ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the books and materials for children sometimes referred to as ‘genre fiction’. It presents in these genres detective and mystery stories, science fiction, ghost and horror stories and have looked too at cartoon and graphic stories. Some are ‘popular culture’ texts, which link children’s literacy experiences at home and school; others, like the science fiction stories of H. G. Wells, have become classics. The chapter looks at some of the different formats used, including comic strip and moving image media. Genre fiction uses a particularly varied repertoire of formats and media. The chapter considers narratives presented in comic and graphic text formats, and think about the ‘moving image’ media – internet, television, film and social media which are so much part of children’s reading experience. Electronic texts may use the modes and a range of media, including sound, music and film.
