Children's Literature: Thoughts and Recommendations on Seven Genres

We all have our favorite genres. I think my absolute favorites are fantasy adventure and a bit of science fiction but I do have room for most other genres in my reading adventures. That being said I will endeavor to give some give examples of each of the following genres.

Comedy- This is usually a very fun genre and can give children so much joy in reading and sometimes it’s all about what gets them to read. Some really fun books I would recommend are:

• Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

• Little Critter series by Mercer Mayer

• The Cat in the Hat series by Dr. Suess

Fantasy – This genre is where the imagination can really soar. Nothing held back if you can imagine it you can read about it. Everything from magic to talking animals and much, much more! Here are a few good choices but don’t stop with these few let your imagination soar:

• The Complete Adventures of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

• The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting

• The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley

• Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver

• Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Mystery – This is a fun genre and can often be the one that children choose when they seem uninterested in other genres so if you have a young reader who doesn’t seem very interested in reading find them a good mystery to sink into. Here are a few that can keep their attention:

• Sherlock Holms by Arthur Conan Doyle

• Scooby Doo book series by various authors

• The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon and Chris Mannal

• Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

• Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

Science Fiction – This genre could almost be merged in with the fantasy genre and is just as much fun. For children with lots of imagination I would recommend:

• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

• Ink Heart series by Cornelia Funke

• The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Biography – It’s always good to throw in a few bios so young people know that not all books are about fictional people, so here are some good reads:

• Sacagawea American Path Finder by Flora Warren Seymour

• Thomas A. Edison Young Inventor by Sue Guthridge

• The Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Peter Vennema & Diane Stanley

• A Comprehensive Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

History – This genre is very important to our young readers because after all they will have to learn about it so why not help them learn to love it during the process. Not all history has to be dull and boring it can be fun and exciting when intermingled with some fun fictional and non fictional characters. I would recommend the following to start off with:

• The American Girl series by various authors

• Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

• Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David C. King

• Great Tales from English History: A Treasury of True Stories about the Extraordinary People — Knights and Knaves, Rebels and Heroes, Queens and Commoners — Who Made Britain Great by Robert Lacey

Horror – I have to admit this is my least favorite or maybe you could just say I don’t like it much. I don’t go in for the scary stuff many young readers do like a bit of the scary so my best recommendations are:

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

• Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick (this is a new book, I haven’t read it but have been told it is really good)

• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

I think a good book includes bits and pieces of all these genres even the dreaded scary stuff, I know mine does. Happy reading…

Children's Literature: Thoughts and Recommendations on Seven Genres