Realistic Fiction

Created as book log by Faye Ampe, UCD Spring 2008

Modified by Marcie Haloin

UCD, Spring 2015

Types of Realistic Fiction (Tunnell)

• Animals• Humor• Mysteries• Problem Novels• School and Family Novels• Series Books• Sports• Survival and Adventure • Short Story Collections

Literary Elements inRealistic Fiction

• Plot: sequence of events that occur to the characters; has a beginning, middle, and end.

• Setting: where the story takes place. Can include location, weather, time, or time period.

• Characters: those that are involved with the story. Main characters are well developed and supporting characters are minimally developed.

• Theme: underlying meaning or message of a story. Encompasses truths about human nature and/or society.

• Viewpoint: the narrator. Can be viewed through the eyes of the main character using first person or can be an a third person view where the author informs the reader of character’s thoughts and feelings.

Nightmare at the Bookfairby Dan Gutman

• Summary: Trip Dinkleman, who hates to read, romps through chapters that introduce all the different genres for reluctant middle grade readers

• Delaware Blue Hen Children's Choice Award (2010)

• Suggested use – middle grade read aloud to introduce genres-Horror, Sports Fiction, Adventure, Science fiction, Humor, Mystery, Reference, Historical Fiction, Easy Reader, Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction for Girls

A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray

Summary• “Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her

nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal” (Follett,2012)

Awards• Colorado Children’s Book Award 2006• Starred reviews in Booklist, School Library Journal,

VOYA

Suggested activity• 4th/5th literature circles or read aloud• Point of view

Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom! By Kelly DiPucchio

Summary

• Mrs. McBloom is going to retire after nearly fifty years of teaching in room five.

Awards

• Starred reviews in Booklist, Booklinks, Horn Book, and School Library Journal

• Reading Teacher, Teacher’s Choice 2006

Suggested activities

• Great for retiring teachers and new teachers as well

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Summary

• Eight year old Clementine works out her friendship with neighbor Margaret and helps her father banish the pigeons from their apartment, all with humorous consequences.

Awards

• Starred reviews in Horn Book, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal

• ALA Noteable book

• Colorado Children’s Book Award Nominee 2009

• 16 other state award lists

Swindle

Summary

• “After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the SmartPick fruit picker.” (Follett, 2012)

Awards

• Ten state awards

Suggested uses

• Read aloud

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Summary

• Thirteen-year-old Theodore follows in the footsteps of his lawyer parents and gets involved in a murder trial that his class has been watching.

Awards:

• Positive reviews in Horn Book, Christian Library, Library Media Connection, and School Library Journal

Suggested use:

• Includes opportunity for discuss of immigration issues

Wright 3by Blue Balliett

Summary:

• Sixth Grade sleuths Petra and Calder are involved in a mystery involving Frank Lloyd Wrights Robie House, which their class is trying to save from demolition.

Awards

• New Jersey Garden State Award 2009

• Starred reviews in Horn Book and Kirkus

Suggested Activities

• Primary search research on Frank Lloyd Wright at American Memories

Heartbeatby Sharon Creech

Summary

“Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant.”

Starred review SLJ and Publisher’s Weekly

Suggested use: Teach footnotes

Word After Word After Wordby Patricia Maclachlan

Summary• “A visiting author teaches five friends

about the power of words and writing.” Follett Destiny Catalog

Awards

• Starred review in Booklist

• New Hampshire Book Award Nominee 2011-2012

• South Dakota Nominee 2012-2013

• Tennessee Nominee 2012-2013

• West Virginia Children’s Choice Nominee 2011-2012

The PenderwicksA summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very

interesting boyby Jeanne Birdsall

Summary:While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.

Awards, Honors, Prizes:• Book Sense Book of the Year Award

Honor Book 2006 Children's Literature United States

• Great Lakes Great Books Award Winner 2007 Grades 4-5 Michigan

• Maine Student Book Award Third Place 2007 Maine

• National Book Awards Winner 2005 Young People's Literature United States

Suggested activities:• Literature circle• Venn Diagrams with Wiles, Deborah The

Aurora County Allstars

Half a Chanceby Cynthia Lord

• Summary: Lucy’s family spends the summer at the lake and she enters a photography contest with the help of Nate and his grandmother in the beginning stages of loosing her memory.

• Awards: ALA Notable

Parents’ Choice Silver Medal• Suggested use: pair with other

summer reads. Photography and art activities.

• Nominated for 10 state book awards.

The Hello, Goodbye WindowNorton Juster Chris Raschka

• A preschooler visits Grandma and Grandpa

• Awards

Caldecott 2006

• Suggested Uses

Art activity where student draws who is looking through their “Hello, Goodbye Window”Set up a Hello Goodbye window in the classroom

The Year of Billy Millerby Kevin Henkes

Summary

Billy’s second grade year is a source of worry, fun, and laugh out loud fun, with a little serious family and school drama. Each section is his perspective of Teacher, Father, Sister, and Mother.

Awards

2014 Newbery Honor

Suggested use: read-aloud

Personal narrative mentor text

Ivy + Beanby Annie Barrows + Sophie Blackall

• Summary: Series about two spunky friends filled with humor and mischief.

• Musical • Flicker Tale Children's Book

Award Nominee for Intermediate (2011)

• Suggested use: Musical came out in 2013 Compare with books.

Diaries (Dork, Wimpy Kid)

The Aurora County All-Starsby Deborah Wiles

• Summary: House Jackson spends the summer learning about families, baseball, and life.

• Starred Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus

• Suggested use: Great to compare with The Penderwicks or other summer stories.

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

• Environmental Mystery• Set in Florida• Agatha Award for Best

Childrens Young Adult (2005)

• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2007)

PEAK a novelby Roland Smith

Summary • Fourteen year old Peak is caught tagging a

building. His sentence is to go with his long-lost father, who wants him to be the youngest person to summit Everest.

Awards, Honors, Prizes• Washington Young Reader’s Choice Award

Winner 2010• Colorado Blue Spruce Award; Nominee;

2011• Colorado Children’s Book Award; Nominee,

2009• 12 other state nominations• Starred reviews in Booklist, Horn Book,

Publisher’s WeeklySuggested usesLiterature circles for boys 5th-8th

Guysread: Funny Businessedited by Jon Scieszka

Book Trailer on You Tube

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCd9ln6Y5Cs

This is the first Genre based collection in the series edited by Jon Scieszka.

Authors include: Mac Barnett, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Paul Feig, Adam Rex, and David Yoo