Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction is also known as Contemporary or Modern Realistic Fiction exclusively because they are set in those specific times. They are believable stories that have actual characters, realistic settings, and truthful events. These stories can definitely happen in the real world. The criteria for evaluating Realistic Fiction are pretty simple. We want to make sure that everything within the story is consistent with the real world. The way the characters talk, behave, and live must be realistic and exposed to our modern world. Furthermore, it is important to avoid realistic fiction that stereotypes. We also want to look for themes that develop slowly and consistently. Finally, an extremely important question to ask ourselves is how the topic relates to the modern readers we have today, mainly because some common topics can be sensitive and tough such as death, sexuality, and family structure.

Realistic Fiction is very popular especially for young adults. It is a way to learn about things that can happen in real life. Sometimes children are not too comfortable talking about certain modern topics, and their only way to become knowledgeable is by simply reading about it. It is good for librarians to recommend Realistic Fiction books to those young adults that simply don’t like escaping to fantasyland and dealing with a completely new world.