realistic fiction

When Jane Belleweather, a 17 year old, wins a 58 million dollar lottery ticket, she is stressed out. She is conflicted on what to do next and who to trust. She is left with only a few options with what to do with her ticket. Give her ticket to her hoarder mother, tell her journalist best friend, or trust her ex-boyfriend, who came back into her life after disappearing. Does Jane end up claiming her prize? What will happen next? Read more to find out!

I like how this story talks about serious concepts, such as mental health and grief. I also like how the story didn’t have any side plots, or

Bang! Bang! POW! Normal 16-year-old Starr Carter’s world is turned upside down after witnessing the traumatic shooting of her best friend, Khalil Harris. The incident quickly becomes the talk of the town and it is later revealed to the public that Starr was the witness of the shooting. Will Starr be able to speak out and uncover the truth behind Khalil’s death? Will Khalil be served justice? Dive into Angie Thomas’ young adult fiction novel The Hate U Give as Starr faces the harsh reality of racism, police brutality, and using her voice to speak up about what is right.

This book is a very

Cecila’s life was going well, until one day. She fell, and when she woke up she could not hear anything. She became deaf out of the blue. She had to go to a deaf school, and learn, which was hard for her. Instead she got a hearing aid, and she gets to go back to a normal school. But it did not feel as normal for Cecila. She looked different with the hearing aid, and it was harder for her to make friends. Do you think she will have a good and fun school year? Read El Deafo to find out!!

I enjoyed reading this book, but for me this is not the right book for me. I think that I am not a fan of

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton provides a look into what teenage life looked like in the 60’s in America. A book targeted towards teens, The Outsiders tries to capture a more accurate perspective on these children. Almost sixty years have passed since its release, however, meaning that most of the book is not applicable to today’s society. As attitudes and culture throughout the years change, it is foolish to use this book as a guide for what teenagers in today’s society will do when placed in hard situations.

Even back when it was first released, it is hard to believe that some would

Always and Forever, Lara Jean​, Jenny Han’s final novel in her ​To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, provided the perfect ending to the series; however, it still lacked compared to the first book. In this book, Lara Jean and Peter deal with the prospect of college and all that comes with it, especially being in a long-distance relationship and having different schedules.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was its realistic representation of what happens to relationships once high school ends. Both Lara Jean and Peter doubt each other, they pretend they can visit each other

Auggie is going to school for the first time and he is completely petrified. August Pullman has had 27 surgeries to help him hear, breathe, see, and talk. He has been homeschooled for his whole life by his mom and now he is starting middle school in an actual school. Auggie makes some friends and some enemies in middle school. While Auggie is going to middle school, his sister, Via, is starting high school, when she finds out her only best friend abandons her. At school, Auggie meets Jack, Will and Julian but only becomes friends with one of them, while the other makes fun of Auggie. Do you

Jay Reguero, a Filipino-American high-school senior, is living a comfortably mundane life in Michigan. When he learns of his cousin and childhood best friend Jun's murder as a part of Duterre's drug war, regret and a thirst for truth propels him to travel to Manila to discover the truth of Jun’s suspicious death. This poignantly written novel about identity, loss, and heritage will touch hearts everywhere - a must-read for any age!

As one of the "hyphenated" (Peruvian-American), this book touched my heart. The guilt the main protagonist feels for his comfortable life in America and his

This historical fiction book is about Meggie Dillon's life.  To help improve the family's income, Meggie's family ups and moves to Willow Run, Michigan, during WWII. Her father has obtained a job working on war planes at night to help the war effort. Because they are moving into a small apartment they have to leave her German grandfather behind in New York.  Meggie soon realizes that she misses him but quickly meets other kids in the same circumstance as hers.  Then, coming home one day to a military car parked outside, she learns that her older brother is missing in action, and Meggie must

Despite the blurbs on the back cover, Bret Anthony Johnston’s debut novel, Remember Me Like This, is not a thriller in the traditional sense. The elements are all here: a kidnapping, a possible murder, a family in turmoil. But to Johnston’s credit,  his novel is partly about  thwarting expectations—mostly the reader’s, and not always in ways that we’re accustomed to.

The story begins in noir mode with the happenstance discovery of a floating body in Corpus Christi, Texas, and its possible connection to a long-forgotten kidnapping. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Johnston is not

Anna, a Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen is prepared for anything except moving from her beloved Colorado home to her father’s small Kansas hometown.  Her father, a minister, is called to accept this post until a replacement can be found.   Most of Oakwood's townspeople are related but she eventually embraces them and their unique ways.  Anna has a bumpy ride from the first but she soon comes to see things differently.  This book would be appropriate for ages 8-12.

John Green writes novels for young adults, but you don't have to be young to enjoy them.  I'm forty-three, and he's one of my favorite contemporary authors.  I became a fan of Green not by reading his books but by watching videos on his amazing YouTube channels CrashCourse, Mental Floss, and Vlogbrothers.  I thought I was too sophisticated and mature to read a young-adult novel, but I love Green so much I gave him a shot.  Most fans of John Green that I know love his book The Fault in Our Stars the best, but my favorite John Green novel is Looking for Alaska.  It’s the story of a 16-year-old