Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction genre

Words In The Dust

A daughter of Afghanistan discovers new friends and opportunities after the defeat of the Taliban. Zulaikha hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her–“Inshallah,” God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to the village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha.

See the review at WOW Review Volume 5, Issue 4

I Lost My Mobile at the Mall

Elly Pickering is dreading telling her parents thats she’s lost her mobile phone again, what with the Global Financial crisis and everything. But losing her mobile is just the beginning. A series of technological happenings and manipulations leads Elly to question her priorities, her friendships, and Will, her fabulous boyfriend. Is she facing certain social death? Or can a technological breakdown sometimes be kind of a good thing?

The Beginner’s Guide to Living

Seven days after his mother dies in a sudden, senseless accident, seventeen-year-old Will embarks on a search for meaning that leads him to the great philosophers—Plato, Seneca, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche—and to Taryn, the beautiful girl he meets at his mother’s wake. Will is desperate to find, however he can, something authentic, something ultimate, something so true he would live or die for it. But is he willing to risk losing Taryn—losing everything–to seek the answers he craves?

Saraswati’s Way

Leaving his village in rural India to find a better education, mathematically gifted, twelve-year-old Akash ends up at the New Delhi train station, where he relies on Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, to guide him as he negotiates life on the street, resists the temptations of easy money, and learns whom he can trust.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 1

Albertine’s Got Talent!

Albertine’s mother and father and brother all have special talents. Her mom sews up new outfits for dolls and superheroes in minutes. Her dad grows award-winning vegetables. Her brother Sam is a top-notch soccer player. But Albertine doesn’t have a special talent—yet.

Fleabag

A boy without a dog and a dog without a boy meet each other in the park. But the boy’s big people don’t approve of the friendship. The dog is dirty! And he has FLEAS! Will these two friends be able to find a home together?Helen Stephens’s timeless, kid-friendly art makes this heartwarming story a winner for anyone who’s ever loved a dog.

Moon Watchers

Looking through the tall trees in their backyard in Maine, Shirin and her dad search for a glimpse of the new moon, the sign that the month of Ramadan has begun. Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world pray, fast, and pay special attention to doing good deeds. Shirin is nine and thinks she should be able to fast like her older brother Ali, but her parents feel she is still too young to go without food and water all day. When Shirin catches Ali sneaking food after school, she wonders: Should she tattle or is this an opportunity for a good deed? Shirin feels left out when the others break their fasts to have their own meals after dark and in the early morning, before it is light again. But then her grandmother tells a story that shows her a way she can feel more a part of Ramadan and the traditions and closeness her family enjoys during this special month of the year. Her good deeds result in a surprise for everyone.

Noni Says No

Noni can do many things: she can give her baby brother his bottle, she can help her mother in the kitchen, and she can even walk over to her friend Susiers’s house. But Noni just canr’t say “no.” When she was very small, it was easy saying “no” to everybody, but now that she has a best friend, she wants to please. Noni can’t say “no” to her friend, even when it means she has to hand over a precious toy, or when it means agreeing to a hideous haircut, or even giving up her bed at a sleepover. But when Noni finally finds her voice, the consequences are not what she or the reader expects. A comforting exploration of friendship and of the importance of trusting one’s own judgment. Noni learns that you can stand up for yourself and still be a good friend.

Running the Road To ABC

Six island children are running at daybreak — over the hills, through the fields, across the city square — to school! Never before has the love of learning (and learning together) been such a joyous time. Denise Lauture’s buoyant, poetic text captures the happiness and youth of energetic children on the way to school; Reynold Ruffins perfectly illustrates the rich beauty of Haiti with the bright-colored vibrance of Haitian folk art.