Chapter Nine:

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Oscar Navarro
Claudia Pilon
Megan Shihady
ELIB 530A, Prof. McLinn
 Realism in Contemporary Children’s
Literature
• Realistic Fiction: “imaginative writing that
accurately reflects life as it was lived in the past,
or could be lived today”
• Historical Fiction: shows a life that “might-have-
been” in the past
• Contemporary Realism: focus on today’s issues
 The Value of Contemporary
Literature
• Children can develop their “human-ness”
by looking at how characters interact and
look at their problems
• Helps them see the world from other
perspectives
• Let’s them know that they are not the only
ones who go through problems, they are
not alone
Issues Relating to Realistic Fiction

• How do these young readers differentiate

between “real” or “true to life”?
• How explicit can these books be?
• Consciousness: race, culture, sexism, ageism,
treatment of people who are differently-able
• Author’s background: their writing being authentic
and cultural relevance
 Becoming One’s Own Person

• Children’s Literature serves a way to journey into

adulthood
• Adults are shaped by love, significance, places,
possessions, etc.
• Growing up is a MAJOR theme in children’s
literature
 Living in a Family

• Family Relationships: How nuclear families

interact
• Extended Families: Visiting relatives who life far
away
• Families in Transition: single-parent, divorce,
foster homes
 Living with Others

• Finding Peer Acceptance: child cruelty, outcasts,

forming friendships
• Growing Toward Maturity: developing sexuality
(menstruation, erection, sexual abuse)
• Finding Oneself: Abuse, racial relations, “getting
it together,” leadership
• Survival: heroic deeds, courage, skills to live,
sickness, self-worth
 Categorizing Literature

• Categorizing can limit how a book is perceived

(Does it only have one category?)
• Categorizing by age range can limit younger
readers who want to read a more mature work
 Coping with Problems of the Human
Condition
• Children cannot escape these problems
• Literature acts as a window
• Facing personal crisis
• Questions about the meaning of life
Physical Disabilities

• Purposes
– Images to identify with
– Create a better
understanding
• Disabilities portrayed
realistically
– Not pity… RESPECT
– Future portrayed
honestly
– Realism in illustrations
• Time-honored themes
– Sometimes misleading
Developmental and Learning
Disabilities
• Joey Pigza Swallowed
the Key by Jack Gantos
– ADHD
– Medication

• My Louisiana Sky by
Kimberly Willis Holt
– Developmentally
disabled parents
– Desire for change not
always what is best
Mental Illness

• 3 NBs of Julian Drew by

James Deem
– Physical, mental abuse
– Mental breakdown

• Eclipse by Kristine L.
Franklin
– Depression
– Suicide
Aging and Death

• The Hundred Penny

Box by Sharon Bell
Mathis
– Aging from different
perspectives

• A Taste of Blackberries
by Doris Smith
– First person portrayal
– Death of a friend
 Living in a Diverse World

• Literature cannot replace human interaction

• Help develop an understanding of different
cultures
• Discover uniqueness and the universal
experience of being human
 African American Experiences in
Books for Children
• “Culturally conscious fiction” (Rudine Sims
Bishop)
• Offer unique perspectives in fiction
– Language patterns, vocabulary
– Relationships across generations
– Descriptions of skin shades
– Acknowledgement of traditions
 Virginia Hamilton
Newberry Medal Winner
Books That Extend Understanding of
Diversity
• Hispanic/Latino Culture
– Past novels lack quality and
range
– Modern stories more honest,
memorable
• The Tequila Worm by Viola
Canales
• The Circuit and Breaking
Through by Francisco
Jimenez (1940’s migrant
workers)
• Asian-Americans
– Rapidly growing group
• Historical fiction titles by
Yoshiko Uchida
• Contemporary novels by
Laurence Yep
• Contemporary Indian novels
– Blue Jasmine by Kashmira
Sheth
– Bollywood Babes and Bindy
Babes by Narinder Dhami
• Novels with a true Native American
voice hard to find
– Joseph Bruchac
• Children caught between two
countries, cultures
– Swimming to America by Alice
Mead (Albanian immigrants)
– A Step from Heaven by An Na
• Difficulties of being a
newcomer
 Understanding Various World
Cultures
• Not many novels that realistically portray
modern children and their families living in
other countries
• Batchelder Award
– Publisher
– Originally published in a foreign language, foreign
country
• Not perfect depictions of life in another
country
 Popular Types Of Realistic Fiction

• Humorous Fiction
• Animal Stories
• Sports Stories
• School Stories
• Mysteries
• Children often ask for categories by name; they
want “a funny story” or “a scary story” or
“something about sports” or “something about a
dog”
Humorous Stories
 Humorous Stories

• Often involves “amusing or exaggerated

predicaments solved in clever or unique ways”
• Humorous stories can attempt to portray
personal pain such as the pain masked by the
class clown
• Sometimes part of a series
• Need no justification
• Pure enjoyment
• Can build a love of reading (Huck 518)
Animal Stories
 Animal Stories

• “Provide children with the vicarious experience of

giving love to and receiving devotion and loyalty
from an animal.”
• Often involve the growth and maturation of a
main character.
(Huck 524)
Sports Stories
 Sports Stories

• Appeal to both participants and observers of

sports
• Includes fiction, biographies and informational
books
• More and more “quality” titles and ones with
female protagonists
• At its best sports stories “provide readers with
vicarious satisfactions of playing the sport as well
as struggling with the problems and issues that
arise in practice, play and at home.” (Huck 526)
School Stories
 School Stories

• School stories “offer the solace of the

familiar” through setting, characters, and
situations/conflicts
• Often series
• School stories “support horizontal growth
as children learn to read faster and with
more satisfaction.” (Huck 528)
Mystery Stories
 Mysteries

• “What’s going on here?” as opposed to “Who

done it?”
• Like adults, children enjoy escape
• Children enjoy
– Plot twists
– Ordered universe
– Tied up loose ends where everything is
explained
– Evil is punished
 Skills Developed

• Rapid reading and fluency

• Vocabulary Development
• Prediction
• Awareness of relevant detail
• LOVE OF READING THAT CAN BE EXTENDED
AND EXPANDED
(Huck 530)
 Evaluating Realistic Fiction

• Same criteria as all fiction

• Major appeals
– Action
– Contemporary characters
– Familiar Settings
– Straightforward Plot Development
– Humor
– Suspense