Realistic Fiction for Teens
Stories about school, sports, growing up, and life. MS = books for middle school readers. (Updated November 2023)
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House Party
Ten authors contribute ten stories about ten teens who arrive at the final house party of their senior year with their own particular, private goals. MS
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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All the Yellow Suns
Queer Indian-American Maya attends a conservative school, where she meets Juneau, a rich white girl who belongs to a secret society that uses art and pranks to subvert the school’s bigoted policies. But as Maya falls for Juneau, she learns Juneau may not be as honest as she seems.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Minus-one Club
After losing his sister in a car crash, Kermit is invited to join a club where every member has lost someone close to them. There he bonds with his crush, Matt, but as they grow closer, Matt begins putting himself in danger to avoid his feelings.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Weight of Everything
After her mother’s death, Sarah must transfer out of her fine arts school to become the primary caregiver for her little brother. When another student, David, helps her catch up at her new school, she wonders if her responsibilities will allow her the space to love him.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
Alejandra plans to get through her senior year unnoticed, but microaggressions and outright racism at her school pile up until her best friend circulates a petition to get a teacher fired.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Luis Ortega Survival Club
Autistic and queer Ariana has sex at a party with Luis, but not willingly. When he starts spreading rumors about her, she finds herself bonding with other girls, even his ex, who have been wronged by him, and they plot their revenge together.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Free Radicals
Mafi’s secret identity is Ghost, a mysterious vigilante who pranks other teens as a form of justice, but when one of her pranks reveals a family secret and jeopardizes her own family members in Afghanistan, she must face her real self.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom
Marisol and her mom argued all the time about everything, right until her mom died in a car crash. Marisol’s grief only makes her mad at everything and everyone, but when she lands in juvie, she meets someone who helps her find herself.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Breathe and Count Back From Ten
Véronica’s wants to become an aquatic performer at a local attraction, but her parents would never let her, due to her hip dysplasia, so she tries out to become a mermaid without their knowledge. MS
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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All My Rage
Sal must help his alcoholic father maintain their roadside motel after his mother dies, and his best friend Noor tries to leave their small town for college despite her uncle’s intentions, but what can two immigrant teens do in a place that doesn’t want them?
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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