Realistic Fiction

Amber Farmer, Sydney Rose, Christina Zapatero

Throwback!

History of Realistic Fiction

Before the 1960s childrens fiction typically presented a world without negative or
earthy aspects because children were kept away from that.

Ex) no love affairs, no liquor, no supernatural phenomena, no undermining of authority,

no parents with human weaknesses, no cursing, etc...

During the 1960s and after, as society changed (war, divorce, civil rights, etc),
books for young readers began to reflect those shifting views.
The rise of mass media (Radio, TV, newspaper) also contributed to this

What is Realistic Fiction?

Realistic fiction: A genre of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting.
These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people. The
authors of these stories often draw on their own backgrounds.

Main point: Everything in contemporary realistic fiction is possible on planet Earth.

Characteristics:
1.

Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the present or recent past.

2.

Characters are involved in events that could happen.

3.

Characters live in places that could be or are real.

4.

The characters seem like real people with real issues solved in a realistic way.

5.

The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure questions that a reader could face in everyday life.

Common Categories
1)Animals
2)Humor
3)Mysteries
4)Problem Novels
5)School and Family Novels
6)Series Books
7)Sports
8)Survival and Adventure

Jerry Spinelli
Bio: Spinelli discovered his love for writing in High School after writing a poem about football. He attended
Gettysburg College and spent his time writing short stories and was the editor of the college literary magazine. He
graduated from Gettysburg College in 1963 and acquired his MA from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. In the
years following his graduation, Spinelli wrote a few novels for adults, but all were rejected from publishers. Spinellis
fifth attempt at writing a novel, Space Station Seventh Grade, was published in 1982.
Books: Maniac Magee, Milkweed: A Novel, Stargirl, Love, Stargirl, Loser
Awards: Newbery Award for Maniac Magee
Contribution: Since 1982 Spinelli has written 30 books geared towards upper elementary and middle school
readers. Some recurring themes in his novels are bullying, nonconformity, diversity, and self-acceptance.

Beverly Cleary
Bio: Cleary grew up in the small town, Yamill, and there was no library. Her mother had a
connection with the next town over that was gracious enough to send books over from their
library, which deepened Clearys interest in reading. A librarian from her elementary school
encouraged her to read books that she could relate to. Not only did the librarian encourage
Cleary to read books, but to also start writing. Cleary received her college degree at Chaffey
College. Her first book, Henry Huggins, was published in 1950, and her writing career took
off from there.
Books: Ramona and Her Mother, Ramona and Her Father, Ramona the Brave
Contribution: In 1975, Cleary was awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her
substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature. Her books have also been published in 20
different languages.

Kate DiCamillo
Bio: Kate was born in Philadelphia, PA, and then moved to Clermont, FL. The move to Florida
was caused by her chronic pneumonia. This illness ultimately contributed to her love of
reading and writing. She did not start writing until 29 however, after she was employed in a
book warehouse and was constantly surrounded by childrens books.She was awarded the
Newbery Medal in 2004 for Tale of Despereaux.
Books: Because of Winn-Dixie, Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, The Tiger Rising, Mercy Watson to the Rescue.
Contribution: Kate DiCamillo is currently serving as a National Ambassador for Young
Peoples Literature. She won the Newbery Medal in 2004 and 2012! Avid promoter of
summer reading and literacy programs. She is the first ever Collaborative Summer Library
Program National Summer Reading Champion. CSLP involves various states who are
coming together to provide quality reading materials for all ages at their public libraries.

Katherine Peterson
Bio: Katherine was born and raised in China where her father served as a missionary. Due to
her fathers job as a missionary, her family moved various times. She had moved 18 times
before she was 18. She attended King College in Bristol Tennessee where she earned a
degree in English. Katherine has written more than 30 books! She has won the Newbery
Medal twice, Hans Christian Andersen Award, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and lastly was
named a living legend by the Library of Congress. Notably she is the Vice President of the
National Childrens Book and Literacy Alliance.
Books: Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Jacob Have I Loved.
Contribution: The characters in Mrs.Patersons books are what give her such a long lasting
and influential status as an author. She has had great success portraying strong characters
who are often outsiders in the book. This outsider status often strengthens the characters and
fight to discover their own identity. Strives to give a very real and authentic persona to
characters. Most are based off of real life events or people so she does not alter them just for
the storys sake. This appears most with criticism surrounding her books due to the foul
language some characters use.

How to implement this genre in the

classroom:

The main thing to explain to students is that Realistic Fiction involves characters

and situations that could be occurring in real life. One activity you could implement
in the classroom is one where you give every student a picture of a person and they
must create a story around that person.

The other image shows specific

characteristics of Realistic Fiction;
beginning attention grabber, problem/solution,
setting, characters, details, transition words,
proper sentences, ending.

References
Biography of Katherine Paterson, Author of "Bridge to Terabithia" (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://katherinepaterson.com/biography/
DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
Ending Where We Began: Writing Realistic Fiction. (2014, May 21). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/ending-where-we-began-writing-realistic-fiction/
Kate DiCamillo - Stories Connect Us. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.katedicamillostoriesconnectus.com/about/
Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York, New York: Scholastic Corporation.
Teaching, Not Telling: Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop - Realistic Fiction. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://teachrmaryam.blogspot.com/2014/01/lucy-calkins-writing-workshop-realistic.html?m=1
Tunnel, M., Jacobs, J., Young, T. & Bryan, G. (2011). Children's Literature, Briefly (6th Edition). New York, NY: Pearson.
What is Realistic Fiction? - Definition, Characteristics & Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-realistic-fiction-definition-characteristics-examples.html