Genres+of+Adolescent+literature


 * Biography/Autobiography/Memoir **

Share if you have read it and would recommend it or not for middle school. State your name followed by a colon, the bibliographic entry and a brief review and recommendation. //Example://
 * Add examples you find of each genre throughout your exploration of adolescent literature in this course. **

//Mary: **Walls, J. (2007). The Glass Castle: A Memoir. New York Scribner.**// //I read this and although I do not recommend it for middle school, think it is a compelling read for young adults 16 and older.//

//Michele: **Asher, J.(2007).**// **//Thirteen Reasons Why. New York. Penguin Group//** This was an amazing read. It really drove home many points, a couple being, suicide and bullying. I feel that some middle school students could handle this book, you need to know your students before I would hand this book over.

All of the stories written in this genre are interpreted and written by the author, but still provide the basic facts about the person's life. They must be true to history and deal with the emotional growth and experiences of the subject. They are enjoyable, informative and can be excellent research sources. This genre can be found in the picture book format and also in full length novels.(p. 285)
 * Defining Biography and Memoir **
 * Biographies, autobiographies, diaries and memoirs ** tell stories about a real person's life or a portion (episodic) of a person's life, showing how they have shaped or are shaping history. Biographies are written about people, while autobiographies are written about the individual whose story is being told. Memoirs and autobiographies are written by the subject of the story. Biographies and autobiographies may be fictional or non fictional accounts of a person's life. Memoirs and diaries are interpretive accounts which cover a specific period of time of the author's life and not the life span of the individual. They are selected to bring out a particular theme or trait and may be factual but are also based upon and interpreted through memory


 * Historical Fiction **


 * Defining Historical Fiction **
 * Historical fiction ** is a window to the past through which we can view people and events that have shaped our lives and the world, universal truths are discovered and we empathize with those from the past. Therefore, historical fiction lets the reader make emotional connections between the past and the present by helping to understand and value our own heritage and the present world around us. Today, the time period for most historical fiction typically falls before and between the 19th and 20th century.

Historical fiction usually precedes an author's own lifetime, but the author may reconstruct historical events that have happened earlier in their own life, even though the plots and dialogue in the story are imaginary. The author can give life to a historical event and time by re-creating the historical event. Therefore, the story must be well-developed with realistic characters congruent with historical records. The settings, events, and times lines must be historically correct.


 * Mystery/Thrillers **


 * Characteristics of Mysteries/Thrillers**

A teen has the role of a sleuth, private eye, detective, or spy, and discovers a familiar or community secret, uncovers and organized crime, investigates a murder, missing person and espionage. The criminal or villain in the story is revealed early in the story. Challenging clues keeps the reader involved with "red herrings" or teasers and the outcome is unpredictable, which may include several motives, plots and alibis throughout the story. The protagonist may be placed in danger to make the mystery a thriller. Settings are important to the mood, such as old houses, graveyards, musty old mansions etc., to create suspense and mood. The ending concludes with the mystery solved but the story may be a reconstruction of the crime. Characters piece the story together and the events often hint at a possible sequel.


 * Nonfiction/Information **

The information in nonfiction books is presented in a variety of interesting formats such as; identification books, experiment and activity manuals, books derived from original documentation and journals, and reference books and periodicals. Illustrations, graphs, charts, tables and photographs accompany the text, while the format and length may vary considerably. Nonfiction books also cover a diversity of topics in all subject areas.
 * Defining Nonfiction**
 * Nonfiction and informational ** books provide information and facts about any topic and covers various genres in a variety of formats. In nonfiction, facts and concepts are presented by the author, which should be truthful, verifiable and easy to understand. However, in fiction writing, the storyline is the most prevalent feature in the book.

There has been an increase in nonfiction writing because there is an increased focus on content area writing, the advancement of the Information Age, presently there is a more educated community, an increase awareness of global issues and the rapid development of new technologies make the books more appealing. The nonfiction writer re-creates events for the reader and provides a feeling of what people are thinking and believing. Facts and accuracy are important, but the author is only the reporter and researcher. In this genre, interactive nonfiction books are becoming a current and popular trend in writing.


 * Evaluating and Selecting Nonfiction **
 * Is the author an authority in writing about this topic?
 * Is the writing slanted or biased?
 * Is the information accurate and up to date?
 * Is the book well documented, such as with primary and secondary sources?
 * Is the book well organized and easy to follow?
 * Do illustrations and visuals support the text and are they appealing?
 * Is the writing interesting and appropriate for the age of the reader?
 * Can the reader distinguish between fact and opinion?
 * Is diversity addressed in the writing?
 * If directions are provided in how-to-do books, are they easy to follow?
 * Is the book unique in that the value of the information in the book is worth the cost?


 * Realistic Fiction **

Cole, P. B. (2009). //Young adult literature in the 21st century//. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, p. 98-99.
 * Defining Realistic Fiction – sometimes termed “the problem novel” **
 * Realistic fiction ** is considered the backbone of young adult literature. However, in the late 1960's and beyond, a new term "problem novel" developed because authors began to address personal and social issues in their novels. S.E. Hinton's //The Outsiders//, was the first novel written which addressed these problems. Mandatory educations and child labor laws, along with the unrest of war conflicts, and the Civil Right Movement, changed the lifestyles and thinking of young adults. So many realistic fiction novels began including "problem" issues such as; school problems, minority issues, poverty, teen pregnancy and sexuality, racial and family tensions, substance abuse, death, religion, and more. Often times these novels are laced with profanity and street language. Because of these controversial themes, problem novels are the most censored books in young adult literature. However, the problem novel hooks teens into reading because teens make connections with the contemporary issues portrayed in the novels which connect the characters and events with their own lives and experiences.
 * Characteristics of Problem Novels **
 * ** Characters are imperfect ** - they come from all backgrounds, including race, culture, family structure, and social economic backgrounds
 * ** Settings can be diverse ** - impoverished communities, dysfunctional families, schools, streets, troubled home environments
 * ** Atmosphere or "emotional tone" ** - can offer hope but also offers darkness, tragedy, and reality
 * ** Style of novels ** - may be chapter books, verse forms, short stories, poetry, letters, news articles, etc.


 * Science Fiction/Fantasy **

//Example – House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer//
 * Defining Science Fiction and Fantasy **
 * Science fiction ** authors write stories that present alternative perspectives to reality, such as "What if?" They ground their writings in elements of science and scientific principles. The writing must contain an internal consistency in language and story structure, while weaving in the necessary details to the story. The future is imagined and conceptualizes the past. The plot may involve elements from other genres such as; mystery, romance, comedy, and adventure.

**Fantasy** and science fiction have many similarities. Science fiction is ground in technology and science whereas, fantasy portrays magic and enchantments. Fantasy authors invent characters such as, wizards, witches, and sorcerers, but science fiction authors use scientists and mathematics to explain the rationality of their stories and what could happen. Fantasy plots cannot be explained, but only can be imagined. Science fiction and fantasy are two distinct genres. However, in some writings the concepts in science fiction and fantasy are blended together, such as in the //Artemis Fowl// series, Kenneth Oppel's book //Airborn//, and Madeleine L'Engle's book //A Wrinkle in Time//. The blending of genres is not uncommon.


 * Sports **
 * Defining the Sports Novel **

Today, sports writers develop themes which begin with a strong plot line and portray characters with emotional and moral depth. Among today's writers, Chris Crutcher is considered the standard for all sports writers. The characters in his novels are not stereotypical and the characters are placed in realistic situations which often results in an unpleasant and diverse ending. The popularity of sports novels has grown immensely for a variety of reasons. Many include a diversity of sports themes, and do not just include the traditional sports of long ago. Some of the stories are written in manga format. But most importantly, the best sports novels are written with well rounded characters and strong plot lines which appeals to the reader.
 * Sports novels ** originated from the dime novel, which were popular during the 1800's and early 1900's. The dime novels were of poor quality, usually depicting violent themes with no morality. However, during the early 1900's, Gilbert Patten, the father of American sports fiction, wrote sports novels and used sports themes to preach morality. These novels were a moral alternative to the dime novel.