Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction genre

Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster

Nothing’s simple for Lockie Leonard. He’s only lived in town for a year and his dad’s the local police sergeant, two facts that don’t win Lockie any popularity contests. Dumped by his popular girlfriend, he’s back to being the loneliest kid in town until he makes friends with Geoff Eggleston, or Egg, the weirdest human being Lockie’s ever known. Egg is a dark-haired, pimply-faced, very bright “Metal Head” who can’t even swim, though their town is right on the Australian coast. By contrast, Lockie is a trim, blond, expert surfer. Lockie and Egg decide to somehow clean up the town’s harbor, partly covered with scum from industrial waste. In the middle of all their planning, Lockie falls in love again, with a girl who turns out to be only eleven. To make it worse, she surfs better than he does, though he’s the best in his school. Can a thirteen-year-old surfrat have a headbanger for a best friend, stay in love with an eleven-year-old gremmie, and still save his town from industrial pollution? Tim Winton is a prize-winning Australion novelist whose The Riders was short-listed for the 1996 Booker Prize. He himself is an, expert surfer. With rich characterization, strong narrative drive, and much humor, Winton has written a contemporary story that reflects the concerns of all teenagers and will reach a wide audience.

Would You

WOULD YOU RATHER know what’s going to happen or not know? A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she’s zooming off to college in the fall. For Natalie, it’s a fun summer with her friends; nothing special. When Claire is hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents, and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover.

The Dandelion Garden

Ten stories that follow themes of life changes includes a girl discovery a painful secret about an older brother, a girl who falls in love with an older man, a character who realizes human potential, and more. By the author of The Leaving.

The Toll Bridge

Three teens test their sexuality and the bonds of their friendship as they discover who they are–and aren’t–in a harrowing course of events that leaves all three wondering if you can ever really know anyone. This powerful novel, infused with symbolism and metaphor, will challenge the reader’s very way of thinking.

Dolphin Luck

“Some dolphin luck would be very useful,” said Beany. It’s a wet, cold, and miserable Christmas. Mrs. Robinson is ill and so is Old Blanket, the Robinsons’ beloved dog. Following the doctor’s orders, Mr. Robinson takes Mrs. Robinson off to recuperate in a warmer climate, leaving Beany and Sun Dance, their two younger children, in the capable care of Mrs. Brogan, who with her son, Robin, lives in the other half of Porridge Hall, an old seaside mansion. The twins, Ant and Perry, are shipped off to Great Aunt Mabel. To Beany and Sun Dance, it seems as though things can’t get any worse. Sun Dance settles down to capture any burglar who may attempt to rob their house, and Beany determines to find an ancient sword, with a hilt in the shape of a dolphin, that is supposed to bring luck and grant wishes. Meanwhile, Ant and Perry find their old aunt not quite what they expected. She eats porridge and nothing else and lives with two large dogs, four cats, and a parrot. Before the Robinson family is reunited, each one of them has had extraordinary, sometimes scary, frequently harrowing adventures that make for touching, often hilarious, utterly absorbing reading. This companion to Hilary McKay’s earlier Dog Friday and The Amber Cat, with its rich characterization and great originality, is an outstanding achievement.

The Madness Continues, A Spud Novel

The record-breaking, bestselling sequel to Spud!

It’s 1991, and John “Spud” Milton’s journey to manhood is still creeping along at a snail’s pace. Nearly fifteen, Spud’s starting his second year at boarding school and—to his utter mortification—he’s still a spud!

To make things worse, his dorm mates, the legendary Crazy Eight, have an unusual new member (Roger the cat), and his house is home to a new batch of unruly first years. Spud is soon plagued with women trouble, coerced into expulsion-worthy adventures, and frustrated to find his dreams of fame in tatters after landing the part of the Dove of Peace in a disastrous production of Noah’s Ark.

Join Spud as he takes another tentative step forward while all around him the madness continues. . . .