Contempoary Realistic Fiction

Contemporary Realistic Fiction is fiction that is plausible and could actually happen, set in the present day.  The characters are realistic and they face realistic problems.  Many children and adults alike enjoy contemporary realistic fiction because often the characters face problems similar to problems that they have faced in real life.

There are different subgenres within contemporary realistic fiction.  These include adventure, survival, mysteries, animal stories (as in ones that do not contain talking animals), sports, comedy and romance.  The themes found in realistic fiction include coming-of-age stories, relationships with peers and family and current issues.  Current issues includes things like drug use, violence, war, and cultural dislocation or being bicultural.  Obviously, some of these themes can be controversial so many of these books are often found on the "banned books list."

Historical fiction is closely related to contemporary realistic fiction.  Many books that are now considered historical fiction now, started out as contemporary realistic fiction are now considered historical fiction because of the age of the book.  There is no set guideline as to how old a book needs to be to shift from contemporary to historical fiction so it is subject to debate.  I suspect the older books from the 1960s and 70s will be re-categorized as "historical fiction" in the next few decades.

- Information taken from Galda and Cullinan's  Literature and the Child. 

Newbery books that are contemporary realistic fiction:

• The Crossover - Kwame Alexander (2015)
• Doll Bones  - Holly Black (2014)*
• The Year of Billy Miller - Kevin Henkes (2014)
• Three Times Lucky - Shiela Turnage (2013)
• After Tupac & D Foster - Jacqueline Woodson (2009)
• Feathers - Jacqueline Woodson (2008)
• The Higher Power of Lucky - Susan Patron (2007)
• Rules - Cynthia Lord (2007)
• Criss Cross - Lynne Rae Perkins (2006)
• Olive's Ocean - Kevin Henkes (2004)
• Pictures of Hollis Woods - Patricia Reilly Giff (2003)
• Hoot - Carl Hiaasen (2003)
• A Corner of the Universe - Ann M. Martin (2003)
• Surviving the Applewhites - Stephanie S. Tolan (2003)
• Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer (2001)
• Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo (2001)
• Joey Pigza Loses Control - Jack Gantos (2001)
• The Wanderer - Sharon Creech (2001)
• Getting Near to Baby - Audrey Couloumbis (2000)
• Lily's Crossing - Patricia Reilly Giff (1998)
• Wringer - Jerry Spinelli (1998)
• The View from Saturday - E.L. Konigsburg (1997)
• Belle Prater's Boy - Ruth White (1997)
• What Jamie Saw - Carolyn Coman (1996)
• Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech (1995)
• Missing May - Cynthia Rylant (1993)
• What Hearts - Bruch Brooks (1993)
• Somewhere in the Darkness - Walter Dean Myers (1993)
• Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds (1992)
• Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel - Avi (1992)
• Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli (1991)
• Afternoon of the Elves - Janet Taylor Lisle (1990)
• Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind - Suzanne Fisher Staples (1990)
• The Winter Room - Gary Paulsen (1990)
• Scorpions - Walter Dean Myers (1989)
• After the Rain - Norma Fox Mazer (1988)
• Hatchet - Gary Paulsen (1988)
• A Fine White Dust - Cynthia Rylant (1987)
• On My Honor - Marion Dane Bauer (1987) 
• Dogsong - Gary Paulsen (1986)
• Dear Mr. Henshaw - Beverly Cleary (1984)
• A Solitary Blue - Cynthia Voigt (1984)
• Dicey's Song - Cynthia Voigt (1983)
• Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Beverly Cleary (1982)
• Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson (1981)
• The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin (1979)
• The Great Gilly Hopkins - Katherine Paterson (1979)
• Bridge to Terebithia - Katherine Paterson (1978)
• Ramona and her Father - Beverly Cleary (1978)
• M.C. Higgins, the Great - Virginia Hamilton (1975)
• Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe - Bette Greene (1975)
• Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George (1973)
• The Planet of Junior Brown - Virginia Hamilton (1972)
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler - E.L. Konigsburg (1968)
• Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth - E.L Konigsburg (1968)
• Up a Road Slowly - Irene Hunt (1967)
• The Egypt Game - Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1968)
• My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George (1960)

*Doll Bones is one of those books that rides the genre line.  It seems like it should be fantasy but from what I can tell, nothing supernatural actually happens in the book so I would say it's more realistic fiction than fantasy but it could easily be categorized as either.

Genre Madness

One of the best things about reading the Newbery list is that the Newbery committee has been good about selecting children's literature from a wide variety of genres.  Recently, I decided to go through my books on Goodreads and try to re-categorize them by genre.  This is more difficult than it sounds because sometimes there are some books that ride the lines between genres.  I also chose to include some subgenres which made the task even more complicated

Strictly speaking, literature comes in two broad categories:

1. Nonfiction - Writing that is not made up
2. Fiction - Writing that is made up

I prefer to break literature into three broad categories:

1. Nonfiction - Writing that is not made up
2. Realistic fiction - Writing that is made up but could actually happen.  This can be contemporary or historical.
3. Fantasy fiction - Writing that is made up and could not happen (or has not happened yet in the case of science fiction)

I think this is a good way to divide literature because distinguishing fact from fiction is often difficult for young children.  I remember student teaching and we were looking at Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse.  There was a worksheet that had the students identify if parts of the book could have actually happened or not and the students really struggled with it.  One of the kindergarten teachers that I observed always had her students determine fiction or nonfiction for each book that was read in class.  I think it would also be beneficial to have students judge a fiction book after reading it to determine if it is realistic or fantasy. 

Newbery 1963

A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeline L'Engle
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Plot: Meg and her brother Charles Wallace team up with three mysterious beings to try to save the world and their father.
Verdict: Great fantasy ride
My rating: 4 stars


Thistle and Thyme: Tales and Legends from Scotland
Author: Sorche Nic Leodhas
Genre: Folktales
Plot: A collection of Scottish folk tales often told at weddings and other special occasions.
Verdict: Fresh, fun folk tales
My rating: 4 stars


Men of Athens
Author: Olivia Coolidge
Genre: Historical fiction
Plot: A fictionalized account of the rise of Athens.
Verdict: Boring boring boring
My rating: One star

The medal winner this year is one of my favorite books, A Wrinkle in Time.  It seems to me that people either love the book or hate it.  The most common reason I hear for people not liking it is that the book is confusing.  And it is.  It definitely rides the science fiction and fantasy line with Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which.  I have read the next three books in the series and liked them all, especially Many Waters.  If you enjoy fantasy, this is a must read.

Thistle and Thyme is a collection of Scottish folk tales.  They read completely different from other European folk stories like those of Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.  They are more upbeat.  I especially enjoyed the story with the Kelpie.

I was very disappointed by Men of Athens.  It is supposed to be an account of the history of Athens but it hard to tell if it is historical fiction or nonfiction as parts of it seem to be fabricated.  It wasn't very interesting in my opinion.

Newbery 1965

Shadow of a Bull
Author: Maia Wojciechowska
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Manolo lives in the shadow of his bullfighting father, Juan Olivar.  Will he follow in his father's footsteps?
Verdict: Interesting
My rating: 3 stars


Across Five Aprils
Author: Irene Hunt
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Jethro's family is divided during the Civil War when one of his brothers chooses to fight for the South.
Verdict: Not my thing
My rating: 2 stars

Both books for this year are historical fiction but set in completely different genres.  I was a little wary of Shadow of a Bull because I don't always enjoy realistic fiction involving animals.  I know a little bit about bullfighting from Spanish class in high school but not a huge amount.  Fortunately, Wojciechowska does a great job of simplifying and explaining the bullfighting process to make it accessible to children and the general public.  Manolo is a very well developed character as he struggles with the destiny that everyone else has chosen for him. 

Across Five Aprils was a book I was forced to read in eighth grade.  My teacher absolutely loved it and made us all buy a copy.  I thought it was lackluster then, but, seeing as my opinion has changed on other books I previously read in school, I figured I would re-read it.  Nope, still lackluster in my opinion.  I am not a big fan of Civil War literature and have yet to find something I really enjoy except for the classic Gone With the Wind and Killing Lincoln (which only chronicles the very end of the war).  It would be an interesting read for a Civil War unit, but you might want to do it in literature circles because much of the dialogue is in slang (to make it more authentic I'm sure - I'll admit, I'm not always a fan when the author uses that literary tactic) which can make parts of the text harder to understand for the weaker reader.

Newbery 1986

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Sarah comes to live with Caleb, Anna and their father to see if she wants to be his new wife.
Verdict: Short and Sweet
My rating: 4 stars


Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun
Author: Rhoda Blumberg
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: The true story of Commodore Perry coming to isolated Japan to make a trade agreement. 
Verdict: Interesting details
My rating: 3 stars


Dogsong
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: An Eskimo boy goes off to live in the wilderness with a team of dogs.
Verdict: Not my kind of book
My rating: 2 stars

I remember reading Sarah, Plain and Tall in fifth grade and watching the movie because my fifth grade teacher loved it but I didn't love it at the time.  Now that I have reread it as an adult, I like it more because I understand what it is to come in as the stepmother (granted, my stepchildren were a lot older).  It is a very short read. 

I did not know a lot about isolationist Japan, but Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun definitely did a good job of explaining why they were isolated and how they treated outsiders.  There are lots of drawings from the time period to help explain how people looked.  It would be a good idea to read this at the same time as Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, which was a 2011 Newbery Honor Book.

Thankfully for me, this is the last Gary Paulsen book on the Newbery list so it is the last one I have to read.  I really am not a fan.  His writing is definitely aimed at boys (which is not a bad thing, but I am a girl, sorry, Gary) and I think you might actually enjoy Dogsong if you enjoy Eskimos and sled dogs.  The ending sealed my two star rating. 

Newbery 1979

The Westing Game
Author: Ellen Raskin
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Mystery
Plot: The new residents of Sunset Towers try to unravel the mystery of Samuel Westing
Verdict: Great mystery
My rating: 4 stars


The Great Gilly Hopkins
Author: Katherine Paterson
Genre: Conteomporary Realistic Fiction
Plot: Gilly Hopkins moves into her new foster home determined to make trouble.
Verdict: I hated the ending
My rating: 2 stars

Both of the books from this year often appear on middle grade reading lists. 

The Westing Game is an awesome junior fiction mystery.  There are clues all over the place and in the classroom where they were reading this, the kids had to keep track of the clues to try to figure out what was going on. 

Katherine Paterson has three books on the Newbery list, and is one of the few authors to have won the medal twice.  I have to admit I was disappointed by The Great Gilly Hopkins after reading Jacob Have I Loved and  Bridge to Terebithia.  Terebithia has a pretty sad ending but the ending of Gilly Hopkins ruined the whole book for me.  It has also landed itself on the challenged list because of Gilly's use of profanity and the card that she sends to her African American teacher. 

Newbery 1980

A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal 1830-1832
Author: Joan Blos
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Catherine is a teenage girl living in rural New England. 
Verdict: Really slow beginning
My rating: 3 stars


The Road From Home
Author: David Kherdain
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: A young girl escapes the Armenian genocide by the Turks.
Verdict: Well written true story
My rating: 4 stars

This year seemed to have a historical theme.  A Gathering of Days is written in journal entries of varying length (as you would expect from an actual journal) but sometimes these entries are disjointed and it makes for an uncomfortable reading experience.  It also plods along in the beginning.  The plot picks up when Catherine's father decided to get remarried.  In contrast, The Road From Home is written in traditional chapters.  True stories can sometimes get very boggy but this one is edited well so it had a nice flow.  Both books would make a great edition to a social studies unit of each respective time period.