Category Archives: Realistic Fiction

Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis

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bucking the sargeLuther Farrell has dreams. Dreams of winning first place in the Science Fair (by besting his rival and love interest, Shayla), of attending Harvard, and of getting out of Flint, Michigan. But if the Sarge has her way, Luther will be shaving and bathing elderly men at the Happy Neighbor Group Homes in Flint forever. Sarge is Luther’s mom. There’s a reason she’s called The Sarge. To make is dreams come true, Luther is going to have to muster up the courage to stand up to Sarge.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas

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The Possibilities of SainthoodAntonia Lucia Labella wants to be a saint, a living official saint! She also wants to receive her first kiss. Antonia knows all about saints and frequently writes the Vatican suggesting new patron saints and “humbly” nominates herself to take on the job. She constantly prays to saints to intercede on her behalf to make her first kiss a reality with one handsome baseball player from Bishop Francis, Andy Rotellini. Be careful what you wish for!

Schooled by Gordon Korman

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schooledCapricorn Anderson has lived a very sheltered life at Garland Farm with his grandmother, Rain. Garland Farms was once a thriving commune in the 1960s but now just Cap and Rain work the farm. Cap is homeschooled and hasn’t had much contact with people. When Rain breaks her hip from a fall off a ladder in the orchard, Cap finds himself living in foster care with the Donnelly family and attending Claverage Middle School. He might as well be living on another planet! With his long blonde hair, tie-dyed clothes and woven sandles and his non-violent, trusting and naive personality, Cap is the perfect specimen for Zach Powers eighth grade prank. But Capricorn Anderson may have a few surprises in store for Zach and the other 1,099 students at C average Middle School.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

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The Truth About ForeverMacy is all set to have an uneventful summer. Her brilliant boyfriend, Jason, is off to Brain Camp. She’s filling in for Jason at the public library reference desk. Boring! In the evenings, she studies vocabulary for the upcoming SAT. Yawn! Macy and her mother don’t really talk much since the loss of her father. They haven’t truly dealt with his death. When an opportunity occurs for Macy to work with Wish, a very disorganized but close-knit catering company, she decides to take it on. Through Wish, Macy meets Wes. Wes and his Truth-telling game help Macy break down the wall she’s built up to hold back her feelings.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

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code orangeMr. Lynch’s science research assignment on contagious diseases requires that students use at least four books.
“Books?” questions Mitty Blake. “Nobody uses books anymore. They’re useless, especially in science. Facts change too fast.” But Mr. Lynch wants students to use books for their report and not rely totally on the Internet. Mitty, a master procrastinator and slacker when in comes to school assignments, finds himself in a jam because he doesn’t have any books on smallpox and it’s the weekend and he’s at his family’s vacation home without access to book stores or libraries AND he has to show Mr. Lynch the books he’s using tomorrow. So Mitty decides to use some of the antique medical books his mom uses for her interior decorating business. When he opens Principles of Contagious Disease, printed in Boston in 1899, Mitty is skeptical that he will find any useful information. Within the book he finds an envelope and hand-written upon the envelope in fountain pen ink is the label “Scabs–VM epidemic, 1902, Boston”. Mitty opens the envelope, handles the some fragile scabs which crumble in his finger tips, and rubs his itchy nose. Has Mitty just infected himself with variola major, an airborn virus? Will he be the new Typhoid Mary of New York City? Code Orange will keep you turning pages to find out what will happen to Mitty, his parents, his friends and classmates and New York City.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

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Rules of Survival2When Matt and Callie witness Murdoch McIlvane defuse a situation between an abusive father and his small son at the Cumberland Farms convenience store, Matt knows he must to get Murdoch to help Callie, Emmy and him get away from Nikki.  Nikki, their unstable mother, would be a fantastic villian if this story was a fantasy, but this is realistic fiction and Nikki is down-right scary.  Matt doesn’t trust the system and won’t go through the regular channels to seek help.  When he finally does involve Murdoch, Nikki ups the level of her psychotic game.  Werlin keeps you turning pages to find out if these kids will ever be able to break away from Nikki.

The Trap by John Smelcer

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the trap 2I recently finished reading The Trap by John Smelcer.  If you like Hatchet, you should like The Trap.  Albert Least-Weasel is out checking his traplines in the Alaskan wilderness as he has always done for the past sixty years.  When he doesn’t return as scheduled, his grandson, Johnny Least-Weasel begins to worry.  The temperatures are steadily dropping.  Should he follow the advice of his uncle and wait or should he follow his heart and go look for his grandfather? 

There are several attributes that make this book an interesting and enjoyable read.  The story is told in alternating chapters, one in Albert’s voice and the other in Johnny’s voice.  Each chapter begins with a Native American legend which gives you an additional tale.  The harsh setting of the Alaskan wilderness adds to the intensity of this survival tale.  For those of you who love survival and adventure, try out The Trap.