Contemporary realistic fiction is a genre of fiction that takes place in recent history. However, unlike historical fiction, these stories do not have to be based on any fact. The most distinguishing feature about the genre is that the plot and characters must seem realistic, and unlike modern fantasy, fantastical elements are absent. Stories that qualify as contemporary realistic fiction are great for kids who want to read stories where they can relate to the experiences and feelings of the characters they are reading about.
Notes from the Midnight Driver
By: Jordan Sonnenblick
Reviewer: Brandon Berrey
Grade Level: 8-12
Reading Level: 6.0
Alex decided that he wanted to finally tell his dad what he thought of the divorce. First he needed to take a few more swigs from the bottle of vodka. He would finally get the answers he sought after he drove over there. The next thing he knew he was on the front lawn of the naeighbor down the street and being excorted to the police station. Luckily for him the judge was lenient and he only had to volunteer for 100 hours at the local home for the elderly. Little did Alex know that his charge would be a grumpy old man named Soloman Lewis. How could he stand this man? Will they finally find something that interests both of them? Did the judge place him here on purpose? Find the book and answer those interesting questions yourself.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
By: John Green and David Levithan
Reviewer: Mike Slowinski
Grade Level: 9
Reading Level: 6.6
Will Grayson is a straight high school student who lives in Chicago. Will Grayson is a homosexual high school student who lives in Indiana. Under the most unlikely circumstances, these two high schoolers meet up by chance inside a random store one evening in Chicago. In their own ways, they were both looking for something, and without knowing it then, they both found their answer in each other. In this very creatively written novel, John Green and David Levithan trade off writing chapters and points of view from both Will Graysons as they describe how two stranger's lives become tangled and intertwined with each other. This is a touching, humorous, and sometimes over-the-top depiction of the complicated lives of the 21st Century teenager. A page-turner until the very end!
Skeleton Creek
By: Patrick Carman
Reviewer: Joseph Diefenthaler
Grade Level: 5-8
Reading Level: 4.8
Stories have come up in Skeleton Creek about things that have happened on an abandoned dredge. Being a very small town in Oregon, Sarah and Ryan didn't have much to do so they decide to investigate. What they didn't know is that their investigation would land one of the two in the hospital. While Ryan is at home healing, Sarah takes videos from her solo trips to the dredge and sends them to Ryan via the internet. This is a great book that combines web movies and the book into a fun interactive experience. Do they find out who or what the ghost is? You'll have to read the book to find out. (currently a series of 4 books)