Genre Mash: RTW x Realistic

Looking for a grounded, contemporary story to read for Read the World? This list has you covered.

Updated April 14, 2026
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Dana Hall School Dana Hall School Librarians
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Genre Mash: RTW x Realistic

Looking for a grounded, contemporary story to read for Read the World? This list has you covered.

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The girl with the louding voice : a novel
Daré, Abi
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK!  "Brave, fresh . . . unforgettable."--The New York Times Book Review "A celebration of girls who dare to...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

Everlasting Nora
Cruz, Marie Miranda
Paper Book
An uplifting young reader debut about perseverance against all odds, Marie Miranda Cruz's debut Everlasting Nora follows the story of a young girl living in the real-life shantytown inside the Philippines' Manila North Cemetery. After a family tragedy results in the...

RTW Asia (Philippines)

Please look after mom : a novel
Shin, Kyung-Sook
Paper Book
A million-plus-copy best seller in Korea—a magnificent English-language debut poised to become an international sensation—this is the stunning, deeply moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway.

RTW Asia (South Korea)

Violets
Sin, Kyo?ng-suk
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Barrios Book in Translation Prize By Man Asian Literary Prize winner Kyung-Sook Shin, "a moving delve into a lonely psyche" that follows a neglected young woman's search for human connection...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

You can't see the elephants
Kreller, Susan
Paper Book
When thirteen-year-old Mascha is sent to her grandparents' for the summer, she spends her days bored and lonely at a nearby playground. There she meets Julia and Max, two young siblings who are incredibly shy and withdrawn. Mascha soon begins to suspect that they are being physically abused by their...

RTW Europe (Germany)

Beartown
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
"You'll love this engrossing novel." --People From the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, Fredrik Backman captivates readers with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream--and the price required to make it come...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

My friends
Backman, Fredrik; Smith, Neil
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller, more than 1 million copies sold! Winner of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction * A Fallon Book Club Pick * USA TODAY Best Books of the Year * NPR Best Books of the Year * Marie Claire 25 Best Novels of the Year *...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Stolen
Laestadius, Ann-Hele?n
Paper Book
* NOW A NETFLIX FILM * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A spellbinding Swedish novel that follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family's reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and a devious hunter whose targeted kills are considered mere...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

A possibility of whales
Rivers, Karen
Paper Book
Be brave and make a big splash!     Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher has to move, again.   The paparazzi are stalking Nat and her movie-star father. And it's all her ex­-best friend Solly's...

RTW North America (Canada)

Stars in their eyes
Walton, Jessica
Paper Book
A Stonewall Honor Book In this lighthearted YA romance, Maisie and Ollie discover that nothing beats the feeling of falling in love for the first time. Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

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https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/1005.1372/list/7729

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