Contemporary realistic fiction stories are about events that could happen, but did not. Unlike modern fantasy, which exists outside of reality, contemporary realistic fiction is grounded in the possibilities of our reality. This genre is easily confused with historical fiction and even experts will classify these two genres differently. The arbitrary date set in Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature 10e is the 1950s.
Ling & Ting Not Exactly the Same*
by Grace Lin
ISBN13: 978-0-316-02452-5
Fiction
Interest Level:K-3/Reading Level: 1.4
Lexile level: 390
Description:Ling and Ting are identical twins that people think are exactly the same, but time and again they prove to be different.
Bink and Gollie*
Written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Illustrated by Tony Fucile
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2010.
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 2.5
Lexile Level: 310
Description: Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
A Couple of Boys have the Best Week Ever*
Written and Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Publisher: Harcourt, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-0-15-206020-6
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.1
Lexile Level: 680
Description: Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon's grandparents during summer vacation.
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun
Having the Courage to Be Who You Are*
Written by Maria Dismondy
Illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson
Publisher:Ferne Press, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-1-933916-30-9
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.1
Description: Lucy decides to help Ralph when he is in trouble, despite the fact that he teases her for being different.
17 Things I'm not allowed to do anymore*
Written by: Jenny Offill
Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-375-83596-4
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.9
Lexile Level: 750
Description: A young girl lists seventeen things she is not allowed to do, including not being able use the stapler after attaching a pillow case to her brother's head.
Love, Aubrey*
Written by: Suzanne LaFleur
Publisher: Yearling, p2009.
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-85159-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 3.9
Lexile Level: 570
Description: While living with her Gram in Vermont, eleven-year-old Aubrey writes letters as a way of dealing with losing her father and sister in a car accident, and then being abandoned by her grief-stricken mother.
The Dunderheads*
Written by: Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by: David Roberts
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2009.
ISBN13: 978-0-7636-2498-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 4.0
Lexile Level: 430
Description: When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson.
Middle School is Worse that Meatloaf
A Year Told through Stuff*
Written by Jennifer L. Holm
Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-689-85281-7
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 4.6
Description: Ginny makes a to do list for her seventh grade year, which includes landing a role in the school play, trying to make friends, ignoring her horoscope, and going to see her grandpa Joe in Florida; but she always seems to come up short in accomplishing any of it.
Extra Credit*
Written by:Andrew Clements
Illustrated by: Mark Elliot
Publisher:Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2009.
ISBN-13: 978-1-41694-931-2
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/ Reading Level: 5.2
Lexile Level: 830
Description: Three young middle-school-age children, Abby, Amira, and Sadeed, exchange letters back and forth between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan and begin to bridge a gap across cultural and religious divides.
The Other Half of My Heart*
Written by: Sundee T. Frazier
Publisher: Delacorte Press, p2010.
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73440-0
Fiction
Interest Level:3-6/Reading Level: 6.5
Lexile Level: 750
Description: Twin daughters of interracial parents, eleven-year-olds Keira and Minna have very different skin tones and personalities, but it is not until their African American grandmother enters them in the Miss Black Pearl Pre-Teen competition in North Carolina that red-haired and pale-skinned Minna realizes what life in their small town in the Pacific Northwest has been like for her more outgoing, darker-skinned sister.
Mockingbird (mok'ing-burd)*
Written by: Kathryn Erskine
Publisher: Philomel Books, p2010.
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-25264-8
Fiction
Interest Level:5-8/Reading Level: 4.1
Lexile Level: 630
Description: Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.
After Tupac and D Foster
Written by: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Putnam's, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-0-399-24654-8
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 4.7
Lexile Level: 750
Description: In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.
Odd Man Out
Written by: Sarah Ellis
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, p2006.
ISBN13: 978-0-88899-702-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 4.8
Lexile Level: 620
Description: When Kip goes to visit his grandmother, he meets his wild girl cousins, has lots of fun experiences and finds a connection to his dead father.
The Wednesday Wars*
Written by: Gary D. Schmidt
Publisher: Clarion Books, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-618-72483-3
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 5.6
Lexile Level: 990
Description:During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.
Chicken Boy
ISBN13: 978-0-7636-3266-3Written by: Frances O'Roark Donnell
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2005.
ISBN13: 978-0-689-85816-1
Interest Level: 5-8/ Reading Level: 6.8
Lexile Level: 860
Description: Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family life and school life have been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.
Books for Kindergarten - Grade 2
Ling & Ting Not Exactly the Same*
by Grace Lin
ISBN13: 978-0-316-02452-5
Fiction
Interest Level:K-3/Reading Level: 1.4
Lexile level: 390
Description:Ling and Ting are identical twins that people think are exactly the same, but time and again they prove to be different.
Written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Illustrated by Tony Fucile
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2010.
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 2.5
Lexile Level: 310
Description: Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
A Couple of Boys have the Best Week Ever*
Written and Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Publisher: Harcourt, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-0-15-206020-6
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.1
Lexile Level: 680
Description: Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon's grandparents during summer vacation.
Having the Courage to Be Who You Are*
Written by Maria Dismondy
Illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson
Publisher:Ferne Press, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-1-933916-30-9
Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.1
Description: Lucy decides to help Ralph when he is in trouble, despite the fact that he teases her for being different.
17 Things I'm not allowed to do anymore*
Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-375-83596-4
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.9
Lexile Level: 750
Description: A young girl lists seventeen things she is not allowed to do, including not being able use the stapler after attaching a pillow case to her brother's head.
Books for Grade 3 - Grade 5
Love, Aubrey*
Written by: Suzanne LaFleur
Publisher: Yearling, p2009.
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-85159-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 3.9
Lexile Level: 570
Description: While living with her Gram in Vermont, eleven-year-old Aubrey writes letters as a way of dealing with losing her father and sister in a car accident, and then being abandoned by her grief-stricken mother.
The Dunderheads*
Illustrated by: David Roberts
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2009.
ISBN13: 978-0-7636-2498-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 4.0
Lexile Level: 430
Description: When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson.
Middle School is Worse that MeatloafA Year Told through Stuff*
Written by Jennifer L. Holm
Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-689-85281-7
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 4.6
Description: Ginny makes a to do list for her seventh grade year, which includes landing a role in the school play, trying to make friends, ignoring her horoscope, and going to see her grandpa Joe in Florida; but she always seems to come up short in accomplishing any of it.
Written by:Andrew Clements
Illustrated by: Mark Elliot
Publisher:Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2009.
ISBN-13: 978-1-41694-931-2
Fiction
Interest Level: 3-6/ Reading Level: 5.2
Lexile Level: 830
Description: Three young middle-school-age children, Abby, Amira, and Sadeed, exchange letters back and forth between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan and begin to bridge a gap across cultural and religious divides.
The Other Half of My Heart*
Publisher: Delacorte Press, p2010.
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73440-0
Fiction
Interest Level:3-6/Reading Level: 6.5
Lexile Level: 750
Description: Twin daughters of interracial parents, eleven-year-olds Keira and Minna have very different skin tones and personalities, but it is not until their African American grandmother enters them in the Miss Black Pearl Pre-Teen competition in North Carolina that red-haired and pale-skinned Minna realizes what life in their small town in the Pacific Northwest has been like for her more outgoing, darker-skinned sister.
Books for Grade 6 - Grade 9
Mockingbird (mok'ing-burd)*
Publisher: Philomel Books, p2010.
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-25264-8
Fiction
Interest Level:5-8/Reading Level: 4.1
Lexile Level: 630
Description: Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.
After Tupac and D Foster
Publisher: Putnam's, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-0-399-24654-8
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 4.7
Lexile Level: 750
Description: In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.
Odd Man Out
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, p2006.
ISBN13: 978-0-88899-702-9
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 4.8
Lexile Level: 620
Description: When Kip goes to visit his grandmother, he meets his wild girl cousins, has lots of fun experiences and finds a connection to his dead father.
Written by: Gary D. Schmidt
Publisher: Clarion Books, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-618-72483-3
Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 5.6
Lexile Level: 990
Description:During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.
Chicken Boy
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, p2005.
ISBN13: 978-0-689-85816-1
Interest Level: 5-8/ Reading Level: 6.8
Lexile Level: 860
Description: Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family life and school life have been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.
