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Here are our favorite realistic fiction books for teens. These titles are classified as Teen Middle School (TM) and can be found in the Teen section of the library.
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The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls
by James Bird
After being caught stealing one too many times, Benjamin Waterfalls is sent to a boot camp at the Objibwe reservation where he searches for answers as he tries to turn his life around and embrace this second chance.
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Bright
by Brigit Young
Getting by in school on a combination of luck, deflection and charisma, Marianne Blume joins her school's Quiz Quest team and wonders what it really means to be“bright.” 40,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook.
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Polo cowboy : a novel
by Greg Neri
While working as a stable hand for the polo team at George Washington Military Academy, Cole, a Black kid from North Philly, must find the courage to stand up and be seen in a world determined to keep him out.
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Enemies
by Svetlana Chmakova
Felicity's sure she's going to do something big. Exactly what is still a mystery, but she'll figure it out. Her sister, Letty, teases Felicity that she never finishes stuff, but that's just because Letty is so perfect. Still, life is good with plenty of friends--drawing with the art club and playing games with her buddies keep her busy. But when she decides to join a contest to show Letty that she CAN get things done, Felicity begins to wonder if friends becoming enemies is easier than she thought. Are they really enemies, though...? What does it even mean to be enemies? And...who is it that she needs the most on her side...?
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The Labors of Hercules Beal
by Gary D. Schmidt
Given an assignment to duplicate the mythical feats of Hercules in real life, Herc Beal, the smallest kid in his class, figures out how to take his first steps and discovers that, unlike his namesake, he doesn't have to go it alone.
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All of Me
by Chris Baron
Thirteen-year-old Ari faces what it is to be a man while dealing with a cross-country move, his parents' separation, being bullied for his weight, and belatedly starting bar mitzvah preparations.
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Dream, Annie, Dream
by Waka T. Brown
When she lands a big role in the production of The King and I, Japanese American seventh grader Annie, belittled by her mostly white classmates, must rise above racism while chasing her dreams.
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OCDaniel
by Wesley King
A thirteen-year-old boy's life revolves around hiding his obsessive compulsive disorder until a girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time and he gets a mysterious note that changes everything.
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Repairing the World
by Linda Epstein
With the help of a new perspective from Hebrew school and supportive new friends, 12-year-old Daisy grapples with her grief over the tragic loss of her best friend, in this heartfelt middle grade novel about learning to look forward.
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Danny Constantino's First (and Maybe Last?) Date
by Paul Acampora
Surprised when a Hollywood star who was once his close friend accepts his invitation to the homecoming dance, Danny is surrounded by neighbors, television crews and fans who gossip about their romance before a pep rally goes terribly wrong. By the author of Defining Dulcie.
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Rick
by Alex Gino
Eleven-year-old Rick Ramsey has generally gone along with everybody, just not making waves, even though he is increasingly uncomfortable with his father's jokes about girls, and his best friend's explicit talk about sex; but now in middle school he discovers the Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities can express themselves--and maybe among them he can find new friends and discover his own identity.
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Everything Sad is Untrue : (A True Story)
by Daniel Nayeri
Twelve-year-old Iranian refugee Khosrou moves to Oklahoma where he goes by Daniel and models himself after the legendary storyteller Scheherazade as he weaves tales that reflect his perseverance and reinvention.
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Half a World Away
by Cynthia Kadohata
Believing himself to be an "epic fail" when his family travels to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby he thinks will replace him in his parents' affections, 11-year-old Jaden witnesses their wrenching choice when they are offered six children to adopt, one of whom captures Jaden's heart.
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Clean Getaway
by Nic Stone
An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations, past and present, and his unconventional grandmother’s mysterious agenda during an unplanned Spring Break road trip through the once-segregated American South.
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The Day the World Stopped Turning
by Michael Morpurgo
After Lorenzo, a young autistic boy who loves flamingos, becomes friends with a Roma girl who teaches him to ride a carousel, their town is invaded by German soldiers and everything seems threatened, but Lorenzo comes to realize that there are people in the town he can trust.
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Red Menace
by Lois Ruby
During the summer of 1953, thirteen-year-old Marty's parents are suspected of communist sympathies, upending his life and causing him to question what it really means to be a patriotic American.
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The Only Black Girls in Town
by Brandy Colbert
Ecstatic to hear that another African American family has moved into town, surfer Alberta attempts to make friends with homesick newcomer Edie, who helps her uncover painful local secrets in a box of old journals.
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Triple Threat
by Mike Lupica
Anticipating resistance when she tries out for her school’s all-male football team, 12-year-old Alex is bullied by teammates who would orchestrate her failure before discovering her potential as a quarterback.
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The Other Half of Happy
by Rebecca Balcárcel
Twelve-year-old Quijana is a biracial girl who is desperately trying to understand the changes that are going on in her life. She is about to start seventh grade in a Texas town and is worried about fitting in.
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The Line Tender
by
Kate Allen
A twelve-year-old girl must pick up the work of her late marine-biologist mother when a tragedy strikes her sleepy Rockport community.
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