This week for our Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a look at realistic fiction for elementary school. Real-life stories often fly off the shelves in a school library, and with everything from early chapter books to more advanced middle grade books to graphic novels, this selection has something for every young reader. Our feature pick is Sweet Valley Twins: Three’s A Crowd: (A Graphic Novel), written by Francine Pascal, adapted by Nicole Andelfinger, and illustrated by Claudia Aguirre. Elizabeth and Jessica have been entertaining readers across several series in the Sweet Valley universe since 1983. In this graphic adaptation of the seventh book in the Sweet Valley Twins series, the two middle schoolers are put off by their friend Mary, who seems to want to come over to their house just to hang out with the twins’ mom. When the truth about Mary’s past and family situation come to light, Jess and Liz have their previous assumptions challenged and see Mary in a new, more empathetic light.

Check out more realistic fiction for elementary readers below!

A Kid Like Me
Norm Feuti
HarperCollins Publishers/HarperAlley
Available now!

Nadia Islam, On the Record
Adiba Jaigirdar
Illustrated by Avani Dwivedi
HarperCollins Publishers/Quill Tree Books
Available now!

Some of Us Are Brave
Saadia Faruqi
HarperCollins Publishers/HarperCollins Children’s Books
Available February 10, 2026

Sweet Valley Twins: Three’s A Crowd: (A Graphic Novel)
Created and Story by Francine Pascal
Adaptation by Nicole Andelfinger
Illustrated by Claudia Aguirre
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Available now!

Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama
Maisha Oso
Illustrated by Courtney Lovett
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Leaving 4B
Chambrae Griffith
Illustrated by Amelie Videlo
Beaming Books
Ages 4-8
Available April 21, 2026

4B is perfect, with its hidey-hole and climbing tree and polka-dot wall. But with their family growing bigger, the main character in this picture book has to leave it all behind. The new house, with no hidey-hole or climbing tree or polka-dot wall, seems like it can never compare. But as the family settles into the new house and meets their neighbors, the main character learns that this new home might not be so bad, after all.

Leaving 4B speaks from the perspective of a child, giving voice to all the fears and uncertainties that come with big changes. Griffith gently validates these feelings while also showing how to look for positives in a changing situation. The new house may never be 4B, but, she points out, there are exciting new adventures to be found. Videlo’s illustrations depict a diverse variety of neighbors both old and new, allowing many readers to see themselves in the story.

Moving is something many children will experience, and it’s something they’re likely to have big feelings about. Leaving 4B can open a conversation about those feelings, while also helping a young reader look forward to the good things that can come from a new home.

As we move through December and the holidays begin to hit in full swing, it can feel like everything is happening all at once. When things get overwhelming, this week’s collection of social emotional learning books can help us slow down and breathe. From the human to the ursine, these books feature characters who learn to manage themselves, their emotions, and their impact on the world. Our feature pick is The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Jade Orlando. Wolf takes big, complex topics like persistence and integrity and distills them into bite-sized pieces of poetry to help young readers internalize them. Many poems focus on specific skills that practice as they work on practicing these traits in their lives. Orlando’s illustrations provide a soothing backdrop for the messages each poem imparts along a child’s journey of mindfulness and meditation.

Check out more books for social emotional learning below!

A Cure for the Hiccups
Jennifer E. Smith
Illustrated by Brandon James Scott
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Bear
Natalia Shaloshvili
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

How to Say Thank You
Jean Reagan
Illustrated by Lee Wildish
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Love Can Be
Yuli Yav
Illustrated by Antonia Woodward
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Little Simon
Available now!

The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me
Allan Wolf
Illustrated by Jade Orlando
Candlewick Press
Available now!