2. What is genre?
Why is it important to know genre?
• Genre is a kind or type of works of literature
• Books belonging to a genre share the same
characteristics of
plot, theme, tone, mood, settings, and
characters
• Once you identify genres you like, it makes
selecting books easier
• We color code our book spines by genre to
help you quickly identify books of interest
3. Types of Genres
• Non-fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Realistic Fiction
• Fantasy Fiction
• Science Fiction
4. Characteristics of Non-Fiction
• Informational text
• Explains a subject or concept using facts about
the real world
• Biographies – real people
5. Characteristics of Historical Fiction
• Stories have basis in historical event or center
around a historical figure
• Setting is a historical period
• Actual and fictional characters
6. Characteristics of Realistic Fiction
• Story could take place in real world
• Characters seem real
• Setting is in the here and now
7. Compare & Contrast
Non-Fiction, Historical & Realistic Fiction
• Non-Fiction vs. Historical Fiction
– Non-Fiction is true and factual
– Historical Fiction is based on actual events/people
but included some made up elements
• Historical Fiction vs. Realistic Fiction
– Historical Fiction takes place in a past era
– Realistic Fiction takes place in the here and now
8. Characteristics of Fantasy Fiction
• Setting is often a make-believe and
imaginative world
• Contains elements that are not realistic
– Creatures that aren’t real
– Talking animals
– Magical powers
– Fairy Tale elements
9. Characteristics of Science Fiction
• Includes futuristic science/technology
• Could include partially true science
laws/theories but advances or changes them
• Settings:
– In the future
– In space
– In a different world, universe, or dimension
11. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Vern
Three explores go on a
journey to discover what
lies in the center of the
Earth. One is a Scientist
another a student of
geology and the last is a
servant. They use a
special machine to travel
bellow the earths crust via
a volcano and they
discover another world.
What genre is it?
12. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The story is about Meg who is a
misfit at school and her younger
brother, Charles Wallace Murray.
One night during a wild storm
the Murray’s meet Mrs Whatsit, a
new neighbor, and quite an
odd character. Mrs Whatsit is not
what she seems, and Meg,
Charles Wallace, and their friend
Calvin O'Keefe, are whisked
away on an adventure across
space.
What genre is it?
13. Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Dreams are bestowed onto
humans by tiny creatures
called, dream givers.
Nightmares come from
other creatures called
sinisteeds. The lives of a
lonely old woman and a
young boy with an abusive
past are tied together
through the dreams they
share that are given by the
dream givers.
What genre is it?
14. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Esperanza thought she'd
always live with her family
on their ranch in Mexico--
she'd always have fancy
dresses, a beautiful
home, and servants. But a
sudden tragedy forces
Esperanza and Mama to flee
to California during the
Great Depression, and to
settle in a camp for Mexican
farm workers.
What genre is it?
15. Amelia Earhart: Courage in the Sky
by Mona Kerby
This biographic book is
about Amelia Earhart who
is a famous aviator because
she was the first woman to
fly across the Atlantic
Ocean. She is also famous
because in her 1937
around-the-world flight she
disappeared. Her
disappearance is still a
mystery.
What genre is it?
16. Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Noah Underwood lives in
paradise but he has problems.
His dad is in jail because he
stopped a casino boat from
illegal dumping of sewage into
Florida’s Keys water by sinking
the boat. Now Noah is
determined to stop the dumping
of raw sewage into the waters.
Noah soon sees this is difficult
because the illegal dumping
have baffled the
prosecutors, the local press, and
the Coast Guard.
What genre is it?
17. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watsons are a black
family of five living in 1960s
Flint, Michigan. The parents
decide to send the oldest
boy, Byron, to live with the
mother's mother in
Birmingham Alabama
because she is very strict.
They arrive in Birmingham
just in time to witness one
of the more tragic events of
the Civil Rights
movement, the bombing of
the Sixteenth St. Baptist
Church.
What genre is it?
