| A | B |
| Fiction | Stories with imaginary characters and events |
| Realistic Fiction | Stories with characters who take part in activities that could really happen |
| Historical Fiction | Stories set in the past with characters who take part in actual historical events |
| Science Fiction | stories involving actual or future scientific phenomena |
| Fantasy | stories set in make-believe worlds, often with non-human characters |
| Mystery | stories with characters who try to solve a crime or unexplained event |
| Nonfiction | true stories of actual events or characters |
| Biography | A person's life story written by another person |
| Autobiography | A person's life story written by himself or herself |
| Reference | Information sources such as encyclopedias, yearbooks, directories, and atlases |
| Information | A book or article that introduces the reader to various topical material and "how to" information on various subjects |
| Newspaper | a daily or weekly publication of current events |
| Poetry | Words arranged in metrical pattern, often using rhymed verse in an imaginative style |
| Play | A story for stage performance by actors |
| Folk Tale | An anonymous, timeless, and placeless story that was originally told rather than written |