I really enjoy reading realistic fiction books. The characters live in a world, maybe a little different than mine, that is full of real life challenges. They can't fix their problems with magic, but instead must figure out a solution to their problems on their own. Here are a few of my favorite realistic fiction books from this year.
By Maleeha Siddiqui
New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 242 pages.
Ainy dreams of being a fashion designer, and her dream comes true when her mother agrees to let her work in the family boutique over the summer. She knows she is going to have a great summer working at the shop and spending time with her best friend, Safiya. Everything is pointing to a perfect summer, until she finds that she doesn't have as much free time to spend with her friend. And just when she thinks her summer couldn't get any worse, some boys from school come by the shop and start harassing her. This summer Ainy must find the courage to stand up for herself, and get the respect she knows she deserves no matter how she looks.
By Kate O'Shaughnessy
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Fiction. 325 pages.
During the middle of the night Fern is woken up by her mother and told to pack her bag because they are leaving. Fern's mother has decided to take her away from the self-sustaining community where they have been living in upstate New York. When Fern realizes that her mother isn't planning on going back to their home in New York, she is very upset. She is certain that her mother has made a terrible decision by leaving the ranch, so she starts to come up with a plan to go back home to the ranch with or without her mom. A wonderful book about growing up and finding your own path through life.
Mavis has a great life full of tropical vacations, shopping trips, and a big beautiful home in an elite Chicago neighborhood, but her perfect life begins to unravel after a family vacation to Maui. The FBI come looking for her mother, who has disappeared. Mavis and her family aren't allowed to live in their home any longer and with their bank accounts frozen, her dad's only option is to ask his sister for help. Now, they are living in their aunt Melissa's basement in a small town called Somewhere, Illinois.
A complex story that takes a family from riches to rags as they redefine their relationship with each other and face facts about their mother that they have been ignoring for many years.
Grace is a hard working student who is looking forward to summer break. With the help of her cousin and older sister, she makes a list of things she wants to do during the summer. This list pushes Graces our of her comfort zone as she tries a new haircut, takes a creative writing class, and starts training for a half-marathon. As she begins to check things off her list, she meets new people, learns to open herself up to new possibilities, and discovers what really matters in life.
By Craig Silvey
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Fiction. 307 pages.
Annie loves to fix problems, it's what she is good at. So when tough times force her family to consider the possibility of selling their farm, she decides she will find a way to solve this problem. On a whim, Annie decides to enter her dog Runt in a dog competition with a grand prize of $250,000. Annie knows that this prize money will fix all of her families problems and allow them to keep their home. But, Annie has to figure out a way to get Runt to do the agility course with people watching him, which may be the biggest problem she has ever had to fix. A fun family style novel that will keep readers engaged and cheering for Annie and her dog Runt.
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