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What is Contemporary Realistic Fiction?
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Added by Tessa Grassetti: Books of contemporary realistic fiction are plausible stories set in today’s world. The term implies that the plot, characters, and setting could have happened to people in our contemporary world. However, this does not mean that the stories are true (Norton, 362). The characters act and speak like real people, and should be well developed so that readers feel like they really know them. Often there is an element of character growth or self-realization in the book. More importantly, the titles serve to promote tolerance and understanding of others and their experiences. It "extends children's horizons by broadening their interests, allowing them to experience new adventures and showing them different ways to view and deal with conflicts in their own lives" ( Through the eyes of a child, 363). No matter how bleak a situation might be, the reader needs to feel that there is always hope. Like other genres, realistic fiction includes a variety of literature. A realistic story could also be labeled as an adventure story, mystery, animal story, sports story, humorous story or romance because of its content. Furthermore, contemporary realism explores various themes, such as growing up, cultural diversity, and peer and family relationships. A great example of an animal story is Phyllis Naylor’s 1992 Newbery Medal Winner, “Shiloh.” In this story Marty Preston, 11 years old, rescues and falls in love with a stray dog that has been abused. Marty struggles when his family and the community members expect him to return Shiloh to his rightful owner, despite the abuse. Other wonderful contemporary realistic fiction books include: Jerry Spinelli’s “Maniac Magee,” Katherine Patterson’s “Bridge to Terabithia,” and Sharon Creech’s “Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.” Morgan, Mia. “Contemporary Realistic Fiction.” PowerPoint presentation for LBS 803. Fall 2009. Norton, Donna E. and Saundra E. Norton. //Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature.// 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall, 2003. Ronderman, Margaret, Bill Glaister, and Barbara Huston. "Our Favorite Children's and Young Adult Authors." //Children's and Young Adult Literature//. Sep 2009. University of Lethbridge, Web. 27 Sep 2009. http://www.wadsworthmedia.com/marketing/sample_chapters/0534555446_ch07.pdf Added by Laurie Ryan: Contemporary realistic fiction is set in our contemporary world and the events and characters are such that they could be real in today’s world. There isn't any magic, animals behave as animals, and there isn’t any time travel. It’s as though the story could take place, but it doesn’t mean that the story is true. The topics contemporary realistic fiction for children focuses on are relevant to today’s children. Topics such as friendship, cultural differences, autism, and understanding feelings such as anxiety are some examples. Through contemporary realistic fiction students often are able to make a connection to something they are wondering about or struggling with and are shown examples of how others, fictional characters, are dealing with these questions and issues. This connection to children’s lives makes contemporary realistic fiction a very popular genre.
 * What is Contemporary Realistic Fiction? **

Norton, Donna E. //Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature 7th Edition//. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/ ‌ Merrill Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.