RealisticRealisticFictionFiction

Fall 2009ELE 616 Research in Children’s Literature

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Meet the Manogies! Meet the Manogies!

• The little peopleThe little people– Always have a mountain ash near

your house because the mountain ash protects you, Doda [grandfather] says. The food from the plate was to be shared with the Manogies, the little people. They’re the ones who keep watch over things. They like people who remember to share.• Chapter 3, The Little Guys

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What makes a book realistic?What makes a book realistic?

• What is realistic fiction?What is realistic fiction?– Realistic fiction refers to stories that could indeed

happen to peole and animals; that is, it is within the realm of possibility that such events could occur or could have occurred.

– These types of books cover a lot of different, realistic issues such as divorce, growing up, being poor, having disabilities or dealing with drug and alcohol abuse. Survival and adventure stories, mysteries and romance stories also are considered realistic fiction.

• A GUIDE TO COOL BOOKS for middle school aged kids

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How would one define realistic How would one define realistic children’s fiction? children’s fiction?

• What sets it apart from fantasy or science What sets it apart from fantasy or science fiction or mystery? fiction or mystery? – What makes it so important to its readers?

Perhaps the biggest drawing card for children with realistic fiction is that they are able to see themselves or people like themselves in the stories. It is as if the stories are mirrors into which they look -- and that is just what realistic fiction is --reflections of the child’s reality.

• Rochelle, Warren. A Sense of Responsibility in Realistic Children's Fiction. Emergency Librarian; May/Jun91, Vol. 18 Issue 5, p8, 6p

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Realistic Fiction Realistic Fiction

• Brought to you by Miss Allen’s Fifth Graders Brought to you by Miss Allen’s Fifth Graders – Realistic fiction is simply stated as real kids with real

problems solved in a realistic manner in a real world setting. If a story is excellent, it has more than one great characteristic.  Therefore, realistic stories can and often do have humor, a sense of adventure, perhaps even danger.

• Real kids

• Real problems

• Real settings

• Real solutions

• Real humor • Real adventure or danger

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How can there be “little people” in realistic How can there be “little people” in realistic fiction? “Little People” usually means fiction? “Little People” usually means some kind of supernatural beingssome kind of supernatural beings

• What do we do with What do we do with The Heart of a Chief The Heart of a Chief and the Manogies?and the Manogies?– Are there actually supernatural beings in the

book?

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Realistic Fiction

• In good realistic fiction, In good realistic fiction, – the characters are engaging and believable.

– the dialogue is believable.

– the plot is fresh and original.

– the setting is true to life.

– the problems faced by the characters are honestly portrayed.

– the resolution makes sense.

– the theme grows naturally out of the action and characters - the writer does not preach at us. 

• Children's Literature. Instructor: Chi-Fen Emily Chen Department of English, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

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Elements of realistic fiction 1Elements of realistic fiction 1• Introduction

– is where the author builds the story’s background. This is where the reader learns about the setting, the characters, and the story’s conflict, and perhaps what took place before the story begins.

• Setting– is where and when the story takes place:

location, season, weather, and time period (Tompkins, 1994). Setting is important to the plot, the characters, the characters’ problems, and the theme.

• Teaching realistic fiction, Chap. 1. From Reading and Writing Literary Genres. © 2000 International Reading Association.

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• Characterization– allows the reader to learn about what characters

look like, what they say, what others say about them, and what they do (Lukens, 1999). Characters seem real because their actions and dialogue are believable. As readers, we often can identify with these characters because they are like our friends or ourselves.

• Conflict – in realistic fiction is defined by the type of problem

in the story. Conflict is the tension that exists between the forces in the character’s life.

• Teaching realistic fiction

Elements of realistic fiction 2Elements of realistic fiction 2

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• Plot – is what happens in the story. . . . The plot in

realistic fiction must be believable or possible and easily understood, fast-paced and moving toward resolving the conflict. Two types of plots found in realistic fiction are the progressive and the episodic plots.

• Theme,Theme,– according to Lukens (1999), is “the idea that holds

the story together,…the central meaning of a piece of writing.” (p. 135)• Teaching realistic fiction

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• Point of view– is the perspective of the storyteller. When a story is

written from the first-person point of view, the main character usually tells the story and uses the word “I.”

– When a story is written from the third-person point of view, the person telling the story is a central observer who knows all (omniscient) and can recount details, actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters (conscious and unconscious).• Teaching realistic fiction

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• Imagery– refers to the author’s choice of descriptive words

and phrases that help readers form a mental picture of settings, characters, and events, thus keeping readers fully involved in the story.

• Figurative language,– including similes and metaphors, is used in

realistic fiction to enhance imagery. Similes are comparisons that make use of “like” or “as.” A metaphor compares two unlike things directly without using like or as.

• Teaching realistic fiction

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• Author’s intent or tone– relates to how the author wants readers to feel as

we read the book. An author can intend the story to be humorous, sad, serious, slapstick, or any combination of these throughout the story, and will use sentence structure, word choices, patterns and arrangements to communicate and set the story’s tone (Lukens, 1999).• Teaching realistic fiction

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Realistic Fiction:Realistic Fiction:

• Criteria– Criteria for selecting titles in the realistic fiction

collection began with believability of characters, settings, and events. Readers must be able to accept  the characters as real people and events as real places when reading realistic stories; they must be credible. The reader must be able to imagine a boy like Jesse and a girl like Leslie as they race across the field in A Bridge to Terabithia. They must accept as possible Claudia and Jamie’s trip to the Metropolitan Museum, where they took up residence for a week in The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

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• By the title alone, we know By the title alone, we know that Bridge to Terabithia that Bridge to Terabithia will involve some type of will involve some type of bridge. But in this book the bridge. But in this book the bridge isn’t just physical. bridge isn’t just physical. The bridge that Jesse Aarons The bridge that Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke (the main and Leslie Burke (the main characters) need to cross characters) need to cross isn’t only about geography. isn’t only about geography.

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• Claudia and Jamie are brother and sister. Claudia and Jamie are brother and sister. They are part of a busy family and They are part of a busy family and Claudia feels as if she is never noticed or Claudia feels as if she is never noticed or cared about. She feels as if life is nothing but cared about. She feels as if life is nothing but tyranny with constant orders from her tyranny with constant orders from her mother and father. Claudia decides to run mother and father. Claudia decides to run away to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. away to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. When this idea finally penetrates into Jamie’s When this idea finally penetrates into Jamie’s head, he thinks that she is crazy. Claudia head, he thinks that she is crazy. Claudia finally talks her brother into going with her, finally talks her brother into going with her, using an unused ticket to New York City that using an unused ticket to New York City that was thrown away by mistake. was thrown away by mistake. E.L. Konigsburg

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Realistic Fiction BookmarkRealistic Fiction Bookmark

A real main character p.

A real problem p.

A real setting p.

A real friend p.

First attempt to solve problem p.

Another attempt to solve problem p.

Is there a villain? p.

Something humorous? p.

Something exciting or dangerous? p.

A problem the character didn't expect p.

Solution to the problem p.

Happy ending? p.

Lesson the main character learns p.

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