On a recent inventory of our 6th grade books we found realistic fiction with main characters dealing with the following situations:

• Child has been caught shoplifting
• Child has recently moved into a new school
• Child is bullied at school
• Child is failing school
• Child must deal with neighborhood gangs
• Child is witness to a natural disaster
• Child is blind
• Child has severe reaction to sunlight
• Child lives with grandparents or other relatives
• Child is in foster care
• Child is a child bride
• Child is abused
• Child works as slave labor
• Child has to enter witness protection program with her family
• Sibling is smarter, prettier, more popular, or more loved by all
• Sibling is very ill
• Sibling is dying or dead
• Parents are divorcing or have recently divorced
• Parent is out of work
• Parent is ineffective due to a particular situation
• Parent is alcoholic or abuses drugs
• Parent is neglectful
• Parent is severely depressed
• Parent is bipolar and depressed
• Parent is very ill
• Parent is in jail
• Parent is absent
• Parent is missing and child is actively searching for them
• Parent abandons child
• Parents aren't really the real parents
• Parent is dead

Welcome to the miserable world of tween and teen books!