Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction genre

The Whole Sky Full of Stars

Barry can punch anyone hard enough to make them see a whole sky full of stars, though that’s not really his style. Barry and Alby have been friends since the first grade. They’ve always protected one another. When Barry’s pop dies, times are tough and the only thing Barry has of value is his dad’s 1964 Ford Galaxie. Meanwhile Alby’s got himself into big trouble with a cardshark. So he hatches a plan to make money. To help out Barry, but also to help himself. The problem is, Barry could get hurt, and it just might cost Alby their friendship. How much can you ask of a friend?

Waiting for Mama

This tender story was first published in a newspaper in 1938. This tale from Korea is universal–a small child waits for Mama at the station, asking the conductor if he has seen her. The conductor hasn’t, but cautions the child to wait a little farther from the tracks. It is cold and snowy but the child waits patiently until finally Mama comes.

It is an English-Korean bilingual picture book. The Korean edition book is also available.

Read more about Waiting for Mama in WOW Review.

Roots and Wings

Grace’s grandmother has died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few mysteries, like who her father was, why her mother and grandmother moved from St. Petersburg to Pennsylvania, where they’re the only Cambodians Grace has ever seen, and what Cambodian culture is really about. Embraced by her mother’s old friends, Grace feels both at home and lost, fascinated by the traditions she’s never known, but strangely judged by some members of the community.

My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel

A boy living in the United States describes differences in the way he and his family observe Jewish traditions, and the way his cousin and her family observe the same traditions in the Jewish homeland.

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes

One day, Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr decided to buy their mother the perfect birthday present–a pair of red shoes. So they set out to earn some money. Things did not go exactly as planned, but in the end, Mother was very surprised!

My Mom

Anthony Browne returns to celebrate the every-mom. We first meet Mom over a cup of coffee, clad in a floral robe. The robe is ever present as her child describes her wondrous abilities and traits: from fantastic cook to brilliant juggler to great painter and from being as beautiful as a butterfly to being as comfy as an armchair – this mother will be recognizable to one and all.

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Strawberries

Flicka, Ricka and Dicka are going wild-strawberry picking, and Mother has promised to pay for every basket they gather. When they stop at a cottage to ask for directions, the girls meet Mary, her baby brother, and their mother. They are very kind, but have patches on their clothes and no milk to drink. After the girls help Mother make strawberry jam, they think of a special way to spend the money they have earned.

Hurricane!

One moment the sun is shining on the slopes of El Yunque, the largest mountain in eastern Puerto Rico. The next, everything has changed. The sky has turned deep purple, and you feel as if the air has been sucked from your lungs. That can mean only one thing: A hurricane is coming!

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread

Three little Swedish boys want some butter for their bread, but the cow will give no milk because she has no fresh green grass, and there is no grass because the sun has not been shining. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr work hard to set things right.