By: Kelly Harper & Cynthia Howard

Contemporary Realistic

Fiction

What is Contemporary Realistic Fiction?

• Genre that mirrors life

• Books have characters, events, and plots that have not actually happened in real life, but could actually happen

• Characters deal with life’s ups and downs in realistic ways

Genres Within

• Animals• Humor• Mystery

• Problem Novels• Series Books

• Sports• Survival and Adventure

Major Themes• Overcoming fears and accepting

responsibilities

• Understanding families, divorce, and adoption

• Accomplishing goals in sports

• Developing and Maturing

More Themes

• Finding Romance

• Finding friends: Relationships, alienation, and a sense of belonging

Themes Cont.

• Coping with violence, crime, alcohol, and drug abuse

• Living with physical and mental disabilities

Themes Cont.• Coping with death, disease, accidents,

and suicide, and growing old

• Developing an understanding of sexual issues

• Living in global society: politics, war, prejudice, conflicts, religion

Choosing Quality Literature Within the Genre

• Realistic Setting

• Credible, non-stereotypical characters- multidimensional, change over time

• Believable problems, solved in culturally grounded and realistic ways

• Natural dialogue

• Theme applicable to children’s

lives

How the Genre Has Evolved Over Time

Time Period Description

Pre 1960’s Many realities of human existence (pregnancy, crime, social injustice, etc) deemed “unsuitable” for children and not included in children’s literature

Mid 1960s American society changes (Vietnam War, civil rights movement, etc) Effects were too widespread to hide and young people began to be seen as full citizens.Darker subject matter was introduced into children’s books

1970s- Present Society continues to change and topics reflecting that change appear in children’s literature (AIDS, drugs in schools, inner-city survival, terrorism, etc.)

Why Realistic Fiction?• MY Life- shared problems and

situations

• Allows children to identify with characters and deal with issues in a different way

• Judy Blume

R.F. for Young Children

• Barbara Park: Primary

• Paula Danzinger: Primary/mid. school humor

• Beverly Cleary: Primary/mid school humor

• Judy Blume: Preteen

Notable Pre-teen/Teen Authors

• Judy Blume:  teen/pre-teen problem novels• Betsy Byers:  Pre teen problem novels • Virginia Hamilton:  African Am. Experience• Lois Lowry:  teen/pre-teen problem• Phyllis R. Naylor:  adolescent humor, animal

stories• Gary Paulsen:  survival & adventure fiction• Jerry Spinelli:  teen/ pre teen problem• Laurie Halse Anerson: YA problem• Chris Crutcher:  YA

R.F. for Older Children

• Carolyn Coman (Many Stones)• Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)• Alex Finn (Breathing Underwater)

Favorites

Notables

• Taboos of literature are tested

• Most popular genre

• Changed drastically over time

• Bibliotherapy

Bibliography

Bucher, K. & Hinton, K. (2010). Young adult literature: Exploration, evaluation, and appreciation. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Jacobs, J.S. & Tunnell, M.O. (2008). Children’s literature, briefly. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.