Genres and Formats

Genres and Formats

Textbook Reflection: Chapter 3

There are only two types of genres: Fiction and Nonfiction. Everything else is subgenre, subcategory or a format. First, let’s look at fiction. There are two different subgenres of fiction: Realism and Fantasy. Realist fiction is broken down into two categories: modern, contemporary books and historical fiction, both of which are easy to determine.  However, fantasy fiction is much more complex involving modern and traditional subgenres. And these subgenres are even more divided. Traditional fantasy includes Fairytales, Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Legends and Fables. Modern Fantasy is slightly more complicated. Modern Fantasy is divided into the subcategories of: Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, High Fantasy and Low Fantasy.  A Hard Science Fiction novel has as its main focus – science going into detail about how everything works. A Soft Science Fiction book is more character and plot driven with the science being somewhat in the background. Then there are High Fantasy and Low Fantasy novels. High Fantasy books create their own world and languages (Game of Thrones) whereas Low Fantasy books have elements of fantasy weaved into the story.

Now let’s look at Nonfiction. Nonfiction is informational text that can be biographical (including autobiographies and memoirs), narrative (feels more like a story) or informational.

There are many different types of categories of fiction such as mystery, horror, sports fiction, classics, and dystopia. But these are not genres. There are also different formats of books such as poetry, drama, novels, picture books and graphic novels.

This is great information to think about as you read YA literature. But it is important to remember that not every book fits a subgenre or category perfectly. Keeping an open mind to all the different aspect of what a book presents will help you guide more students to a variety of books which will broaden their reading tastes.

Divisions of Young People's Literature

Divisions of Young People’s Literature

Text Book Reflection: Chapter 2

Literature for young people is divided by age. Children’s literature is for young people, birth to eight years old. This is a wide range that includes wordless books, picture books, easy readers, early chapter books and illustrated chapter books. Illustrated chapter books include those like Ramona the Pest and Charlotte’s Web where there are minimum illustrations. The next category is Middle grade which covers the ages of 8 years old to twelve years of age (or 3^rd graders to 6^th graders). Books like Roller Girl, George and Raymie Nightingale fit into this division. This age range can be difficult because reading ability is higher than emotional development. Next is Middle School which are books for those kids who are 11 years old to 13 years old. The books for these kids start covering tougher issues with books such as Drama or Lily and Dunkin. This is a delicate area in children’s literature. You must meet the student’s interest while making sure the book is the appropriate emotional level of the student. The next division is Young Adult which covers the ages of 13 years to 18 years. These books can be more graphic in nature, contain stronger language and focus on more adult topics. The last division is New Adult which is a relatively new category having been label in 2009. This division covers ages 18-30 and typically deals with college and/or leaving home, first romantic encounters and dealing with adult issues without parental guidance.

The age ranges given are guidelines and what each child is ready to read and comprehend will vary for each student and their maturity. This is something that I would consider as a librarian. You never want to be a gatekeeper, but you want to make sure that a 12-year-old is not reading material written for an 18-year-old. It is a delicate line to balance. As a librarian you would need to know your collection and your students.

Why We Share Literature with Children

Why Do We Share Literature with Children?

Textbook Reflection: Chapter 1

There are many reasons to share literature with kids of all ages. One of the most important reasons is because reading is fun and sharing what you love is contagious. If you are excited about a book and share your excitement, your students will be excited also. Books are also shared because it aids in the acquisition of language and language development. Research shows that the more children read, to better their vocabulary will be. Another key reason to share literature with children is that books help them develop empathy, which is a stronger emotion than sympathy. Empathy is the ability to share another person’s feelings. Sharing books with children also helps them become lifelong learners and readers. Children may become series readers, serial readers (following an author or genre) or both. Sharing books with students also helps them see themselves in books as they read autobiographically. Reading can help students see into a “mirror” to help them understand who they are and that they are not alone. Reading also helps students live vicariously through the written word. They can experience different cultures, interests and experiences to broaden their view of the world. They can also experience consequences through literature that will, hopefully, make them think twice about some of their own actions. Reading also helps children and teens with their philosophical speculations. As students grow, they begin trying to form their own opinions and discover who they are and how they fit into society. Reading can also be for the pure joy of the written word. By sharing books, we are teaching others to love the beauty of the written language. Books also fuel the imagination. The written word can spark the inventive streak in students as they start thinking “What would happen if…”. And finally, books transmit culture and share the wonder of all different types of people around the world and pull the reader out of their own personal bubble.

While reviewing all of the wonderful reasons we read and share books with children, it makes me stop and reflect on what type of library collection I would like to have: one that is full of diverse books that will help students find themselves in the written word and help them understand those who are different from themselves. It makes me think about more than escaping in the story as I read, but how each of these books might become meaningful to students.