CONTEMPORARY
REALISTIC
FICTION
T. Khytt Lawrey
Sam Houston State
University
LS 5360/Dr. Sheneman
T e x t b o o k A s s i g n me n t 3
DEAR MR. HENSHAW
CLEARY, B. (1983). DEAR MR. HENSHAW. NY: MORROW.
Dear Mr. Henshaw is an inside look into a young boy’s mind
through letters and diary entries. This style allows the reader to
witness musings and emotions that adolescent boys may
otherwise keep hidden. The themes of divorce, missing a parent,
and growing up are all touched upon in a way that could not be
portrayed from any other point of view. The style of letter
writing also represents the passage of time, as Leigh’s letters go
from misspelled errors to longer entries, and lastly realizations
about adult life. The greatest theme might be just that, good
goes equally with bad and nothing is as simple as life as
childhood naivety.
OUT OF MY MIND
DRAPER, S. (2010). OUT OF MY MIND. NY: ATHENEUM.
In Out of my Mind, eleven-year-old Melody states, “Fifth grade is
probably pretty rocky for lots of kids. Homework. Never being
quite sure if you’re cool enough. Clothes. Parents. Wanting to play
with toys and wanting to be grown up all at the same time.
Underarm odor.” (Draper, 2010. P. 293). Melody faces the same
insecurities and frustrations as every other kid in school, except
more. This book allows children to look inside the mind of
someone who is just like them while also completely different. The
themes of tolerance, understanding, growing up, and fitting in are
constructed from an outsider’s perspective allowing the reader to
step into another world in a familiar setting. The setting of school is
easily relatable for child readers, not overshadowing the themes
but instead enhancing them.
RULES
LORD, C. (2008). RULES. NY: SCHOLASTIC.
In Rules, the setting that matters isn’t the montage of doctors’
offices or the middle class suburban neighborhood; it’s the time of
Catherine’s life. Middle school is everything to the extreme. So
while Catherine is so preoccupied with embarrassment from her
brother, she doesn’t see her own actions spiraling out of control.
Catherine is a little stereotypically gendered. She reads Teen
People, gossips with her friends and crushes on a boy. But she’s
also a heroine, learning valuable life lessons that enable her to
grow as a cultured and empathetic individual.
TIMMY FAILURE
PASTIS, S. (2013) TIMMY FAILURE. SOMERVILLE, MA: CANDLEWICK.
Timmy Failure is a historical record of Timmy Failure’s life as a not-so-
successful detective. This book is laugh-out-loud funny, with a style
uniquely its own. First, Timmy breaks the literary fourth wall. He
frequently speaks directly to the reader, inviting you into his wacky
world. Next, the book is riddled with cartoon images giving clues to
the cases and often more insight into the truth of the matter. This
brings us to the brilliantly unreliable character of Timmy Failure as
narrator. Can we believe anything he says? For instance, is Total real or
imaginary? This is actually a quasi-adult question for a children’s book,
showing the depth and complexity of the writing. Lastly, the
assortment of text pieces: notes, diagrams, hilarious headstones, etc.
challenge readers to understand differing styles and piece them
together into one awesome story.
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
PATERSON, K. (1972). BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. NY: CROWN.
The plot of Bridge to Terabithia is the prototypical coming of age,
adolescent novel story. Boy dislikes girl, boy befriends girl, boy is
devastated when girl leaves. The storyline is not unique, however it is
particularly memorable especially to young readers experiencing death as
a plot twist for the first time. I was afraid to reread this book from my
youth, fearing that somehow my cynical adult self would tarnish the
youthful adoration I had bestowed upon it. Instead, I was transported back
to my ten-year-old self, and treasured every page. The plot of a book
captures our attention; the characters make us fall in love. Everyone wants
to root for the eternal underdog, Jess, who keeps secrets and embodies the
most romantic of imaginations and Leslie, the girl next door who is
unrefined and unpredictable. Perhaps what is most mesmerizing is that
these characters continue to be relevant and relatable today, nearly 40
years after the book was originally published making the plot still
heartbreaking for children and adults alike.
A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT
URBAN, L. (2007). A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT. ORLANDO: HARCOURT.
Chekhov’s gun is the theory that if you put an important plot
element in a story it has to actually affect the plot. Enter A
Crooked Kind of Perfect, with an anxious dad, workaholic
mom, weird potential stalker kid, and an impending
Perfectone Perform-O-Rama. Zoe has a lot going on. This
book keeps the suspense coming and never has a dull
moment. This is also an empowering book for today’s youth
in regards to gender roles. Zoe is a girl with a big heart and
bigger dreams. More importantly, she’s awkward, has badtiming, and rarely get what she wants. But never gives up!
The resiliency of Zoe and her quirky family are role models
for the next generation.