Realistic books for teens
Discover the best realistic books for teens with our curated list of relatable stories about life, love, and challenges. Perfect for young readers seeking authentic, engaging fiction.
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Bastard Out of Carolina
by Dorothy Allison
Ruth Ann Boatwright, a South Carolina bastard, tells her life with her family and the emotional and physical violence she experiences.
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That Was Then, This Is Now
by S. E. Hinton
Another classic from the author of the internationally bestselling The Outsiders Continue celebrating 50 years of The Outsiders by reading this companion novel. That Was Then, This is Now is S. E. Hinton's moving portrait of the bond between best friends Bryon and Mark and the tensions that develop between them as they begin to grow up and grow apart. "A mature, disciplined novel which excites a response in the reader . . . Hard to forget."—The New York Times
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ID: 0963206702
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Chinese Cinderella
by Adeline Yen Mah
Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair.
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Felita
by Nicholasa Mohr
Felita's parents promise she will love their new neighborhood. Only Abuelita, her grandmother, understands how much Felita will miss her old block, and her best friend Gigi. But her new neighbors taunt and tease Felita and her family because they are from Puerto Rico. First published twenty years ago, Felita's compelling story has resonance for kids today. "An honest, realistic view of an important aspect of contemporary American life." --The Horn Book
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Almost a Woman
by Esmeralda Santiago
"Negi," as the author's family affectionately calls her, leaves rural Macun in 1961 to live in a three-bedroom tenement apartment with seven siblings, an inquisitive grandmother, & a strict mother who won't allow her to date. At thirteen, Negi yearns for her own bed, privacy, & her father, who remains in Puerto Rico. Translating for Mami at the welfare office in the morning, starring as Cleopatra at New York's Performing Arts High School in the afternoon, & dancing salsa all night, she also seeks to find balance between being American & Puerto Rican. When Negi defies her mother by going on a series of dates, she finds the independence brings challenges. At one a universally poignant coming-of-age tale & a heartfelt immigrant's story, this book is the author's journey into womanhood.
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Ties That Bind, Ties That Break
by Lensey Namioka
Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition. As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them.
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ID: 0440219663
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What It Takes to Get to Vegas
by Yxta Maya Murray
Rita Zapata, a promiscuous woman in East Los Angeles, meets a rising boxer who tells her she is meant for bigger things. She takes him up, becoming his girlfriend, hoping for respect and the good life, but her hopes are dashed when he sleeps with another woman. By the author of Locas.
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ID: 0399237550
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Shabanu
by Suzanne Fisher Staples
When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes.
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ID: 0688172377
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Dancing on the Edge
by Han Nolan
Miracle McCloy is the child of a talented dancer, who died in childbirth, and a brilliant, reclusive novelist. Raised by her grandmother Gigi, a psychic, Miracle becomes a dancer herself, and a loner who believes in mystical spirits and auras. Then her father disappears. When no one can give an explanation, or even a version of the truth, Miracle becomes obsessed with contacting him and bringing him back. As she loses herself in her quest, she loses her self? and, in a last, desperate attempt, sends her life up in flames. In the page-turning tradition of best-selling novels I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and The Bell Jar, Dancing on the Edge gives readers a story? and a heroine? they will never forget. "Nolan dives into the mind of an emotionally disturbed girl in an intense, exceptionally well-written novel?The shadows of truth, suffering, self-expression, and repression are examined without psychobabble in this sad, funny, and tender story."? Kirkus Reviews, pointer review"Nolan does a masterful job of drawing readers into the girl's mind and making them care deeply about her chances for the future." ? School Library Journal, starred review
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