Realistic fiction for children and teens
Realistic fiction for children and teens tells stories that could actually happen, with characters and situations that feel familiar. Instead of magic or futuristic gadgets, you get friendships, family drama, school challenges, and the everyday ups and downs young readers recognize. These books matter because they let kids see pieces of their own lives on the page, spark empathy for others, and sometimes even offer ideas for handling the tricky stuff that real life throws at them. This list features realistic fiction by R. J. Palacio, Andrew Clements, Jason Reynolds, Erin Entrada Kelly, Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Ali Hazelwood.
Realistic fiction for children and teens – our recommendations
Realistic fiction for middle grade children
Wonder by R. J. Palacio. 
Losers Club by Andrew Clements. 
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai. 
The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor. 
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. 
Roll with It by Jamie Sumner. 
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson, illustrated by Nina Mata. 
Strange Birds by Celia C. Pérez. 
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. 
As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds. 
The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes. 
Weirdo by Tony Weaver, Jr. Realistic fiction for teens
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. 
When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord. 
Why We Fly by Kimberly Jones, Gilly Segal. 
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely. 
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson. 
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan. 
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert. 
This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang. 
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon. 
Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore. 
Throwback by Maurene Goo. 
On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by Julia Walton. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this realistic fiction book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.
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Realistic fiction for children and teens – resources for teachers
- PACER National Bullying Prevention Center – Classroom Resources Ready-to-use lessons, discussion starters, and projects on kindness, empathy, and upstander skills—ideal companions to Wonder, Losers Club, and other friendship/bullying plots in middle grade realistic fiction.
- Learning for Justice – Classroom Resources Identity, community, and justice-aligned lessons, texts, and teaching strategies for grades 3–12; use to frame conversations in titles that explore bias, belonging, and civic action across both middle grade and YA lists.
- NEH EDSITEment – Literature & Language Arts Standards-based lesson plans and primary-source pairings to deepen character study, point of view, and theme—great for book clubs on Hello, Universe, As Brave as You, or author studies.
- Tenement Museum – Teacher Resources Immigration, family stories, and place-based inquiry units with primary sources and writing prompts—connect to food, home, and newcomer themes in books like Pie in the Sky and Clean Getaway.
- National Association for Media Literacy Education – Educator Toolkit Practical activities and mini-lessons for analyzing social media, rumor, and representation—useful with contemporary YA about online life, relationships, and identity.
- NIMH – Resources for Students & Educators Evidence-based explainers, handouts, and classroom-friendly materials on mental health topics to support reflective discussions in books that address anxiety, grief, or stress.
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network – Resources for Educators Trauma-informed classroom strategies, discussion guidance, and student supports—helpful when realistic fiction surfaces difficult experiences and big feelings.
BISAC JUV000000, YAF000000 Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction | Thema YFB
