Best Realistic Fiction Books for Kids

This spirited picture book is all about celebrating America’s birthday, the Fourth of July. On the big day, a little boy wakes up to the sounds of parades, drums and cymbals.  But as the other kids cascade down the street waving their flags, he sets to work helping his mother get ready for the big picnic. 

Little ones will love following the boy as he joyfully partakes in the festivities and activities throughout the day. The  story will fill them with excitement as it builds to the main event (the fireworks show!) and parents will get a kick out of reliving nostalgic moments from their own childhoods.  

In this warm, funny prequel to the bestseller “Fourth Grade Rats,” George (AKA “Suds”) is starting the third grade. He knows the rhyme about “first grade babies, second grade cats, third grade angels and fourth grade rats,” but what’s that supposed to mean? For him, it means being awarded Mrs. Simms’ “halo” for kindness and good behavior. Suds is determined to win, but will the pressure to always be good prove too difficult?

In this stirring true story about hope and holding on to your dreams at all costs, a young slave named Henry Brown yearns for freedom. One day his family is sold and he’s put to work in a warehouse. Then he grows up and marries a young woman, who is also a slave. But when she is also sold, he risks everything to mail himself to the North, making the arduous journey in a crate toward freedom.

Whether she’s speaking her mind to her third-grade teacher or befriending the school bully, Ramona Quimby’s life is filled with relatable childhood moments. After she turns eight, she’s faced with more expectations and responsibilities. Her mother goes back to work so her father can go back to school, and it’s up to her to behave for Mrs. Kemp and ride the bus all by herself. Your kid will relate with Ramona’s ups and downs and  laugh along with her timeless adventures.

This own-voices chapter book is part of a series that follows Nina, a lovable but scatterbrained Indian American girl as she grapples with real-life challenges. In this first book, Nina’s dealing with a lot. She’s got a writing assignment due and has no idea what she’ll write about, her best friend is angry because she accidentally destroyed his project and her little sister Kavita’s birthday is coming up. Can she manage to keep track of it all and come out on top? 

Your kid can dive right into the lives of Jenna, Piper, Selena and Ziggy in this realistic chapter book about friendship, community, female empowerment and of course, some serious beach fun. In this edition of the Summer Lifeguards series, Piper’s excited to be a junior lifeguard, but she’s self conscious about wearing a bathing suit. Filled with challenges many older elementary and middle-school kids can relate to, this heartwarming story shows kids the importance of self love and being there for others.

Joe is white and Ravi is Indian American. Joe’s lived in the same town all his life, and Ravi is the new kid who just moved to the U.S. They don’t think they have much in common until they realize they have a common enemy: the class bully. The two form a friendship, and support one another as they both navigate the challenges of friendship, family and school. 

Jake Green & Sam Madina are inseparable, until after the tragic events of 9/11, when Sam and his family face anti-Muslim hostility in their community. It’s discovered that one of the attackers lives in their town, and as the kids at school process their emotions, their classmate Bobby beats up Sam just for being an Arab Muslim. Things go from bad to worse when Sam’s father is interrogated by the FBI and Jake’s own parents suspect that he’s guilty of the crimes. This touching story will show your kid the meaning of sticking by your friends, even when times get scary and tough.

Friends Flora and Ruby are about to spend their summer in Camden Falls when a mysterious person begins leaving well-loved books on their doorstep. The books come with instructions to read and discuss them. Their friends Olivia and Nikki also get books, so the foursome decide to start a summer book club. Things get interesting when they discover connections between what’s happening in their books and challenges they’re facing in real life.