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 Librarians
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The kaya girl
Wolo, Mamle
Paper Book
An extraordinary tale of two teenagers from vastly different walks of life, this page-turner transports readers to a bustling market in Ghana's capital city where one friendship transforms two lives.  Writing with effortlessly engaging prose, Wolo showcases the...

RTW Africa (Ghana)

Hope and other dangerous pursuits
Lalami, Laila
Ebook
In this literary novel, four Moroccans escape their circumstances to seek a new beginning for themselves--and places they can home--in Spain. "A dream of a debut, by turns troubling and glorious, angry and wise." --Junot Diaz​ Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits...

RTW Africa (Morocco)

The girl with the louding voice
Dare?, Abi
Other
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)

A girl is a body of water
Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga
Paper Book
"Makumbi is such an honest, truthful writer. . . . I loved every single page." --Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage A Best Book of the Year at TIME; The Washington Post; O, the Oprah Magazine; BBC Winner of the Jhalak Prize

RTW Africa (Uganda)

We need new names
Bulawayo, NoViolet
Paper Book
A remarkable literary debut shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize: the unflinching and powerful story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe and to America. Darling is only ten years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her...

RTW Africa (Zimbabwe)

Up to this pointe
Longo, Jennifer
Paper Book
A refreshingly original contemporary YA, unlike anything readers have seen before. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, John Corey Whaley, and Libba Bray. She had a plan. It went south. Harper is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal- becoming...

RTW Antarctica

One half from the east
Hashimi, Nadia
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia, Thanhha Lai, and Rebecca Stead, internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi's first novel for young readers is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a bacha posh--a preteen girl dressed as a boy. Obayda's...

RTW Asia (Afghanistan)

The bridge home
Venkatraman, Padma
Paper Book
"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma shares with us an unflinching peek into the reality millions of homeless children live every day but also infuses her story with hope and bravery that will...

RTW Asia (India)

Selection day : a novel
Adiga, Aravind
Paper Book
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES and WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK From Aravind Adiga, the bestselling, Booker Prize­-winning author of The White Tiger, a dazzling new novel about two brothers in a Mumbai slum who are raised by their...

RTW Asia (India)

The space between us
Umrigar, Thrity N.
Paper Book
"This is a story intimately and compassionately toldagainst the sensuous background of everyday life in Bombay." --Washington Post Book World   "Bracingly honest." --New York Times Book Review   The author of Bombay Time,If Today Be Sweet...

RTW Asia (India)

Thirst
Bajaj, Varsha
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone. Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines....

RTW Asia (India)

Idol, burning : a novel
Usami, Rin
Paper Book
"Akari's obsession is fatalistic and intense, and Usami's prose (translated by Asa Yoneda) renders it and the hold it has on her tenuous life ably and affectingly. . . . it will especially resonate with readers familiar with real-life superfandoms such as One Direction's at the height of its fame...

RTW Asia (Japan)

My brother's husband
Tagame, Gengoroh
Paper Book
"When a cuddly Canadian comes to call, Yaichi-a single Japanese dad-is forced to confront his painful past. With his young daughter Kana leading the way, he gradually rethinks his assumptions about what makes a family. Renowned manga artist Gengoroh Tagame turns his stunning draftsmanship to a...

RTW Asia (Japan)

Unmarriageable
Soniah Kamal
Paper Book
"This inventive retelling of Pride and Prejudice charms."--People   "A fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society."--NPR Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter...

RTW Asia (Pakistan)

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)

A girl like that
Bhathena, Tanaz
Paper Book
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2018 A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book of 2018 An Ontario Library Association White Pine Award Shortlist Pick A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book A Quill...

RTW Asia (Saudi Arabia)

If I had your face : a novel
Cha, Frances
Paper Book
A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania   "Powerful and...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

Please look after mom : a novel
Sin, Kyæong-suk.
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)

The elegance of the hedgehog
Barbery, Muriel
Paper Book
The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" (Publishers Weekly). In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible--short, plump, middle...

RTW Europe (France)

I love I hate I miss my sister
Sarn, Amelie
Paper Book
For readers of The Tyrant's Daughter, Out of Nowhere, and I Am Malala, this poignant story about two Muslim sisters is about love, loss, religion, forgiveness, women's rights, and freedom.    Two sisters. Two lives....

RTW Europe (France)

Conversations with friends : a novel
Rooney, Sally
Paper Book
NOW A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES * From the New York Times bestselling author of Normal People . . . "[A] cult-hit . . . [a] sharply realistic comedy of adultery and friendship."--Entertainment Weekly SALLY ROONEY NAMED TO THE TIME 100 NEXT LIST * WINNER OF THE...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Hood : a novel
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Room, Hood is a tale of grief and lust, frustration and hilarity, death and family. "Hood is thoroughly contemporary in how richly it depicts a beloved's death to review a couple's bumpy love history...This book's real pleasures lie in its...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Cross my heart and never lie
Da?snes, Nora
Audiobook
Marian seems really cool ... and nice ... and we've got SO MUCH in common. Well, two things at least. But if feels like more. I don't think I've ever met someone I wanted to be friends with so badly! IS THAT WHAT SOUL MATES ARE? "Charming ......

RTW Europe (Norway)

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
Ebook

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Stolen
Laestadius, Ann-Hele?n
Audiobook

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Across the pond
McCullough, Joy
Paper Book
From the author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost comes a heartwarming, "emotionally perceptive" (Kirkus Reviews) story about new beginnings, burgeoning friendships, and finding your flock. Callie can't wait for her new life to start. After a major friendship breakup...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Gingerbread
Oyeyemi, Helen
Paper Book
"Exhilarating...A wildly imagined, head-spinning, deeply intelligent novel." - The New York Times Book Review "[W]ildly inventive...[Helen Oyeyemi's] prose is not without its playful bite." -Vogue  The prize-winning, bestselling author of ...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Swing time
Smith, Zadie
Paper Book
"Smith's thrilling cultural insights never overshadow the wholeness of her characters, who are so keenly observed that one feels witness to their lives." --O, The Oprah Magazine "A sweeping meditation on art, race, and identity that may be [Smith's] most ambitious work...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Facing the sun
Mather, Janice Lynn
Paper Book
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets The Education of Margot Sanchez in this Caribbean-set story about four friends who experience unexpected changes in their lives during the summer when a hotel developer purchases their community's beloved beach. Change...

RTW North America (Bahamas)

Girl mans up
Girard, M-E
Paper Book
Lambda Literary Award Winner! "Pen is an inspiration to anyone who's struggled to be understood, and a vital addition to the growing world of genderqueer protagonists." --New York Times Book Review All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she's always been. So why does...

RTW North America (Canada)

Junior high
Quin, Tegan
Ebook

RTW North America (Canada)

No fixed address
Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin
Paper Book
For fans of Wendelin van Draanen and Cynthia Lord, a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship, and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness. Twelve-and-three-quarter-year-old Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is...

RTW North America (Canada)

Across a hundred mountains : novela
Grande, Reyna
Paper Book
Winner of the American Book Award, Across a Hundred Mountains is a "timely and riveting" (People) novel about a young girl who leaves her small town in Mexico to find her father, who left his family to work in America--a story of migration, loss, and discovery. ...

RTW North America (Mexico)

Jellicoe Road
Marchetta, Melina
Paper Book
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Kirkus Best Book Jellicoe Road is a dazzling tale that is part love story, part family drama, and part coming-of-age novel. Described by Kirkus as "a beautifully rendered mystery" and by VOYA as "a great choice for...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Ten things I hate about me
Abdel-Fattah, Randa
Paper Book
Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl named Jamilah, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself, even if it means keeping her friends at a distance. But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Tiger daughter
Lim, Rebecca
Audiobook
★FIVE STARRED REVIEWS★ NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS, BOOKLIST AND MORE! Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Tiger Daughter is an award-winning novel about finding your voice amidst the pressures of growing up in an immigrant...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Wildlife
Wood, Fiona
Paper Book
During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen year- old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and love that gets complicated? That will take some navigating. New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

The year of secret assignments
Moriarty, Jaclyn
Paper Book
The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program was designed to bring together the "lowlife Brooker kids" (as they''re known to the Ashburyites) and the "rich Ashbury snobs" (as they''re called by the Brookfielders) in a spirit of harmony and the Joy of the Envelope. But things don''t go quite as planned....

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Furia
Maendez, Yamile Saied
Paper Book
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK Recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read YA Books of 2020 A Best Book of the Year: Cosmopolitan * Kirkus...

RTW South America (Argentina)

This is our place
Martins, Vitor
Paper Book
Three teens -- in three different decades -- navigate life, love, and family in Vitor Martinss heartfelt new novel that spans generations. Perfect for fans of Tales from the City and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. If the walls of Number 8 Sunflower Street could...

RTW South America (Brazil)


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