Although an overwhelming abundance of realistic fiction is available to use in the classroom, whittling down your selection to the right books will enhance your curriculum and the students' learning experiences. The work itself should be age appropriate; for instance, it's not recommended for an eighth-grade teacher to take on a piece of fiction that includes cursing, too much violence or references to sex. Read the book yourself and make sure it's a well-told story with fleshed-out characters and, if applicable, historical events that don't conflict with real life. The books you choose should avoid stereotypes and present authentic settings and situations from a unique perspective.
Using realistic fiction in the classroom allows students to place themselves in the protagonist's situation. If the characters deal with situations and problems similar to that of your students, it will be easy for students to identify a bit of themselves in the characters. Ask your students how they would react in the character's situation and how well they can identify with the character in their own lives. This allows students to reflect on themselves and use their imaginations.
Life contains a lot of conflict, such as grief, mourning, death, loss, and rejection. Having students read about the adversity of young adults in realistic fiction allows them to realize such problems exist and how to cope with them. Ask your students how the struggles of the main character altered their own worldview or if they have ever experienced similar moments of adversity.
If a student doesn't exactly identify with the main character's situation, good realistic fiction can provide a different perspective to common conflicts and problems. This is especially true with historical fiction, stories taking place during a far-removed era like the American Civil War. A different perspective can allow students to realize more than one choice or possibility in life. Ask your class whether they believe the types of events in the book were typical or unusual for that time period.