Chapter 7: Realistic Fiction

      Realistic means having an idea of what could happen or something that can be expected, it doesn't necessarily have to come true. The fiction part is basically stating that the story is not true. Putting realistic fiction together means that a book is written with realistic events that didn’t actually happen, but could’ve happened. The idea of realistic fiction is to capture the motive that relates to people in their everyday lives. For children, they’re able to connect and perhaps relate it to their own lives as well. Realistic fiction helps children understand the meaning behind many of their unanswered questions. Children are able to see other people’s experiences from a whole new perspective that allows them to become more social, adventurous, and kind.

      Taking in the consideration of ideals when picking a realistic book for your student is very important. Not all students take up the same ambition and therefore that is why it’s important to introduce different kinds of books to students. We cannot be ignorant and think that all students are going through the same phases. Recommending a book is a very important initiative, especially, as a teacher, because recommending a certain realistic book to a struggling student might help with personal problems and will perhaps bring in personal insights to the table and be willing to express their feelings more. As long as the book does not involve obscene or vulgar content, everything else should be helpful and insightful. There are different categories of Realistic Fiction:

Survival/Adventure: Thrilling fast paced plot with conflict between a person and nature. The characters have a control of what happens and change for better or worse as a result of the action. 

Mystery: Suspense with fast paced action and a logical solution foreshadowing questions through clues. Involves: who, what, when, and where.

Humor: Involves characters going through funny situations.

Animals: Characters grow and change because of the relationship they have with an animal.

Sports: Action revolves around the tensions and thrills that involve around a particular sport.

Family: Based on both traditional and nontraditional family values longing for responsibility, loyalty, or unity to overcome conflicts.

Growing Up: Characters learn how to cope with independence and are confronted with mixed feelings. As well as, having difficulty making choices and/or dealing with challenges.