Realistic Fiction

Skyler Wimer
LJ Tucker
Shataya Woods

Key
Elements

What is Realistic Fiction?

a genre consisting of stories that could
have actually occurred to people or
animals in a believable setting.
Stories that resemble real life, and
fictional characters within these
stories react similarly to real people.
Have plots that highlight social or
personal events or issues that mirror
contemporary life, such as falling in
love, marriage, finding a job, divorce,
alcoholism, etc. They depict our world
and our society

What are the common

Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the present or recent
characteristics?
past.
Characters are involved in events that could happen.
Characters live in places that could be or are real.
The characters seem like real people with real issues
solved in a realistic way (so say goodbye to stories
containing vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, dragons, zombies,
etc.).
The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure questions that a

Whats so
great about
it?

Why is realistic fiction so

Has credible characters that are easily
appealing?
relatable
Contains dialogue that is informal and
conversational.
Helps us better understand the world
and ourselves.
Relates to real life issues.
Deals with engaging stories through
connection.
Generates discussion of debatable

Why introduce it to young readers?

Helps young readers cope with early struggles.
Realistic Fiction can be used as an escape from reality for
children who enjoy non-fiction.
Realistic Fiction can be useful when children begin to
produce writings of their own for assignments or personal
diaries.
Makes young readers aware of real life situations that
children their age are faced with.
Realistic Fiction begins to prepare young readers for the real
world.

Examples

Wonder

By: R.J Palacio

10-yr old boy (Auggie) has a facial

deformity (Treacher Collins
Syndrome). He had been
homeschooled until his parents
decided to enroll him in a private
school for the start of middle
school. Auggie is thrown into a
whole new world, where not
everyone is nice. Even so, some
people may surprise you.

Ghetto Cowboy
12-yr old boys (Cole) behavioral
problems causes his mother to take
him to Philadelphia to live with his
father that he has never met. Cole
and his father gets involved with a
group of African American cowboys
who rescues horses and uses them
to keep the youth away from drugs
and gangs.

By: G. Neri

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine

Paterson
You tell us Is
this realistic
fiction? Why or
why not?