Contemporary Realistic Fiction Book Reviews

Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is about a teenage girl named Melinda who calls the cops on an end of year party and because of that she lost all of her friends. She becomes the high school outcast and becomes depressed. She used to be this happy person but now she is just living inside her own head and she refuses to speak about why she calls the cops on the party…hence the title Speak.

As the book goes on, we begin to find out why she did what she did and everything that happens to her along the way of her freshman year. She’s getting poor grades, has no friends, and everything just falls apart for her. She begins to express herself through her art as opposed to her words. Her character develops so much throughout the book. By the end, she was ready to confront her family, friends, attacker, and also herself. 

I really enjoyed the voice of the character. She doesn’t speak much out loud but she has such a dialogue going inside her own head. She’s very observant but also cynical. She used to be this happy person but now she just tells it like it is. Melinda uses contemporary language and speaks like teenagers talk.

As a coming of age novel, Speak has a strong focus on adolescence and the problems that come with it. This book is written like a diary so that makes it more interesting to read. This book is centered around teenage life, struggling to make friends and fit in, dealing with difficult problems. This book touches topics like feminism, depression, and self-expression. It's a story of inspiration, especially for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

Big Red Lollipop

Author: Rukhsana Khan

Illustrator: Sophie Blackall

I loved reading this contemporary realistic fiction picture book! The librarian recommended it to me and it was such a different book. It gives the reader a glimpse into the challenges two sisters face in a new culture.

Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party in America and her mother insists that she brings her little sister Sana with her. This seemed completely unfair to Rubina. She was embarrassed to have to ask and bring her little sister along, knowing that the other party guests weren’t going to be bringing their siblings. When the girls come home with party favors or treats, Rubina wants to save her big red lollipop to eat later, but Sana ends up eating it. Sadly, it is a long time before Rubina is invited to another birthday party. Then one day Sana comes home with her first party invitation. Their mother tells Sana that she also can’t go unless she takes their other sister Maryam with her. Sana begs to not have to take her baby sister, and Rubina actually defends her. Instead of pointing a finger and being petty, she actually is a great big sister. Sana is allowed to go to the party without any sisters and when she gets home, she shares her lollipop with Rubina. Although the storyline is simple, I think this story does a great job highlighting a different culture but also showing sibling issues that everyone with a sibling can relate to.

The illustrations by Sophie Blackall (the same illustrator for the Ivy and Bean series) are also fabulous! There is such a great attention to detail with great use of color and patterns. She makes the characters very expressive and playful and I also love the little details like the laptop at the dining room table. It keeps the story very current and relevant.