Best of
Realistic-Fiction

1985

The Relatives Came


Cynthia Rylant - 1985
    When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars. When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer.

The Patchwork Quilt


Valerie Flournoy - 1985
    Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life.

Six Months to Live


Lurlene McDaniel - 1985
    Dawn Rochelle is about to face the toughest fight of her life—a fight she has to win. Otherwise, she has only six months to live.

The Quilt Story


Tony Johnston - 1985
    Now years later, another girl discovers the quilt and makes it her own, relying on its warmth to help her feel secure in a new home. "A quilt that provides warmth, fun and comfort to two different generations is the star of this rich picture book . . . dePaola provides a warm, dignified interpretation of Johnston's stroy."--Booklist, starred review. Full color.

Fireflies


Julie Brinckloe - 1985
    Fireflies is Julie Brinckloe's "reflects a classic theme in children's literature—the need to set something free in order to keep it." (The Horn Book)A young boy is proud of having caught a jar full of fireflies, which seems to him like owning a piece of moonlight, but as the light begins to dim he realizes he must set the insects free or they will die.

The Black Stallion Adventure Set: Four-Volume Box Set


Walter Farley - 1985
    Here, in a handsome gift set, are four of the best, starting with The Black Stallion, where Alec Ramsay saves the Black after a shipwreck. The bond they form cannot be broken. This bond survives their separation in The Black Stallion Returns, when Alec returns the magnificent horse to his original owner in Arabia. Reunited in The Black Stallion’s Ghost, they survive a terrifying curse. Finally, in The Black Stallion Revolts, they are separated again after a plane crash, and Alec is suspected of murder as the Black runs wild! Each gripping tale culminates in a thrilling race to the finish!Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 10/11/2005 Reading Level: Age 8 and Up

The Worry Week


Anne Lindbergh - 1985
    The three very different sisters in this story have just that kind of adventure for a week on an island in Maine.This is a breezy read for boys and girls who love family stories and adventures with happy endings.

Every Living Thing


Cynthia Rylant - 1985
    Each captures the moment when someone's life changes -- when an animal causes a human being to see things in a different way, and, perhaps, changes his life.

The Accidental Tourist / Ladder of Years


Anne Tyler - 1985
    

How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures


Ruth Heller - 1985
    A Reading Rainbow Review Title.

The Year It Rained


Crescent Dragonwagon - 1985
    "A beautiful and significant book about love." The New York Times.

Straight Along a Crooked Road


Marilyn Cram Donahue - 1985
    It is 1850 and, for Luanna, Midford Falls, Vermont has everything she could ever want. She loves the covered bridge on the quarry road, the waterfall at the mill pond, the old schoolhouse, the taste of the cold cider. How can she leave all these things behind? Even more, how can she leave when it means not being able to enter the Essex Female Academy in the fall? Or, when it means leaving her best friend behind?Over the next two and one-half years, Luanna’s views on life change dramatically. Personal hardship, and the sheer magnitude of the journey west teach her to live each moment to the fullest. She learns that her life will only be as good as she makes it, regardless of where she might be.

The Remembering Box


Eth Clifford - 1985
    On Friday night, Grandma blesses the Sabbath lights, and the two share a traditional meal. On Saturday afternoon, they settle down with a box they call "the remembering box." Joshua draws an item from the box, and Grandma tells its story. And what wonderful stories they are!