YA Realistic

This is a list of realistic novels I have reviewed for ages 14+
*Indicates books I feel will work for a mature younger reader.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

A
Also Known As by Robin Fenway*
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Audacity by Melanie Crowder*
Audrey Wait! by Robin Benway

B

Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith
Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepety*
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg*
The Big Crunch by Pete Whitman
Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Bloodline by Katy Moran*
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

C
The Cardturner by Lois Sachar*
The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

D
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane*
The Devil You Know by Trish Doller
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley

E
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Endangered by Eliot Schrefer*
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

F
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Forbidden by Kimberly Griffiths Little

G
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt*

H
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

I
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Ink is Thicker Than Water by Amy Spalding

J
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Jepp Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh*
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Just One Year by Gayle Forman

K
Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) by Amy Spalding

L
The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
The Lion Hunters Series by Elizabeth Wein
The List by Siobhan Vivian
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt*
The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice
Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
Love, Lucy by April Lindner

M
Magnolia by Kristi Cook
Maid of Deception by Jennifer McGowan
Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan
Mare's War by Tanita Davis
A Matter of Souls by Denise Lewis Patrick
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos

N
Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley
Newes From the Dead by Mary Hooper
No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux
Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

O
On the Fence by Kasie West
Out of this Place by Emma Cameron

P
Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis*
Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols
Piecing Me Together by Reneé Watson
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

R
Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lang
The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding
Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen*

S
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Scarlet by AC Vaughn
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anne Breslaw
Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt*
Secret Letters by Leah Scheier
Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood
Something Like Normal by Trish Dollar
Something Real by Heather Demetrios
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

T
Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban
The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik
This Side of Home by Renee Watson
Threatened by Eliot Schrefer
Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

W
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
When I was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coates
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Wildlife by Fiona Wood
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury*

Y
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein...

TTT: Characters I'd Follow On Social Media

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Characters I'd Follow On Social Media I love this topic. I actually have my students create social media pages for characters for extra credit assignments, so I've always thought this was fun to think about. It actually really requires some character analysis to do well. Which social media fits this character's personality? What would they post about? How much of their inner lives would they share? Here are the characters I would follow, where I would follow them, and why: Lizzie Bennet on Tumblr because you know her blog would be a beautiful mix of nerdy fangirl thoughtfulness and feminist manifestos. I love following people like that. Darcy on Twitter: He would use it rarely, but when he did, it would be to the point and oh so entertaining. Amy March on Instagram because it would be beautifully aesthetic, and...

Piecing Me Together

A couple years ago This Side of Home was one of my favorite reads so when I found out we were getting a new Renée Watson book this year it automatically became one of my most anticipated reads. Piecing Me Together lived up to all my expectations and then some. Jade lives in north Portland but goes to the fancy private school St. Francis on a scholarship. She knows this is her greatest opportunity to go to school and get out of Oregon. It can make her feel like she is living a dual life though. Her first two years there were successful academically, but she didn't make many friends. As her junior year begins, Jade is asked to join a mentor/mentee program for "at risk" girls called Woman to Woman. She's not really sure she needs it. She doesn't feel at risk, and she definitely doesn't feel like her mentor, Maxine, is going to be very helpful in teaching her about the real world. But as the year continues to go less the way Jade expected, the more she lea...

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a...

The Penderwicks in Spring

The Penderwicks is not just one of my favorite ongoing series; it is one of my favorite series of all time. I'm always astounded by the depth of emotion and diverse, realistic relationship dynamics Birdsall is able to capture with these characters. The Penderwicks in Spring surpassed my expectations even though they were astronomically high already. It is now my favorite, having edged out The Penderwicks on Gardam Street . Minor spoilers for first three book are in this review. If you haven't read this series, get started: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy The Penderwicks on Gardam Street The Penderwicks at Point Mouette Spring is coming to Gardam Street and Batty and Ben Penderwick couldn't be more excited. The season is bringing with it anticipation and new opportunities. Nick Geiger, the Penderwicks' neighbor, is returning home on leave from the Army after being at war. Both Skye and Ba...

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