Realistic Fiction

What is realistic fiction? When I thought about this question the first thing that came to mind was something to read that is fake, but is written in a way that it seems real. However I know that it is much more than that, now. Realistic fiction is realistic because the settings, characters, and events could actually happen and they are believable. What makes them fictitious is that the aforementioned elements did not actually exist or take place. Realistic fiction may be based on real events that occurred in history or the author's lives.

Realistic fiction is an important piece of children's literature. I myself have always found that this genre is my favorite. There is something so important about reading books that are relatable to children's lives.  In my own life I read books, such as Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume while going through some tumultuous times in my own life as a pre-teen and young teenager and felt that I could relate to some of the aspects of the characters lives.

Some important benefits of realistic fiction:

• It honestly portrays the realities of life so children can gain a more in-depth understanding of human problems and relationships.
• It helps expand children's frames of reference and ability to see the world from another point of view.
• It helps children understand and taking comfort in knowing that their problems are not unique and they are not alone in the world. 
• It allows children to experience vicariously interactions with the characters in books.
• It provides a literary framework for the development of a sense of personal and civic competency and the ability to make improvements in our own lives and the lives of others. 

Life is not easy! Life is full of ups and downs, turmoil, humor, and stressful situations. Realistic fiction addresses all of these and many more components of real life. 

Good realistic fiction needs to be credible. If it is not credible and backed with a meaningful theme, it will not be engaging or be able to help children who read it. It also can be controversial and deal with issues such as death, divorce, moral choices, mental health issues, abuse, homelessness and poverty, and sexism and sexuality. People may believe young children should be sheltered from these things, and to a degree I agree that before a certain age children should not be exposed to the trials of the world before they have to. But the truth is that these things happen. Every day. And children are very fragile beings who will encounter many tough situations and by giving them some exposure to fictional stories that address these issues it may offer some much needed guidance or simply comfort in knowing that they are not alone. 

Teachers have an important influential role. We can expose children to realistic fiction that they may relate to. By simply suggesting a wide range of books on the subject the chances are that a student will read at least one and can gain some comfort or insight.

Realistic fiction can also help students engage in critical analysis of literature. Many books of this genre will get children thinking about the world around them and how situations that occur in the book might effect them. This is exactly what a reader should be doing while reading, critically thinking and analyzing the text.

In my classroom I intend to include a lot of realistic fiction. For one reason, because it is my favorite genre, but for another, because it is an important genre that many children can relate to and it may stir their love of literature as it did for me.