Realistic Ficton

"Realistic fictions is realistic in the sense that the setting, characters, and events are plausible - they reflect contemporary places, people, and situations. Yet, these stories are fiction because the characters and events did not really happen even though many authors write stories based on their own childhood experiences"(Johnson, 2012).

Categories of Realistic Fiction:

• Survival/Adventure
• Mystery
• Humor
• Animals
• Sports
• Family
• Growing Up

The following are good realistic fiction characteristics:

• portrays the realities of life
• helps children see the world from another perspective
• helps children understand that their problems are not much different from others
• provides a literary framework for the development of a sense of personal and civic competency and the ability to make improvements.

A few considerations of realistic fiction are moralizing and bias/stereotypes.

Many children are drawn to realistic fiction, so this is the perfect opportunity for us teachers to build on our students' interests. When a child is interested in something they will most likely want to know more, therefore they will read more and begin to comprehend what they are reading. Realistic fiction gives us the perfect opportunity!