Reviews and Blog Posts: Realistic Fiction

Owen is the fattest kid in school. It wasn't always that way, but things have changed for him recently. Owen has a lot to figure out. Luckily, he's got a near genius IQ, and a knack for inventing things, like a receiver that can pick up TV signals from the...

Terra has lived her whole life according to maps–the maps her father is obsessed with, the port wine stain birthmark on her face, the path her father has decided she should take. Terra has her own ideas about art, beauty, and getting out of her small Washington town, but her...

Quinn adores her charming and artistic father; but he seems to go through a lot of women. When Quinn and her sister, Sprout, are on one of their weekend visits, Quinn discovers that some of her father's prized possessions, the ones with the fabulous stories, have women's names on them....

What do losing your best friend and codes have in common? These are the most important things to Zoe Bennett. Zoe's in 6th grade. She's not super in math or a star performer like her siblings. She's just Zoe, and she doesn't know what makes her special. Her best friend...

Melonhead (otherwise known as Adam Melon) always seems to be getting into trouble because he forgets to tell his mom something, like that he has a pet snake, or that he takes a shortcut home on the rooftops of his neighbors' houses. When an invention contest is announced at school,...

Tashera was a good kid who kept her head down in the neighborhood, staying out of trouble. When she starts dating Ahmed, a jealous ex-girlfriend and her friends jump Tashera and send her to the hospital. Tashera's brother, who used to be big in a gang until a bullet put...

Pure is the story of a group of friends who all have promise rings pledging their commitment to saving sex for marriage. The girls are from different backgrounds, but the promise has brought them together as friends. When one of the girls breaks her vow, it throws the group into...

Jaime just wants to fit in. Rather than deal with the harassment and racism her other classmates of Arab descent face, she dyes her hair blonde, puts in contacts that make her eyes blue and doesn't tell people much about herself. She has a horrible secret: she's of Lebanese-Muslim descent...

Jason Blake is 12, and autistic. He knows enough about NTs (that's neurotypicals) to know that he doesn't quite fit in, and to worry about it, but sometimes he just can't help himself, like when it feels like his hair is on fire, or when standing on the grass hurts....

Do you think climate change is a problem? Ever thought about the day-to-day, real life consequences of things like shifting weather patterns, fuel shortages, and nations struggling with what to do to lower their energy use? For a glimpse at a possible near future, take a peek at Laura's diary....