Our correspondent prepares to take on Battle of the Books
I shiver as I step into the cool library, a contrast to the warm evening. My teammates come in, discussing the books, laughing about a joke.
“And the ending of that book?” said one.
“I know!” said another. “Who does that?”
We settle into our seats. I’m excited to begin. We are a team. For what? Battle of the Books.
Battle of the Books is a reading competition run by the Town of Pelham Public Library and other area libraries. In the battle, kids of different ages and from various places battle to win. There are two teams from each library: one for us younger kids (about fifth grade to sixth) and one for the older kids (about seventh to tenth grade).
The competition starts with my teammates and I reading the five books chosen for the battle, working to remember details from them. On the day of the battle, there will be multiple rounds, in which the judge asks questions about those books. For example, What is the last name of the main character in Rain Reign? If I know the answer, I press the buzzer. The rounds get increasingly harder. Speed and memory are key in this competition. We go to practices Wednesdays from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with a few on Mondays.
The competition will be held Oct. 20.
Adult Services Librarian Augusta Turner is in charge of my group—the Pelham Page Turners.
“Reading is something you normally do by yourself so it’s fun to see kids who like to read get together on a team,” she said.
Whether competing, training the team or watching, you are sure to have fun. Join us and cheer on Pelham.
Battle of the Books reading list for the younger group:
- “The Unwanteds” by Lisa McMann
- “Found” by Margaret Peterson Haddix
- “All’s Faire in Middle School” by Victoria Jamieson
- “Rain Reign” by Ann M. Martin
- “Unidentified Suburban Object” by Mike Jung
Battle of the Books reading list for the older group:
- “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard
- “The Naturals” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- “Girl in the Blue Coat” by Monica Hesse
- “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver
- “Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie” by Jordan Sonnenblick
Oliver Lavallee is a junior at Pelham Memorial High School. In addition to writing, he enjoys reading, drawing and playing drums.
Jen Rohr • Sep 11, 2018 at 7:52 pm
Thank you for the interesting article, Delia, and for representing Pelham in the Battle of the Books. We were there for the first BOB – so much fun! Augusta is wonderful.