LITERARY

GENRES

NON-FICTION:

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Somebody who writes their own story

NON-FICTION:

BIOGRAPHYA true story that is written about somebody by a different person

FICTION OR NON-FICTION: POETRY

A form of literature that follows a specific rhythm or/and rhyme scheme

Introduction to Poetry

Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poemand watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's roomand feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poemwaving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.

from The Apple that Astonished Paris, 1996University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Ark.Permissions information.

POETRY AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Naomi Shihab NyeEmily DickensonWalt WhitmanLiz RozenbergMaggie DietzBilly Collins

FICTION:

GRAPHIC NOVELS OR COMIC BOOKS

a novel in comic strip format

GRAPHIC NOVEL AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Dav PilkeyJeff SmithBrian K. VaughanMarjane SatrapiJeff Kinney

FICTION:

CONTEMPORARY YOUNG ADULT/REALISTIC FICTIONA story where events could happen, but the story is not true

CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Judy Blume Patricia McCormick Chris Crutcher S.E. Hinton

Jerry Spinneli Sarah Dessen Gayle Foreman

FICTION:

SCIENCE FICTION

A story that occurs in the future and can happen; usually involves advanced technology and/or space

SCIENCE FICTION AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Orson Scott Card Marie LuJames Patterson Veronica RothLois Lowry Suzanne CollinsScott Westerfield Ray Bradbury

FICTION:

FANTASY

a story that involves elements that are not realistic, such as magical powers or mythical beings

FANTASY AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

C.S. LewisSuzanne CollinsStephanie Meyer

Ally CondeCassandra Clare

J.K. RowlingJ.R.R. Tolkien

ADVENTURE FICTION

A fictional story that has the theme of danger and risk

ADVENTURE FICTION AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Anthony HorowitzRobert LudlumTom ClancyGordon KormanMark TwainGary Paulson

HISTORICAL FICTION

Set in the past, the story usually includes an actual event in history, but fictitious characters

HISTORICAL FICTION AUTHORS TO EXPLORE:

Ann RinaldiGary PaulsonWalter Dean MeyersMildred D. Taylor