Genres and Sub-Genres
• Two major types of writing:
– Fiction
– Nonfiction
• Subgenres for fiction
– Short stories, novels, plays, poetry
• Subgenres for non-fiction:
– Biographies, Autobiographies
Realistic Fiction
Realistic fiction is made up of stories that
could really happen. Contemporary
realistic fiction is realistic fiction that is
set in modern times.
Examples of Realistic
Fiction
Because of Winn Dixie
Crash
Owl Moon
Shiloh
Summer of the Swans
Babysitter Club series
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction is made up of stories that take place
in a certain time and place in the past. Real historical
figures and settings may be included in a fiction story.
Examples of Historical Fiction
A Boy at War
Across Five Aprils
Ben and Me
The Butterfly
Charlie Skedaddle
Sign of the Beaver
Titanic Crossing
Dear America Series
Folklore
Folklore includes stories,
myths, and fables that people
told one another over the
years. Later the stories were
written down.
Examples of Folklore
Aesop’s Fables
Beauty and the Beast
The Bunyans
Cinderella
John Henry
The Talking Eggs
The Tortoise and the Hare
Fantasy
Fantasy is fiction that has elements that are
not real. Sometimes this includes talking
animals or characters with magical powers.
There’s usually a conflict between good and
evil.
Examples of Fantasy
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Charlotte’s Web
The Wreck of the Zephyr
Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter Series
Mystery
Mysteries are stories that have a
real setting and a problem to be
solved that includes clues,
distractions, and an answer to the
problem.
Examples of Mystery
The House of Dies Drear
Never Say Die
The Treehouse Mystery
Mystery of the Midnight Message
Encyclopedia Brown Series
Boxcar Children Mysteries
Science Fiction
Science Fiction is made up of stories that blend fact
and fiction with futuristic technology.
Examples of Science Fiction
Aliens for Breakfast
A Wrinkle in Time
My Best Friend is Invisible
Star Wars
The Time Machine
Poetry
Poetry is verse written to inspire thoughts and
feelings in the reader. It often uses rhyme and
rhythm, or it can be written in free verse.
Examples of Poetry
Where the Sidewalk Ends
New Kid on the Block
Chocolate Dreams: Poems
Mammalabilia
A Pizza the Size of the Sun
Love That Dog
Informational
Informational books are nonfiction books that give
true facts on a variety of subjects.
Examples of
Informational Writing
Dirt Bikes
Flying Animals
Danger! Earthquakes
Newspapers
Encyclopedias
Biography
A biography is the true story of a
real person’s life from the past or
present.
Examples of Biography
Tiger Woods: An American Master
The HomerunKings: BabeRuth and
Henry Aaron
Clara Barton, a Red Cross Pioneer
Sacagawea
Sub-genre Characteristics Summary
• Folktale— passed down in a culture and often
explains events in nature
• Myth—old story told to explain something about
nature or human behavior and often contains
Greek and Roman Gods.
• Fable—a brief story that teaches a moral or
religious lesson that usually has speaking animals,
plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature as
characters.
Sub-genre Characteristics Summary
• Parable—a brief story or poem that teaches
a lesson or moral that uses mainly people as
characters.
• Legend—an old story that is told as if it
really happened, but it is unlikely to be true
and is usually focused on an extraordinary
person.
Sub-genre Characteristics Summary
• Science fiction—a story with a future-based plot
that is often based on scientific theory, like aliens.
• Historical fiction—a story written about a period
of history that often includes well-researched
historical truths.
• Realistic fiction—a story set in the present that
seems true and may appear to be a non-fiction
account.
Sub-genre Characteristics Summary
• Poetry
– Couplet—two lines of verse next to each other that
rhyme.
– Sonnet—a rhymed poem with one speaker that consists
of 14 lines.
– Ballad—a poem that tells a story in rhythmic verse,
usually rhymes
– Elegy—a poem that expresses sadness over death or the
passing of time.
– Epic—a poem with a long plot relating to the
adventures of a hero.