Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction: Stories about normal people dealing with normal problems.

Choose a book you have NOT read before

Audiobooks are GREAT! Listening to a book definitely counts as reading, as long as you're paying attention. This is a great option if you have a hard time sitting still or staying focused while reading. Most of these books have audiobooks that are narrated by the author, which makes them even more interesting.

Some books may contain strong language or content that may not be suitable for all readers. Students and parents with concerns about content are encouraged to preview the books using websites like Common Sense Media or Goodreads to choose a book that is suitable for them, and students may switch books at any time. Students and parents may request inclusion of a book not on this list by contacting Ms. Barnes (barnesa3@gcsnc.com) for approval. 

Click on any of the book covers below to learn more about that book. Each book cover links to the Storygraph page for that book, where you will find a summary, reviews from other readers, content warnings, and information on where to purchase or borrow the book.

Elizabeth Acevedo

A teen mom struggles to balance the demands of high school, caring for her toddler, and her dreams of becoming a chef.

Warning: This book may make you hungry.

Sherman Alexie

A Native American boy, dreaming of becoming a professional cartoonist, leaves his school on the Spokane reservation to attend an all-white high school, where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Tonya Boteju

An LGBTQ teen finds belonging, learns to embrace herself and what she wants in life, and comes to terms with the mother who walked out on her years before.

Mahogany L. Browne

A teenage girl steps out of the shadow of her best friend, learning that sometimes growing up also means growing apart.

This is a story told through poetry.

Stephen Chbosky

A shy, awkward teen befriends a group of rebels in his school who draw him out of his shell and encourage him to start really living his life.

(There's a movie version of this, but it isn't as good as the book.)

Sandra Cisneros

The story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, deciding for herself who and what she will be.

This is a novel told through a series of short stories.

Laurie Frankel

This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Claude's parents want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes. 

John Green

A reserved, bored teen enrolls at a boarding school and makes friends with a wild, rebellious girl. She draws him out of his shell, and he falls in love. And then she dies. How will he deal?

Jenny Han

Lara Jean has never told anyone about her crushes; instead, she always writes a letter, seals it, and hides it under her bed. But then someone mails the letters to the boys, and Lara Jean must learn to be honest about her feelings.

*Now a movie on Netflix

Ibi Zoboi

Zuri Benitez has pride in her hometown, her family, and her Afro-Latino roots. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can't stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius, but their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding. But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place or lose it all.

Adiba Jaigirdar

A Muslim girl comes out to her family as a lesbian, deals with racism and cultural appropriation during a school project, and learns to stand up for herself in her relationships and pursue the life she wants.

Leah Johnson

Liz Lightly has always felt too poor, too black, and too awkward to belong in her conservative small town. But when winning prom queen becomes her only hope for affording college and getting out of town, she tries to become a social butterfly.

Adib Khorram

Darius feels like a constant disappointment to his family. He's not Persian enough for his family in Iran, and not white enough for his American classmates. On top of all that, he's clinically depressed. But when his family visits Iran to see his dying grandfather, Darius makes a friend and learns that maybe he will be okay after all.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Gogol Ganguli's parents, immigrants from India, named him after their favorite Russian author, and with this name came the weight of all their expectations for their first-generation American son. Will Gogol live up to his parents' expectations, or will he choose his own path?

Tahereh Mafi

In 2002, a year after 9/11, 16 year old Shirin is tired of being stereotyped as a terrorist just because she's Muslim. She's so used to people being awful that she has built walls to keep anyone from getting to close to her. But when she meets Ocean James, she starts to wonder if maybe it's time to let someone in.

Anna Meriano

When 17-year-old Ellen's sometimes-evil stepmother grounds her for the whole summer before she leaves for college, Ellen's plans for grand adventures with her best friends go flying out the window. With no other options for a social life, Ellen joins a local Quidditch team, full of Harry Potter nerds running around with sticks between their knees and throwing dodgeballs. As Ellen's high school BFFs seem to be growing away from her and family conflict disrupts her life at home, she begins to find belonging with her new teammates and to fight for the life she wants.

Randy Ribay

Jay Reguero is looking forward to one last summer of video games and relaxation before he leaves for college. But then his cousin, who lives in the Philippines, is murdered, and no one in his family will talk about it. So Jay travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth about his cousin's life and death.

Gabby Rivera

Juliet has just come out to her conservative Puerto Rican family, and she isn't sure if her mother will ever speak to her again. So she takes an internship with her favorite author and moves far away from home. But will Juliet find herself, or is she just running from her problems?

Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all. They seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime.

Erika L. Sanchez

Perfect Mexican daughters don't go away to college, or move out of their parents' houses before getting married. But Julia has no intentions of being the perfect daughter. Her sister Olga has that job locked down. Then, Olga dies in a terrible accident, and her parents shift all their hopes to Julia. But Julia discovers that her perfect sister had some dark secrets. Maybe Olga wasn't so perfect after all.

Courtney Stevens

The daughter of a small-town preacher deals with the pressures of other people's expectations, the complicated dynamics of her social circle, and her romantic interest in one of her close friends.

Jesmyn Ward

Esch is fourteen and pregnant, and she isn't sure what she's going to do. She's already acting like a mom for her three brothers while her dad struggles to keep them fed. When Hurricane Katrina rips through her small town in Louisiana, her family's bond is tested as they fight for survival.

Delia Owens

For years, rumors of the Marsh Girl have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens.