Name: ______________________________ Reading Teacher:________________________Pd:______
Genre Study Guide
The Genre Quiz is worth 20 points and will feature 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short-answer
questions, and 5 summary genre identification questions (see the sample question below).
FANTASY: Fantasy novels deal with the realm of the impossible – things that happen in a
fantasy book could NEVER happen in the real world.
Characteristics: magic, wizards, dragons, talking animals, battles between good and evil.
 High fantasy features new worlds, fantastical creatures, and its own set of rules.
 Low fantasy features the rational world (like our world) with just a few fantasy
elements.
 Subgenre: Horror. Horror novels feature tension/fear that is created by the
supernatural, such as a ghost or a monster.
MYSTERY: A mystery is a fictional story in which the protagonist attempts to figure out a
puzzling problem or solve a crime.
Characteristics: detectives, suspects, clues, crimes, plot twists.
SCIENCE FICTION: Science fiction is imaginative writing with a scientific basis (ideas that could
happen) that is usually set in the future.
Characteristics: scientific principles, advanced technologies, outer space
 Subgenre: Dystopian. Dystopian fiction focuses on a futuristic, imagined universe
where things may seem perfect, but everything is terrible. Themes: environmental
destruction, totalitarian government, mandatory division of people into groups, and
collective memory loss.
ADVENTURE: Adventures are books that feature action, danger, survival, and excitement.
Characteristics: plot-driven, fast-paced (the action starts almost immediately), central quest or
missions.
 Subgenre: Thriller. Thrillers feature tension and fear caused by a human being, such as
a kidnapper.
REALISTIC FICTION: Realistic fiction is set in PRESENT DAY (the current decade and up to 30
years ago) and deals with real issues that people face in their daily lives. Realistic fiction stories
COULD happen in the real world, but they are NOT true stories.
Themes: family relationships, friendship, growing up, and self-acceptance.
 Subgenres: Animal Stories, Humor, Sports Stories.
HISTORICAL FICTION: Historical fiction takes place during a period of HISTORY, such as the
Middle Ages or the Vietnam War. It contains a mixture of author created content and
historically accurate content. The past refers to 30 years ago or MORE.
Features historically accurate content that may include: events, places, cultural artifacts,
language, people.
NONFICTION: Traditional nonfiction is writing that is based on facts, real events, and real
people. It is the pursuit of truth.
 Subgenre: Narrative Nonfiction: Narrative nonfiction places emphasis on setting,
description, dialogue, and evolving plot—it follows the elements of a plot diagram.
BIOGRAPHY: A biography is the account of a person’s life that is written by someone else.
 Template for reading: Stories of Achievement.
 Autobiography: people write about their own lives from birth to time of writing.
 Memoir: people write about a portion of their own lives.
BOOK MEDALS:
 Sibert Medal: nonfiction, biographies
 Newbery Medal: fiction
Example Question:
Read the following summary carefully. Circle the key genre word(s) in the summary. Write the
genre that the book would most likely be based on the keywords. Remember, identify the
strongest genre.
Michael Arroyo is a talented young pitcher and he and his team hope to make it to the Little
League World Series. But if only his life were as easy as baseball! Michael’s Dad, who led the
family’s escape from Cuba, is gone and Social Services is starting to wonder what happened to
him. On top of that, the other coaches are demanding to see Michael’s birth certificate; there’s
no way a twelve-year-old-kid can pitch like that! Will Michael make it to the World Series
before his world falls apart?
Words to circle: pitcher, Little League World Series, baseball, Cuba, Social Services, coaches
Genre = Realistic Fiction (Sports)