Literary Genres
Classifying by genre is a way of organizing literary, musical or artistic works by similar forms, styles, or subject matter (content). Literature can be broadly classified as fiction or nonfiction
- Fiction features stories with made-up characters, events or settings.
- Nonfiction features factual information.
| Adventure | A story where characters are placed in dangerous situations and must use their wits and skills to survive. | Hatchet by Gary Paulsen |
| Autobiography | An account written by someone about his or her own life | The Story of My Life by Helen Keller |
| Biography | An account of a real person’s life, written by someone else. | Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal |
| Fantasy | A story that has imaginative or impossible elements, such as talking animals or magical powers | Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling |
| Historical Fiction | A story that takes place in a historically accurate time and setting. The characters and some events may be fictional. | I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis |
| Horror | A story in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader. May contain eerie or paranormal elements. | Took by Mary Downing Hahn |
| Humor | A story about a series of funny or comical events to amuse the reader. | Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney |
| Informational | Texts that provide facts about a variety of topics. | DK Eyewitness series |
| Mystery | A story that includes suspense and the unraveling of secrets or clues that ends with the solving of the puzzle or crime. | 39 Clues series (various authors) |
| Mythology | Stories often describing adventures of superhuman beings to describe the origins of people, customs or beliefs. | Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan |
| Narrative nonfiction | Factual information about an event presented in a format which tells a story | Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 EX: by Julie Gassman |
| Poetry | Verse written to create a response of thought or feeling from the reader. It may include rhyme, rhythm or repetition. | Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein |
| Realistic Fiction | A story that seems real or could happen in real life, and includes modern problems and events. | Wonder by R. J. Palacio |
| Romance | Stories that are emotionally driven and focus on the relationship between the main characters. | Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen |
| Science Fiction | A story that blends futuristic technology with scientific fact and fiction. | A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle |
| Traditional Literature | Folktales, fairy tales, fables, legends and tall tales. | The People Could Fly (folk tales) Cinderella (fairy tale) The Boy Who Cried Wolf (fable) Johnny Appleseed (legend) Paul Bunyan and Babe (tall tale) |