I would classify To Kill a Mockingbird as a coming-of-age stories. A coming-of-age story involves a young protagonist maturing and becoming aware of the realities of the adult world. In this type of story, the protagonist narrates from his or her perspective, so the reader can understand the effects of outside events on the protagonist's state of mind. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout encounters elements of the adult world, including hypocrisy, racism, sexism, and injustice, and she matures over the course of the novel.
I would also say that the novel is a form of historical fiction, as the period of time in which the story takes place has a large effect on its plot. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during the Great Depression in the American South, a time of poverty and Jim Crow laws.
Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird falls under several...
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genres.To Kill a Mockingbird falls under the genre of Southern Gothic, which focuses on grotesque themes and includes dark, suspenseful elements. The novel also includes inexplicable evil in the form of Bob Ewell and the destructive racist southern culture, which is rooted in slavery, violence, and prejudice. Supernatural elements are also referenced in the story in the form of literal and figurative ghosts.
To Kill a Mockingbird also falls under the genre of bildungsroman because it traces Scout's moral development and maturation throughout her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama. At the beginning of the story, Scout is a naive, innocent girl, who eventually gains perspective and insight into her racist community after witnessing Tom Robinson become a victim of racial injustice.
The novel also falls under the genre of courtroom drama when Atticus valiantly defends his client, Tom Robinson, in front of a racist jury. Since the events and characters are made up, To Kill a Mockingbird falls under the larger genre of long fiction.
What type of literature is To Kill a Mockingbird?
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a fictional coming-of-age story that chronicles Jem and Scout's childhood experiences and maturation as they grow up in the small southern town of Maycomb. Both siblings mature throughout the novel and develop into morally-upright individuals like their father, Atticus Finch. Scout narrates the story in retrospect and describes the events leading up to when Jem broke his arm at the age of twelve. One could also consider Harper Lee's novel a work of Southern Gothic literature. There are similar elements and themes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird regarding mystery, grotesque characters, and surprising events that take place in the story, which classify it in the Southern Gothic genre. Overall, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a work of fiction that can be categorized as a coming-of-age novel (bildungsroman), as well as a work of Southern Gothic literature.
The first answer is what you want, but I always like to add that Harper Lee calls it a love story. My students always call me crazy when I agree with her. It is a novel about all kinds of love: for a father between his children, for a neighbor (Boo) for whom he considers "his children," and for the decent people in Maycomb county for their own people--whether black or white. It truly is a love story.
The simple answer is it is fiction. The storytelling of Harper Lee is often thought to be semi-autobiographical. The fact that she places the story in the 1930s during a time when the race relations of the south had not progressed past the theme of segregation make this story appear to be very realistic. I think you are safe in calling it "realistic fiction." I would reference in a book report the fact that many of the characters in the book seem to be based on actual people from Harper Lee's childhood memories. She has stated many times that it is not autobiographical. The argument continues.