Realistic Fiction by Dana Johansen https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig Made with ♥ en-us 2021-05-31 20:42:06 UTC 2025-10-25 01:55:00 UTC hello@padlet.com Wonder djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574416423 Wonder is one of those AMAZING books that everyone talks about. It's that good. If you haven't read it, find time to do so at some point in middle school. Then, watch the movie! It's been on the Best Seller charts for more than 305 weeks! Woah! It's that good! ]]> 2021-05-31 20:54:39 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574416423 Forget Me Not djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574421189 BEST BOOK EVER!!! Gets 5 Stars from former 5th Graders. You MUST try the first 20 pages of this book. A touch of romance! A fast read because it's in verse (poems). You'll LOVE it! ]]> 2021-05-31 20:58:35 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574421189 Ms. Bixby's Last Day djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574422197 Get the tissues ready!!! You're going to need the whole box! This is about a very special teacher who becomes sick. Three of her students, Topher, Steve, and Brand, want to give her the BEST last day of school ever. Get ready to have all the feels! This book is funny and loving at the same time. (5 Tissue Book!) ]]> 2021-05-31 20:59:29 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574422197 The Swap djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574423631 OMG!!! You MUST read this book at some point in middle school. It is about a girl named Ellie and a boy named Jack who SWITCH bodies! AH! Can you imagine being a girl in 7th grade who swaps bodies and lives with an 8th grade boy??? Oh. My. Goodness. 

This book is AWESOME!!! Get ready to laugh, cry, and experience a tiny touch of magic in this realistic fiction book. ]]> 2021-05-31 21:00:40 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574423631 Restart djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574424729 I personally LOVED REstart. It's about a boy named Chase who loses his memory after a fall. When he wakes up with no memory, he slowly begins to learn that he is the school's BIGGEST bully. He is devastated. But can he change people's minds? Can he have a fresh start? ***I'm going to be honest- half of 5th graders LOVE this book and the other half HATE it. Lol, which side will you be on? Check it out! ]]> 2021-05-31 21:01:35 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1574424729 Amina's Song djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610511777 2021-06-16 17:36:16 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610511777 The Chance to Fly djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610514248 2021-06-16 17:37:31 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610514248 Counting by 7's djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610519868 This is a 5 Tissues Book!!! Get them ready! Willow  is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
 
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. 

If you are looking for a sad book, this is a great one to read. While it is sad, it is also uplifting. It will inspire you! Willow has a lot of courage! (5 Tissue Book!) ]]> 2021-06-16 17:40:22 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610519868 The Seventh Most Important Thing djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610521105 This book is about seeing people in a new light. Get the tissues ready as you do a deep dive into Arthur's life. 

The book begins when Arthur grabs a brick and hurls it at the trash picker. Arthur has his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie forever. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service . . . working for him.
 
Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine. . . . (4 Tissue Book!) ]]> 2021-06-16 17:41:04 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610521105 One for the Murphy's djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610523403 Get the tissues ready for this one! This is one of the most realistic feeling books I've ever read. The characters' feelings are VERY realistic. They make confusing decisions just like real people, and their lives are very messy. 

This book is about Carley, a girl who goes into foster care and lives with the Murphy family. Carley has a lot of trouble letting the Murphys into her heart. Will Carley ever bond with the Murphys or will her heart remain closed forever? 

This book has one of the most shocking endings. Get the tissues ready! (4 Tissue Book) ]]> 2021-06-16 17:42:13 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610523403 Bridge to Terabithia djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610524198 This book is a CLASSIC. That means that generations of people have read this book, and they have passed it down to their children to read. This is one of those books that (like Wonder) people talk about for years to come. Get the tissues READY!!! You're going to need them for this book. 
It is about a boy named Jesse who lives a hard life. He meets a new girl named Leslie, and all of a sudden Jesse's world is filled with adventure and imagination. But tragedy strikes Leslie and Jesse's world is turned upside down. What is Jesse going to do without Leslie? 
This is a tear-jerker! Get the tissues ready! There is also a movie!  (4 Tissue Book) ]]> 2021-06-16 17:42:38 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610524198 Save Me a Seat djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610525581 A super fast read for any age! This book is about one week- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It follows 2 boys- Ravi who just moved from India & Joe who has been bullied at his school. At first the two boys dislike each other, but can they get past their first impressions of each other. Will they both stand up to the school bully, Dillon?? This book just feels real. It also has two AMAZING authors. (Also, Sarah Weeks visited us in 2021!) ]]> 2021-06-16 17:43:19 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610525581 Flipped djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610530217 Flipped is a short book! Yes, it does have to do with chickens- as you can see on the cover. It is about a girl named Juli who falls in love with her neighbor, Bryce, when she is eight years old. She has a crush on him for many years, but Bryce does NOT like Juli. Bryce thinks Juli is strange because she raises chickens and tries to save trees from being cut down. But when they're in middle school will Bryce see Juli in a new way? But is it too late? Has Juli moved on? This is a quick read and I loved the part about the chickens! It has a touch of romance, and there is a movie you can watch after reading the book. ]]> 2021-06-16 17:45:32 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610530217 All the Answers djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610595861 Have you ever used a Magic 8 Ball? Well this magical pencil is a bit like that! 

In the very first chapter, Ava discovers that when she writes a question on her paper, she hears a voice with the answer. It's a magical pencil that has all the answers. But what happens if Ava asks questions she doesn't really want the answer to? And what happens if the pencil falls into the hands of someone else? Yikes! ]]> 2021-06-16 18:20:32 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610595861 A Snicker of Magic djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610598067 2021-06-16 18:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610598067 Switched at Birthday djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610600168 2021-06-16 18:23:08 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610600168 From the Desk of Zoe Washington djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610782338 2021-06-16 20:26:45 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610782338 Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610782793 2021-06-16 20:27:09 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610782793 Any book by Carl Hiaasen djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610786176 ANYTHING by Carl Hiaasen should be on your list. Many students start with Hoot- which is about a boy who sets out to save the nesting owls in his town.

If you LOVE animals and want to be inspired by stories of students who save animals, pick any of these books. They're all great! They have a touch of mystery, suspense, and a bit of sassafras! ]]> 2021-06-16 20:29:42 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610786176 Wish djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610790552 This book is simply delightful! It has everything- a girl named Charlie who moves in with her aunt and uncle in North Carolina, a new friend named Howard, and a stray dog named Wishbone! 

Charlie has been making the same wish her entire life- what is it and will it ever come true? And if it does come true, is it really a good thing? 

If you liked Because of Winn-Dixie, you'll love this book. It feels very similar. ]]> 2021-06-16 20:33:00 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1610790552 Because of Winn-Dixie djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1654962553 This is one of those books that you MUST read before leaving middle school. It is a classic! Opal moves to a new town in Florida, and she meets a new friend- a dog she names Winn-Dixie! But will her dad let her keep the dog? And if she keeps it, will the dog help her make new friends? This is a book that warms your heart. You MUST read it at some point! ]]> 2021-07-19 17:23:52 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1654962553 Because of the Rabbit djohansen1 https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1654967820 For readers who LOVED Because of Winn-Dixie! This is a sweet, gentle story about a girl named Emma who saves a bunny. She convinces her father to bring the bunny home for the night. (Sounds like Winn-Dixie, right?)

The next day, Emma starts public school for the very first time after years of being homeschooled. More than anything, Emma wants to make a best friend in school.

But things don't go as planned. On the first day of school, she's paired with a boy named Jack for a project. He can't stay on topic, he speaks out of turn, and he's obsessed with animals. Jack doesn't fit in, and Emma's worried he'll make her stand out.

Emma and Jack bond over her rescue rabbit. But will their new friendship keep Emma from finding the new best friend she's meant to have?

]]> 2021-07-19 17:29:46 UTC https://padlet.com/djohansen1/8cg4u8fdqjaby1ig/wish/1654967820