Realistic Fiction By: Morgan, Emily, Erin, & Devin

Warm up: In Journal What do you know about Realistic Fiction?

-It could actually happen to you -The story has a believable problem -Author is writing about the character -Pictures match the story -The setting is clear -Only a few characters

Realistic Fiction Notes Common Categories: -Animals -Humor -Mysteries -Problem Novels -School and Family Novels -Series Books -Sports - Survival and Adventure

Animals: -There is a bond between animals and humans, and that relationship rewards the reader. -Example Book: Because of Winn Dixie -A 10 year old girl moves to Florida with her father. She adopts a dog named Winn Dixie, and she begins to tell Winn everything. Opal and her father realize that because of the dog, they still have a lot to be thankful for even with her mother leaving when she was three.

Humor: -It’s a book that makes people laugh and appeals to a broad range of students -Example Book: Fat Camp Commandos -When Ralph and Sylvia are stuck at camp Noo Yoo during the summer to help them lose some weight, they decided they want to seek revenge.They make a friend named Marvis Goldfarb and the next day, they were eating bacon, not at camp, and creating a plan to get revenge on their parents for sending them there.

Mysteries: -Mysteries have been at the top of the of childrens preference list since the 1920’s. It often includes intrigue, suspense, and danger. -Example Book: The Westing Game -The Westing Game is a mystery novel, very similar to the game of Clue. Sixteen people from an apartment building are invited to play a game in order to inherit the money from Mr. Westing’s will. The 16 are divided into eight partners and are given a series of clues to help them “win.”

Problem Novels: -Technically every book is a problem novel, because without a problem, then the book would not be interesting or have a plot. They usually involve a serious issue like illness, death, abuse, or injury. -Example Book: The Lottery Rose -The Lottery Rose is a problem novel about child abuse. A boy, Georgie, is abused his whole childhood. One day, he wins a rosebush at the market and goes home, only to be beaten some more. The police eventually save him from his abusive mother and he is taken to a safe haven, where the rose becomes a symbol of his freedom.

School and Family: -The problems in these stories tend to be less severe than problem novels, but they revolve around school and family. -Example Book: Junie B. First Grader Cheater Pants -Junie B. First Grader Cheater Pants follows the a girl named Junie B. Jones. In the book she is accused of cheating off another girls test. The teacher then has to have a conversation about cheating with her and he even gives her a 0. He calls her house which and involves her parents. They still love her and she vows not to do it again.

Series Books -They vary greatly in quality and have a memorable main character, and they evolve into a series as characters experiences more adventures. -Example Book: Thanksgiving on Thursday -This book is just one book of a series. The series are based on the adventures of Jack and Annie. This book happens to be based on the first Thanksgiving. They wish to be transported back in time to this date, 1621 and help Priscilla with the cooking and preparing of the food. Things go wrong and they burn the turkey. In the end they learn to always be kind to those who feel different and afraid.

Sports: -Sports stories fall into two groups. Game focused and problem focused. Game focused stories are interested in the score and who wins the game. However, problem focused have a sports setting but go beyond the final score and delve into a deeper meaning. -Example Book: The Girl Who Threw Butterflies - The Girl Who Threw Butterflies is about an eighth grader, Molly Williams, who just lost her father to a car crash, and is losing her mother’s emotional attachment because she has become withdrawn and distant. After her father’s death and her mother withdrawing, Molly looks to the only thing that might help her change her reputation at school...baseball. Molly joins the boy’s baseball team in hopes that she will be able to redefine her relationship with the things that she loves or loved most in the world: her mother and father, her best friend Celia, her teammate Lonnie, and baseball.

Survival and Adventure: -Often set in the wilderness, but characters can also face urban survival. They often combine survival with discovery. -Example Book: Hatchet - Hatchet follows the incredible survival story of thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson. Brian sets out on a trip to visit his father when the plane he’s flying ends up crashing in the vast Canadian wilderness. All alone, Brian is left with only his clothes, a windbreaker and a hatchet he received as a gift from his mother. Through his journey, Brian will become a survivor, find out what he is truly capable of, and discover that courage is not something that is possessed very easily.

After Activity: - Take out your “If this genre were a….” graphic organizer and complete the realistic fiction section of it.