Content code
e1241
Slug (identifier)
chapter-books-novels-text-types-elementary
Parent content
Narrative Texts – Types of Texts | Elementary
Grades
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Topic
English Language Arts
Content
Title (level 2)
What Are Chapter Books & Novels?
Title slug (identifier)
what-are-chapter-books-novels
Contenu
Corps

Chapter Books and novels are books that tell stories divided into parts called chapters.
Chapter books are shorter and tell simpler stories than novels.

Title (level 2)
How Are Chapter Books & Novels Different?
Title slug (identifier)
how-are-chapter-books-novels-different
Contenu
Corps

Here are the key differences between chapter books and novels.

 Chapter BooksNovels
Lengthshortlonger
under 100 pagesover 100 pages
Illustrationscontain illustrations to support the textrarely contain illustrations
Reading levelsuitable for younger readersfor more experienced readers
(6-10 years old)(10 years old and up)
Structuresimple storiesmore complex stories
with a clear beginning, middle and endusing varied literary devices
Plotgenerally one main plotlinepossibly multiple plots
straightforward and linearpossibly connected subplots
Themesrelatable and familiarwider range and more complex themes
ex: family, friendship or schoolex: coming of age and broader social issues
Image
A comparison of the main differences between chapter books and novels. It shows a thin book with an illustration compared to a thicker book with no illustrations. Next, it shows a simple path starting at the beginning of a story, passing through the middle and finishing at the end compared to one with a complicated intertwined middle. And last, it shows a family and a school in comparison to a person growing up and an image of the whole world.
Title (level 2)
What Can We Expect to Find in Chapter Books & Novels?
Title slug (identifier)
what-can-we-expect-to-find-in-chapter-books-novels
Contenu
Corps

Here are some common elements in chapter books and novels.

 Chapter booksNovels
Chaptersshort chapterslonger chapters
focusing on 1 story element with multiple story elements
Vocabularysimple vocabularyadvanced vocabulary
to help with the fluency of readinguse of figurative language
Dialoguedialogue-driven storiesbalance of dialogue and narration
with some narration
ex: descriptions, exposition…
Characters & settingrelatablemore varied
familiar to the readerdetailed & developed
Seriesoften serialized storiesmay be serialized 
may be standalone stories
Image
A comparison between elements found in chapter books and novels. A simple path and a complicated one representing short chapters vs longer chapters. A difficulty level bar representing low difficulty for simple vocabulary and another with high difficulty representing advanced vocabulary and figurative language. Speech bubbles that represent dialogue-driven text. Characters showing kids on one side vs a variety of different characters on the other. A setting comparison of a school vs the planet Earth with a
Title (level 2)
Chapter Books & Novels at a Glance
Title slug (identifier)
chapter-books-novels-at-a-glance
Contenu
Image
Summary of the chapter book and novel features and the common elements found in them. Chapter book features include being under 100 pages long; they contain some illustrations; they are for younger readers, written with simple structures and straightforward plots; they contain themes that are relatable and familiar. Novel features include being more that 100 and pages long and having few or no illustrations; they are for more experienced readers, with complex structures featuring multiple plots and subplots
File
Chapter Books & Novels at a Glance - downloadable
Texte bouton
Click to download.
Title (level 2)
See Also
Title slug (identifier)
see-also
Contenu
Links
Type
Internal
Title
Picture Books – Text Types | Elementary
Internal link
/en/students/vl/english/picture-books-text-types-elementary-e1232
Type
Internal
Title
Fairy Tales – Text Types | Elementary
Internal link
/en/students/vl/english/fairy-tales-text-types-elementary-e1234
Type
Internal
Title
Short Stories – Types of Texts | Elementary
Internal link
/en/students/vl/english/short-stories-text-types-elementary-e1239
Type
Internal
Title
Biographies, Autobiographies & Memoirs – Types of Texts | Elementary
Internal link
/en/students/vl/english/biographies-autobiographies-memoirs-types-of-texts-elem…
Type
Internal
Title
Narrative Texts – Types of Texts | Elementary
Internal link
/en/students/vl/english/narrative-texts-types-of-texts-elementary-e1215
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