Realistic Fiction - Exodus Books

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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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Realistic Fiction

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Coming of Age Stories

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Used Books & Materials

	Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1965 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer from HarperTeen for 6th-8th grade 1988 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 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)
	Anne of the Island Anne #3 by L.M. Montgomery from Bantam Books Orphan Stories for in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (4 in stock)
	Anne of Windy Poplars Anne #4 by L.M. Montgomery from Bantam Books Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Anne's House of Dreams Anne #5 by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple from HarperCollins in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (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)
	Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson from HarperCollins Fantasy for 5th-9th grade 1978 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.50 (1 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)
	Calico Bush by Rachel Field from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1932 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Calico Bush by Rachel Field from Dell Publishing Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1932 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.00 (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)
	Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck 1994 Printing from Random House Realistic Stories for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 5th-7th grade Newbery Medal in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Dragonwings Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 by Laurence Yep from HarperCollins Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade 1976 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Dragonwings Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 by Laurence Yep from Scholastic Inc. Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade 1976 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 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 Climbs by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Emily's Quest by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Escape From Warsaw Originally titled The Silver Sword 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)
	Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame from Wordsworth Classics for 6th-9th 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)
	Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.50 (1 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 or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $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)
	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 The Story of Mary Jemison 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)
	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 A South African Story 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 A South African Story 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 A South African Story 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)
	Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton from Aladdin Paperbacks for 6th-10th grade 1975 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli from Little, Brown & Company Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1991 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 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)
	No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (2 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)
	Oliver Twist (abridged) Puffin Classics by Charles Dickens from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99 $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)
	Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade 1998 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (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)
	Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park from Yearling for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Rainbow Valley Anne #7 by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Rainbow Valley Anne #7 by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (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)
	Rilla of Ingleside Anne #8 by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 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)
	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1977 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Roller Skates Puffin Newbery Library by Ruth Sawyer from Puffin Books Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade 1937 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Roller Skates Puffin Newbery Library by Ruth Sawyer from Yearling Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade 1937 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $1.50 (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)
	Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1965 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1965 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (1 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)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Laurel-Leaf Books Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.50 $3.00 (1 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)
	Star Fisher by Laurence Yep from Scholastic Inc. for 5th-7th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.00 (1 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)
	Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1971 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
	Sunshine Country A Story of Family Love and Home by Kristiny Royovej from Christian Focus Publications for 4th-6th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright from Pelican Publishing Company for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	The Crossover by Kwame Alexander from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-7th grade 2015 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (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)
	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)
	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)

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