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Realistic Fiction
These are realistic fiction books for teens.

Dumplin'
by Julie Murphy

Sixteen-year-old Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so, while grappling with her feelings for a co-worker who is clearly attracted to her, Will and some other misfits prepare to compete inthe beauty pageant her mother runs.
The field guide to the North American teenager
by Ben Philippe

When Norris, a Black French Canadian, starts his junior year at an Austin, Texas, high school, he views his fellow students as clichés from "a bad 90s teen movie."
With the fire on high
by Elizabeth Acevedo

Navigating the challenges of finishing high school while caring for a daughter, talented cook Emoni Santiago struggles with a lack of time and money that complicate her dream of working in a professional kitchen. By the National Book Award-winning author of The Poet X. 
The hate u give
by Angie Thomas

A collector's edition of the award-winning novel traces the story of a teen whose uneasy balance between her elite prep school and her disadvantaged home life is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend by a police officer.
The upside of unrequited
by Becky Albertalli

Avoiding relationships to protect her sensitive heart, plus-sized Molly supports her once-cynical twin, Cassie, when the latter has her own bout of lovesickness, a situation that is complicated by sibling dynamics and an unexpected romantic triangle.
Moxie : a novel
by Jennifer Mathieu

In a small Texas town where high school football reigns supreme, Viv, sixteen, starts a feminist revolution using anonymously-written zines.
The impossible knife of memory
by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Hayley Kincain and her father move back to their hometown to try a "normal" life, but the horrors he saw in the war threaten to destroy their lives"
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

Leaving the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white high school, Junior struggles to find his place in his new surroundings in order to escape his destiny back on the reservation. 75,000 first printing.
Turtles all the way down
by John Green

Aza Holmes, a high school student with obsessive-compulsive disorder, becomes focused on searching for a fugitive billionaire
We were liars
by E. Lockhart

A modern, sophisticated suspense tale by the National Book Award finalist author of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks follows the revolutionary activities of four friends who turn against each other in the wake of trauma, differing political views and a devastating secret. 
Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell

Being consummate fans of the Simon Snow series helped Cath and her twin sister, Wren, cope as little girls whose mother left them, but now, as they start college but not as roommates, Cath fears she is unready to live without Wren holding her hand--and without her passion for Snow
Monday's not coming
by Tiffany D. Jackson

When her friend Monday Charles goes missing and Monday's mother refuses to give her a straight answer, Claudia digs into her disappearance
House arrest
by K. A Holt

Required to keep a journal as well as report to a probation officer and therapist, a young man who is on probation for one year has difficulty staying out of trouble when he is compelled to take drastic measures to help his struggling family and sick brother.
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone

Profiled by a racist police officer in spite of his excellent academic achievements and Ivy League acceptance, a disgruntled college youth navigates the prejudices of new classmates and his crush on a white girl by writing a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the hopes that his iconic role model's teachings will be applicable half a century later.
All the bright places
by Jennifer Niven

Meeting on the ledge of their school's bell tower, misfit Theodore Finch and suicidal Violet Markey find acceptance and healing that are overshadowed by Finch's fears about Violet's growing social world
The crossover
by Kwame Alexander

A middle-grade novel in verse follows the experiences of twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan, who struggle with challenges on and off the court while their father ignores his declining health. 
The perks of being a wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky

In a thought-provoking coming-of-age novel, Charlie struggles to cope with complex world of high school as he deals with the confusions of sex and love, the temptations of drugs, and the pain of losing a close friend and a favorite aunt. Original.
We are okay : a novel
by Nina LaCour

"After picking up and leaving everything behind in California, eighteen-year-old Marin, with the help of her former friend, must confront her grief and the truths that caused her to flee her home"
Bridge of Clay
by Markus Zusak

Upon their father's return, the five Dunbar boys, who have raised themselves since their mother's death, begin to learn family secrets, including that of fourth brother Clay, who will build a bridge for complex reasons.
Gabi, a girl in pieces
by Isabel Quintero

Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez chronicles her senior year in high school as she copes with her friend Cindy's pregnancy, friend Sebastian's coming out, her father's meth habit, her own cravings for food and cute boys, and especially, the poetry that helps forge her identity.
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site
This is where it ends
by Marieke Nijkamp

After the principal of Opportunity High School in Alabama finishes her speech, they discover that the auditorium doors will not open and someone starts shooting as four teens, each with a reason to fear the shooter, tell the tale from their perspective.
The sun is also a star
by Nicola Yoon

Natasha, whose family is hours away from being deported, and Daniel, a first generation Korean American who strives to live up to his parents' expectations, fall in love and must determine which path they will choose in order to be together
All American boys
by Jason Reynolds

When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend
I am not your perfect Mexican daughter
by Erika L. Sánchez

When the sister who delighted their parents by her faithful embrace of Mexican culture dies in a tragic accident, Julia, who longs to go to college and move into a home of her own, discovers from mutual friends that her sister may not have been as perfect as believed. 
Monster
by Walter Dean Myers

While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce
Drums, girls, & dangerous pie
by Jordan Sonnenblick

When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli

Although Stargirl is shunned by many at school for her unique presence, Leo Borlock, a fellow classmate, finds her inspiring and soon finds himself head-over-heels in love. Reader's Guide available.
Awkward
by Svetlana Chmakova

After shunning Jaime, the school nerd, on her first day at a new middle school, Penelope Torres tries to blend in with her new friends in the art club, until the art club goes to war with the science club, of which Jaime is a member.
JMS 4/2020

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