Realistic Fiction

Byars, Betsy. The Not-Just-Anybody Family. (J Byars)
With a young brother in the hospital, a grandfather in jail, and their mother traveling with a rodeo, Maggie and Vern try to settle family problems.

Byars, Betsy. Summer of the Swans. (J Byars)
A teenage girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally handicapped brother gets lost.

Carey, Elizabeth Doyle. Callahan Cousins. (J Carey)
Four girl cousins spend summer vacation together with their grandmother on Gull Island.

Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw. (J Cleary)
In his letters to his favorite author, Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. (J Creech)
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route.

Danziger, Paula and Ann Martin. P.S. Longer Letter Later. (J Danziger)
Best friends Elizabeth and Tara*Starr continue their friendship through letter-writing after Tara*Starr's family moves to another state.

Konigsburg, E.L. The View From Saturday. (J Konigsburg)
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.

Lord, Cynthia. Rules. (J Lord)
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

Martin, Ann. Belle Teal. (J Martin)
Belle Teal's lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. As school begins, Belle Teal faces unexpected challenges. Her best friends are up against some big problems. And there are two new students in Belle Teal's class: a shy boy caught in the town's furor over desegregation, and a snob who has problems of her own. As her world falls apart, Belle Teal discovers the importance of sticking together.

McKay, Hilary. Saffy's Angel. (J McKay)
After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special momento of her past.

Namioka, Lensey. Half and Half. (Namioka)
At Seattle's annual Folk Fest, twelve-year-old Fiona and her older brother are torn between trying to please their Chinese grandmother and making their Scottish grandparents happy.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. (J Naylor)
When he finds a beagle in the hills near his home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to mistreat his dogs.

Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. (J Paterson)
The life of a boy in rural Virginia expands when he befriends a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.

Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins. (J Paterson)
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. (J Spinelli)
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.

Wiles, Deborah. Love, Ruby Lavender. (J Wiles)
Ruby Lavender has fun with her grandmother Miss Eula as they rescue chickens, paint a house pink and run their own secret post office. But what can Ruby do when Eula goes away?


Mary Cheney Library
586 Main Street
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 645-0577
http://library.townofmanchester.org/children.html

Whiton Memorial Branch Library
100 North Main Street
Manchester, CT 06042
(860) 643-6892

Updated 1/09