Romance

Realistic Fiction and Romance

‍Genre Definitions
__Realistic fiction__ is writing that depicts characters and situations from today's world and society. The story could indeed happen now, at this moment. Every realistic fiction story could conceivably happen to real people living in today’s natural physical world. It focuses on real world issues and confronts the personal and social problems of growing up. Realistic fiction helps children/tweens/teens move toward a fuller understanding of themselves and others.

__Romantic fiction__ revolves around the love story of two characters in a novel, whether it is a sweet crush or steamy affair. Romantic fiction may be set in any time, place, world or situation (mystery, thriller, humor, dystopian, etc).

YA Librarians Jennifer Hubert Swan and Angelina Benedetti share lots of romance titles for MG and YA in this archived Booklist webinar. They also share tips and ideas for reader advisory for MG readers of romantic fiction.

Technology Assignment
This month we are exploring the site, Fictfact.com. Fictfact is a site that allows you to follow book series and receive notification when a new title is released. Fictfact complements Goodreads and helps you keep up with book series.For help getting started visit this page. After creating an account and following at least three series, write a post on Goodreads sharing the three series you followed and how you could use this site in your reading life.

==‍** Read 2 titles from the following lists ** (//loosely categorized by subject*//) :== //***Realistic titles often overlap with other genres (ex. humor, romance, mystery,) so you might see some duplication from previous months' reading lists.**//


 * < **School and Family**
 * //101 Ways to Bug Your Friends and Enemies// by Lee Wardlaw
 * //Access Denied (and other error messages)// by Denise Vega
 * //Almost Home// by Joan Bauer
 * //Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel// by Diana Lopez
 * //Bessica Lefter Fights Back// by Kristen Tracy
 * //Better Nate Than Ever// by Tim Federle
 * //Blogtastic// series by Rose Cooper
 * //Bluefish// by Pat Schmatz
 * //The Bully (Bluford series)// by Paul Langan
 * //The Bully Book// by Eric Kahn Gale
 * //Bystander// by James Preller
 * //Camo Girl// by Kekla Magoon
 * //Center of Everything// by Linda Urban
 * //Charlie Joe Jackson (any title in series)// by Tommy Greenwald
 * //Counting by 7s// by Holly Goldberg Sloan
 * //Destiny Rewritten// by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
 * //Fourmile// by Watt Key
 * //Girl Stolen// by April Henry
 * //Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol// by Jim Krieg
 * //Hound Dog True// by Linda Urban (upper elem/middle)
 * //The Humming Room// by Ellen Potter
 * //Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell//
 * //Laugh with the Moon// by Shana Burg
 * //Losing It// by Erin Fry
 * //Monica (any title in series)// by Diana Gallagher
 * //Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine//
 * //My Basmati Bat Mitzvah// by Paula Freedman
 * //One for the Murphys// by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
 * //Popularity Papers (any title in series)// by Amy Ignatow
 * //Runaway Twin or Stolen Children// by Peg Kehret
 * //See You at Harry's// by Jo Knowles
 * //Silhouetted by the Blue// by Traci Jones
 * //Skinny// by Donna Cooner
 * //Summer of the Gypsy Moths// by Sara Pennypacker
 * //Too Cool For This School// by Kristen Tracy
 * //The Thing About Luck// by Cynthia Kadohata
 * //This Journal Belongs to Ratchet// by Nancy Cavanaugh
 * //Tracing Stars// by Erin Moulton
 * //Unchained// by L.B. Tillit
 * //Waiting for Normal// by Leslie Connor
 * //Wonder// by R.J. Palacio ||< **Hunting & Fishing**
 * //Wild Life// by Cynthia DeFelice


 * Middle East Conflict(s)**
 * //Dear Blue Sky// by Mary Sullivan
 * //Thunder Over Kandahar// by Sharon McKay
 * //Shooting Kabul// by N.H. Senzai


 * Music & Arts**
 * //Audition & Subtraction// by Amy Fellner Dominy
 * //Guitar Notes// by Mary Amato
 * //How to Rock Braces & Glasses// by Meg Haston
 * //Notes From an Accidental Band Geek// by Erin Dionne


 * Science**
 * //Code Orange// by Caroline Cooney
 * //Heaven is Paved with Oreos// by Catherine Murdock
 * //The Boy Project// by Kami Kinard
 * //Brendan Buckley's Sixth Grade Experiment// by Sundee Frazier


 * Sports**
 * //The Contender// by Robert Lipsyte
 * //Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip// by Jordan Sonnenblick
 * //Game Changers// #1 or //Game Changes: Play Makers by Lupica//
 * //Hoops// by Walter Dean Myers
 * //Pinned// by Sharon Flake
 * //QB 1// by Lupica
 * //The Running Dream// by Wendelin Van Draanen
 * //True Legend// by Mike Lupica


 * Spy Stories, Survival, and Thrillers**
 * //Code of Silence// or //Back Before Dark// by Tim Shoemaker
 * //Nine Days// by Fred Hiatt
 * //The Raft// by S.A. Bodeen
 * //Spy School (2012) or Spy Camp (2013)// by Stuart Gibbs
 * //Stranded// by Jeff Probst

Romance List Top Ten Romance Fiction for Youth: 2013 Mrs. Readerpants: Books Like Beastly Top Ten (Middle School Appropriate) Paranormal Romances 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody 7 Clues to Winning You by Kristen Walker A book by Susane Colasanti Accidental Love by Gary Soto A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar Also Known As by Robin Benway Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer Boy on the Bridge by Standiford Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cinder by Marrissa Meyer <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Confectionately Yours by Lisa Papademetriou <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Crazy Beautiful by Lauran Baratz-Logstead <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Delirium by Lauren Oliver <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Enchanted by Alethea Kontis <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Entwined by Heather Dixon <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities by Mike Jung <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Going Vintage by Lindsay Leavitt <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Golden by Jessi Kirby <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Guitar Notes by Mary Amato <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Heartbreak Messenger by Vance (the rare middle school romance book that boys will like) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Homesick by Kate Klise <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How (not) To Find a Boyfriend by Allison Valentine Schrier <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How I Survived Middle School: P.S. I Really Like You by Nancy Krulik <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I’ve Got a Secret by Lara Rice Bergen <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I Would Have to Kill You by Ally Carter <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Looking for Alaska by John Green <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Matched by Ally Condie <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Harris <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Nantucket Blue by Howland <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Noelle’s Christmas Crush by Angela Darling (Crush series) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Once Upon a Marigold/Twice Upon a Marigold/Thrice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Spy School by Stuart Gibbs <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Boy Project by Kami Kinard <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Distance Between Us by Kasie West <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Heartbreak Messenger by Alexander Vance <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Story of Us by Deb Caletti <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Miller <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This is What Happy Looks Like/ The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Totally Crushed by Eliza Willard <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Unchained by L.B. Tillit <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
 * Written in Verse**
 * //Hidden// by Helen Frost
 * //Planet Middle School// by Nikki Grimes ||

‍** Official Book Lists: **
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|SLJ Best Books 2013 Fiction] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|SLJ Best Books 2013 Adult Books 4 Teens] [] [|YALSA's Teens Top Ten Page] [] //(YA and middle level books here)// [] //(not so official but a good list)//

[|Amity Middle School blog] [|Books in the Middle: Reading for Middle School] [|Librarian in the Middle] [|Marvelous Middle Grade Monday picks] Mrs. Readerpants blog Ms. Yingling Reads blog [|Pinterest book displays] [|Realistic Fiction: Bringing Words to Life] [|Realistic Fiction for Middle Grades] (older titles but has good content) [|Realistic Fiction in Children's Literature] (dated 2010 but good content) StorySnoops: Children's Book Reviews and Suggested Reading Lists YA Highway: 5 Fast Differences Between YA and MG Teen Librarian's Toolbox: What's the diff? MG versus YA...a guest post by author Shannon Duffy Middle Grade Mondays: ARC's Are Us and the Romantic No-No Milk and Cookies: Comfort Reading Mrs. Readerpants blog Ms. Yingling Reads blog Amity Middle School- Bethany Book Blog StorySnoops: Children's Book Reviews and Suggested Reading Lists @http://www.scholastic.com/candyapple/
 * Resources: **

‍ Book & Movie Trailers:
//[|Almost Home]// by Joan Bauer [|Game Changers] by Mike Lupica //[|Guitar Notes]// by Mary Amato //[|How to Rock Braces & Glasses]// by Meg Haston //[|Mockingbird]// by Kathryn Erskine //[|One for the Murphys]// by Lynda Mullaly Hunt //[|The Raft]// by S.A. Bodeen //[|The Running Dream]// by Wendelin Van Draanen //[|See You at Harry's]// by Jo Knowles //[|Wild Life]// by Cynthia DeFelice Beautiful Creatures by <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia Book Trailer: [] Firelight by Sophie Jordan Book Trailer: [] Guitar Notes by Mary Amato Book Trailer: [] Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Book Trailer: [] Matched by Ally Condie Book Trailer: [] The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Book Trailer: [] Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck Book Trailer: []

//Picture Source:// //[]// Pages created by Michal Hope Brandon and Lorena Swetnam. Used with permission.