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
White Giraffe
Legend of the Animal Healer series Book 1
by Lauren St. John, Illustrated by David Dean
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
White Stallion of Lipizza
by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Year of Miss Agnes
by Kirkpatrick Hill
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)