Judy Blume discusses her childhood. You will see real connections between her description of her own childhood personality, and the personality of fearful Sheila in "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great!"
Here's a video about a genre (type) of fictional story called, 'realistic fiction.' These are made-up (not real) stories but they are stories that could happen in the real world. There is nothing magical and there are no futuristic technologies (like time travel or interstellar travel) are not yet part of our real experience. Realistic fiction usually takes place in the present and the characters face the kind of problems that we all actually face in our real lives. So, reading realistic fiction may help us to see that we are not the only ones who face these problems and they show us that our personal problems and challenges really can be solved without miracles of magic as well.