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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75 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Mass market paperback, Used Books & Materials
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)
Anne of Avonlea
Anne #2
by L. M. Montgomery
from Bantam Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
2000 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
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)
Cabin Faced West
by Jean Fritz
from Puffin Books
Historical fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
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)
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)
Close to Famous
by Joan Bauer
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
Eight Cousins
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
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)
Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Fledgling
by Jane Langton
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1981 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Frightful's Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
from Puffin Books
Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Fudge-a-Mania
by Judy Blume
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Good Master
Puffin Newbery Library
by Kate Seredy
from Puffin Books
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1936 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
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)
Great Brain - boxed set
Great Brain #1-5
by John D. Fitzgerald, illustrated by Mercer Mayer
from Dell Yearling
Humorous Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Habibi
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Reissue from Simon Pulse
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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
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)
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)
Indian Captive
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
It's a Jungle Out There!
Rani Adventures #1
by Ron Snell
from Hannibal Books
for 4th-8th Grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.50 (1 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)
Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/South Africa for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Journey to Jo'burg
by Beverley Naidoo
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/South Africa for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
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)
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 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)
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)
Old Ramon
by Jack Schaefer
from Walker and Company
for 4th-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
On the Way Home
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Orphans of the Wind
from Dell Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Phoenix and the Carpet
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar (uncredited)
from Wordsworth Classics
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Project Mulberry
by Linda Sue Park
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (2 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)
$6.39 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Red Sand, Blue Sky
by Cathy Applegate
from Margaret Hamilton Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
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)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Puffin Modern Classics
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$5.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (6 in stock)
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)
Second Mrs. Giaconda
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Dell Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$1.00 (12 in stock)
Secret of the Andes
Puffin Newbery Library
by Ann Nolan Clark
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
1953 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Shakespeare's Spy
Shakespeare Stealer #3
by Gary Blackwood
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Treasure Seekers
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Puffin Books
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Sunshine Country
by Kristiny Royovej
from Christian Focus Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
The Skirt
by Gary Soto
from Yearling
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Theater Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Tree Castle Island
by Jean Craighead George
from HarperTrophy
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Trolley Car Family
by Eleanor Clymer, illustrated by Ursula Koering
1975 Printing from Scholastic Book Services
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
True Gift
by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Brian Floca
from Atheneum
for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Twenty and Ten
by Claire Huchet Bishop
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Twins at St. Clare's
St. Clare's #01
by Enid Blyton
from Dragon Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Victory
by Susan Cooper
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Wagon Wheels
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Barbara Brenner
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
White Stag
Puffin Newbery Library
by Kate Seredy
from Puffin Books
Heroic Legend for 4th-6th grade
1938 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)