1. The thirty book challenge
“Failure is not an option, so why talk about it?”
-Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer

2. “YOU WANT ME TO do WHAT?”
You will be reading Thirty books this year. This includes books that we read together for class.
You will be reading from a variety of genres in order to explore books you might not ordinarily read and to develop an understanding of literary elements, text features, and text structures.

3. THE EXPECTATIONS Poetry anthologies/novels: 2
Traditional literature: 2
Realistic fiction: 4
Historical fiction: 2
Fantasy: 3
Science fiction: 3
Mystery: 2
Informational: 3
Biography, autobiography, memoir: 2
Personal-choice chapter books: 7

4. SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT
Any book you read that is more than 350 pages long will count as TWO books.

5. THE NOTES: POETRY ANTHOLOGIES/NOVELS
Shortened form of writing
Contains figurative language –similes, metaphors, personification
Author’s expression of feelings, opinions
May follow a form/structure but does not have to

6. POETRY ANTHOLOGIES

7. THE NOTES: REALISTIC FICTION
Characters are every day people doing every day things
Setting is a modern-day realistic place
Plot consists of realistic events
May highlight social issues

8. REALISTIC FICTION

9. THE NOTES: HISTORICAL FICTION
Takes place in the past (forty years before now is considered historical)
Plot (storyline) contains historical events
Characters may be historical figures

10. HISTORICAL FICTION

11. THE NOTES: FANTASY Contains unrealistic or unworldly elements
Characters may have magical powers in addition to human qualities
Theme is often focused on good versus evil

12. FANTASY:

13. THE NOTES: SCIENCE FICTION
Fantasy that involves or is based on scientific principles
Often set in the future

14. SCIENCE FICTION

15. THE NOTES: MYSTERY Involves something unknown
Centered around person investigating wrongdoing or obtaining secret information

16. MYSTERY

17. THE NOTES: TRADITIONAL LITERATURE
Stories passed down for generations
Original stories usually passed down orally
Myths, legends, folk tales, fairy tales, nursery rhymes
Unknown origin

18. Traditional LITERATURE

19. THE NOTES: INFORMATIONAL
Provides information on a topic
Nonfiction
Organized into sections or categories
No characters or settings

20. INFORMATIONAL

21. THE NOTES: BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
Biography –Story of someone’s life written by someone else
Autobiography –Story of someone’s life written by his/herself
Memoir –a short account of the author’s experiences written by him/herself

22. BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR