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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Flying through water
Wolo, Mamle
Paper Book
An NPR Best Book of the Year "A must-read!"--Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee For fans of A Long Walk to Water and Hatchet, this boy's...

RTW Africa (Ghana)

The girl with the louding voice
Dare?, 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)

Welcome to Lagos
Onuzo, Chibundu
Paper Book
"Storylines and twists abound. But action is secondary to atmosphere: Onuzo excels at evoking a stratified city, where society weddings feature 'ice sculptures as cold as the unmarried belles' and thugs write tidy receipts for kickbacks extorted from homeless travelers." --The New Yorker<...

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)

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)

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...

RTW Asia (India)

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)

Sweet bean paste
Sukegawa, Dorian
Paper Book
  'I'm in story heaven with this book.' Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You A charming tale of friendship, love and loneliness in contemporary Japan If you enjoyed We'll Prescribe You a Cat or Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, you'll love Sweet Bean Paste ...

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)

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)

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)

Conversations with friends
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)

Pardalita
Estrela, Joana
Paper Book
MILDRED L. BATCHELDER HONOR WINNER School Library Journal Best of the Year BCCB Best of the Year (Blue Ribbon Selection) A beautiful slice-of-life story that is This One Summer meets Ursula K. Le Guin's Very Far...

RTW Europe (Portugal)

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)

Fire from the sky
A?stot, Moa Backe
Paper Book
MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR WINNER KIRKUS BEST OF THE YEAR From 23-year-old Sámi debut novelist and reindeer owner Moa Backe Åstot, Fire From the Sky is a queer coming-of-age story about heritage, family ties and age-old commitments to the past....

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)

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.)

A possibility of whales
Rivers, Karen
Ebook
The story of a girl who learns the true meaning of family--thanks to her best friends near and far, a loving and quirky single dad, and an unexpected encounter with a whale.  Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she'll...

RTW North America (Canada)

Jellicoe Road
Marchetta, Melina
Ebook
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)

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