Name: _________________________

Identifying Genre and Subgenre

Directions:  Read the descriptions of the texts.  Look for details that reveal the genre.  Write the genre and subgenre on the lines and write a sentence explaining your answer.

1.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.  Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room.  Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

2.  The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book by Tom Robinson

Science has never been so easy - or so much fun! With The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments.  You'll discover answers to questions like:  Is it possible to blow up a balloon without actually blowing into it?  What's inside coins?  Can magnets ever be "turned off"?  Get ready to enter the laboratory and learn how to conduct cool experiments, understand scientific terms like photosynthesis, and know fun facts like how many latex balloons per day can be made from a rubber tree.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

3. Tales of the Greek Heroes  retold by Roger Lancelyn GreenThis book has the mysterious and exciting stories of the gods and heroes in Ancient Greece, from the adventures of Perseus, the labours of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, to Odysseus and the Trojan wars.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

4.  The Bully by Paul Langan

Darrell Mercer is in for some trouble.  After he and his mother move to California for her new job, Darrell begins getting bullied by a bigger kid from his high school.  After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision. He can either keep running from this bully--or find some way to fight back.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

5.  The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

The year is 1963, and Byron Watson is the bane of his younger brother Kenny's existence. Constantly in trouble for one thing or another, from straightening his hair into a "conk" to lighting fires to freezing his lips to the mirror of the new family car, Byron finally pushes his family too far.  Mom and Dad finally make good on their threat to send him to the deep south to spend the summer with his tiny, strict grandmother. Soon the whole family is packed up, ready to make the drive from Flint , Michigan , straight into one of the most chilling moments in America 's history: the burning of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church with four little girls inside.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

6.  Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwyne

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Comanches, often referred to as "lords of the Plains," were the single most powerful military force in the region, to the frustration of both the Mexican and U.S. governments. In this engrossing chronicle, award-winning journalist Gwynne traces the rise of the Comanche people from their roots as primitive bands of hunter-gatherers to their mastery of the horse and emergence as the feared power brokers of the area.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

7.  John Henry retold by Julius Lester

A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling. From his momentous birth, when all the animals come to see him and the sun won't go to bed, John Henry works wonders. As a child he helps his father by adding "a wing onto the house with an indoor swimming pool and one of them jacutzis"-and that's just before lunch.  His greatest feat is, of course, in his battle against the steam drill, as he races the machine to cut through "a mountain as big as hurt feelings."

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer

8.  Decision Points by George W. Bush

In this candid and gripping account, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life.  George W. Bush served as president of the United States during eight of the most consequential years in American history. The decisions that reached his desk impacted people around the world and defined the times in which we live.  Written by George Bush and from the perspective of George Bush.

Genre: _____________________________  Subgenre: ________________________________

Explain your Answer