Welcome!

Welcome to my book talk!  This is a place for you to share your love of books.

On the side, you will see a list of literary genres.  It is, by no means, conclusive.  However, you will hopefully find one that matches the book you have just finished!

Click in the genre of your choice and tell us about the book you have read.  Read through some of the other comments to learn about books others have read and enjoyed.  Share your love of books and reading with others that feel the same!


Why do we read?  That is a question my students and I discuss regularly.  Tell us what you think...Why do you read?  What is it about losing yourself in a book that makes you happy? 

 Welcome to our community of readers!

Informational

Informational:

• is non-fiction.  The information is real or true.
• will contain some, but not necessarily all, of the following text features
• photographs
• pictures with captions
• timelines
• graphs and charts
• headers and sub-headers
• table of context, glossary, index
• diagrams

Mythology

Mythology:

• contains gods and goddesses or other characters with supernatural powers.
• explains natural phenomenon.

Folk Tales

Folk Tales:

• are traditional stories that try to explain the world.
• are passed down from generation to generation.
• have a moral or lesson.
• help the reader understand customs of other countries.
• contain hyperbole.

Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales:

• often begin with "Once Upon a Time"
• often take place in a castle, forest or town.
• have at least one good character.
• often have characters that are royalty, such as a king, queen, prince or princess.
• often involve some sort of magic.

Fables

Fables:

• are fiction.  They are not true.
• are a short narrative such as a short story or folktale.
• end in a moral or lesson.
• are written with characters that are animals that talk and act like humans but retain their animal traits.
• are written with a character that represenst a single human characteristic, such as a fox being symbolic of a trickster.

Autobiography / Biography

Biography:

• is a form of non-fiction.  It is true.
• is a story of a real person's life.
• is written by someone else.
• ('s) author must do research by interviewing the subject or people who knew the subject.

Autobiography:

• is written by the person the story is about.
• shares what the author thought and/or felt.

• auto means self
• bios means life
• graphien means to write

Mystery

Mystery:

• is usually fiction.
• is usually narrative.
• has a protagonist that is usually an investigator, crime solver, or spy.
• has a plot that revolves around a crime, secret or puzzling situation.
• has clues that are given throughout the story but the reader has to make inferences.
• has suspense which is created by several possible situations with the actual solution not revealed until the end.

Science fiction

Science fiction:

• is form of fiction.  It is not true.
• has sort of science element, such as
• outer space
• medicine
• technology
• has elements of possibility
• has characters with some believable traits/qualities

Fantasy

Fantasy:

• is a form of fiction.  It is not true.
• contains one or more of the following
• supernatural occurrences
• characters with magical powers
• things with magical powers
• animals with human characteristics
• things with human characteristics
• real people in fantastic places
• fantastic creatures or characters in real situations.

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction:

• is a form of fiction.  It is not true.
• is based on historical events.
• has an authentic setting.
• has characters that are portrayed in a realistic manner.
• has some characters that may be actual people from history but the story is fictional.
• is an artistic mix of fiction and historical fact.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction:

• is a form of fiction.  It is not true.
• accurately reflects life as it could be lived today.
• revolves around a  story could happen to real people living in our actual physical world.
• has characters that have normal human powers.
• is a  story that may be based on real places, but the story is not based on history nor does it contain elements of science fiction.