Genres in the
Library
Are You for Real?
NON-FICTION: real, factual, deals with actual
people, places, and events
◦ Author’s purpose is to inform or explain
FICTION: unreal, not true, not factual, a made up
story
◦ Author’s purpose is to entertain
2
1. Biography
▪Story of a real person’s life
▪Form of nonfiction (true)
▪Non-fiction genre about a person’s life
written by another person
3
2. Action/Adventure
▪Fiction story that describes a fast-
moving story
▪Characters encounter situations that
require quick thinking and inner
strength
4
3.Realistic Fiction
▪Form of fiction (not true)
▪Everything in the story could happen to
real people living in our world
▪The characters have normal human
characteristics
▪Story may be set in real places, but the
story is NOT based on history
5
4. Historical Fiction
▪Form of fiction (not true)
▪Fiction story that takes place in a
historical period from the past
▪Some characters may be actual
people from history, but the story is
fictional
▪Mix of fiction and historical facts
6
5.Science Fiction
▪Form of fiction (not true)
▪Fiction book that takes place in the
future
▪Plots sometimes has the following
parts:
◦Outer space
◦Medicine
◦Technology
7
6. Fantasy
▪Fiction book that could never happen in real
life and has magical or out of this world
characters
▪Contains one or more of the following:
▪supernatural occurrences
▪characters with magical powers
▪things with magical powers
8
7. Mystery
▪A suspenseful fiction story about a
puzzle/problem/crime with clues/hints
▪Characters deal with the solution to a
puzzle/problem, such as
▪finding a missing item/person
▪unraveling a secret
▪rationalize an event that is not explained
9
8. Autobiography
▪Form of nonfiction (true)
▪Story of a real person’s life
▪Story written by the person the story is
about
▪Author does not need to do research
▪Author shares how he/she feels and
what he/she thinks
10
9. Fairy Tale
▪Classic genre usually written for
children
▪Contains stories with elves, fairies,
magical creatures, princes and
princesses
▪Usually starts with, “Once upon a
time…”
11
10.Poetry
▪Writing that has a rhythm or rhymes
▪Goal is to create an emotion
▪Written in stanzas rather than
paragraphs
12
11. Folk Tale
▪Traditional genre that describes a very
old story that has been passed down
orally for many years
13
12. Fable
▪Type of short folktale that teaches a moral
or lesson
▪Characters are animals that talk and act
like humans
▪A character usually represents a single
human characteristic, such as a fox being
symbolic of a trickster
14
13. Tall Tale
▪Story with characters and events that
are greatly exaggerated
▪Often has a hero who accomplishes the
impossible
15
14. Myth
▪Fiction story from long ago that often tells
how something in the world came to be
▪Pertains to the actions of the gods and/or
goddesses
▪Characters are super-natural beings with
human emotions and qualities
▪Plot may involve interplay between worlds
(this world and previous/original world)
16
15. Play
▪Story that is acted out by actors and
actresses
▪Contains script, scenes, characters and
dialogue
17
16. Informational
▪Nonfiction
▪Full of facts
▪Includes many charts, photos and
diagrams to gather information
▪Used for research
18
17. Humor
▪Story that made to make people laugh
▪May have jokes or riddles in it
19
18. Historical Non-Fiction
▪Nonfiction
▪Full of facts
▪Includes many charts, photos and
diagrams to gather information
▪Has many facts and events from the
past
▪Used for research
20
