On October 19, 2019 twenty teams of children and teens from libraries around the county assembled at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont, NY for the long anticipated annual Westchester Library System Battle of the Books Tournament - a culmination of over five months of preparation for GPL's team members.
Battle of the Books is a book-based trivia tournament for Westchester youth grades 4-10. Throughout the year public libraries across Westchester coach teams; this is all in preparation for the countywide Battle of the Books Tournament. The goal of this great event is to promote a love of reading in kids and teens, to expose them to titles and authors that they might not encounter otherwise, to encourage them to think of their local public library as a resource for entertainment, and to inspire teamwork and good sportsmanship in an atmosphere of friendly competition.
All of the teams read the same five amazing, pre-selected books from fantasy, to adventure, even graphic novels, and then meet regularly for practice building trust and a sense of teamwork, while strategizing and developing friendships with fellow book lovers.
The Battles were very competitive. While GPL's team - The Wild Readers - did not win, we had a great time! The 2019 Champions are The Children of Roz (Briarcliff Manor Public Library Children’s team), and The Readers of Oz of the Town of Pelham Public Library.
Our team consisted of 13 consisted of 6 veterans and 7 rookies. Here's their take on the program:
Why did you join this year's Battle of the Books team?
"I joined because it was fun last year and I thought it would be fun to read new books." - Haley, grade 5, second year team member
"I did it last year and I liked it." - Serena, grade 6, second year member
"Because it seemed interesting and I like trivia about books." - Sarah F., grade 5, first year team member
"I wanted to do something more with books than just read them. Then my friend told me that Greenburgh Library was having a Battle of the Books team." - Ella, grade 5, first year team member
"I joined because I thought it would be fun. (It is.)" - Brent, grade 5, first year member
What have you enjoyed as a team member?
"I enjoyed practicing with the buzzers and getting snacks, hanging out with other kids and making new friends. I would encourage others to do it." Aira, grade 5, first year team member
"I like contributing to conversations and the reading." - Chizara, grade 6, second year team member
"Answering questions about the books and reading the books." - Iris, grade 5, second year team member
"I personally enjoyed the battles against the teams." - Sarah B, grade 6, second year member
"Helping with the answers." - Brent, grade 5, first year member
"I like how you could talk about the book and express your opinions." - Ella
What have you found challenging as a team member?
"Sometimes your team members don't listen to you and that can get annoying. Especially if you had the right answer." - Chizara
"I found it challenging that the team would tell you all their answers and if you chose one and it is wrong you feel bad." - Hannah, grade 5, first year team member
"I found it challenging to read all the books in time for the meetings." - Aiden, grade 5, first year member
"To make everybody listen to each other." - Iris, grade 5, second year member
"Sometimes I knew the answer, but some people didn't hear me." - Serena
Which Battle book did you enjoy the most and why?
"I enjoyed The First Rule of Punk because it was a very captivating story and very relatable." - Chizara
"The book I enjoyed the most would have to be Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow because I feel like it really immersed me in a whole different place." - Sarah B.
"I liked The Wild Robot because it just grabbed me, like I couldn't stop." - Alex, grade 4, first year team member
"I enjoyed The Candymakers by Wendy Mass because it was an interesting book and it had a lot of plot twists." - Haley
"I loved The Wild Robot because it was a genre that I loved and it was overall interesting." - Jake grade 6, second year member
"I found Nevermoor enjoyable because it had a very interesting plot." - Aiden
"One of my favorite battle books has to be First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez because I love how Malu doesn't care about what others say to her for example Malu takes the insult by Selena and turns it into a band name." - Aira
"I enjoyed Short and Skinny because it is a comic and I love comics." - Hannah
"The Wild Robot because it was adventurous." - Brent
What are you currently reading?
Just Jaime by Terri Libenson - Chizara
Squirm by Carl Hiaasen - Sarah F.
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate - Hannah
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant - Sarah B.
Holes by Louis Sachar - Aira
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - Brent
Dead Voices by Katherine Arden - Alex
The Wonderland Hotel by Chris Grabenstein - Haley
Storm-wake by Lucy Christopher - Jake
What book can you recommend to other readers?
Guts by Raina Telgemeier - Hannah
Spirit Animals: Wild Born by Tui T. Sutherland - Aiden
Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland - Iris
Saving Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea - Aira
El Deafo by Cece Bell - Serena
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - Ella
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin - Jake
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - Sarah B.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience participation the 2019 Battle of the Books team?
"If you are thinking about joining, you definitely should because you can make a lot of new friends and read great books." - Chizara, grade 6
"Battle of the Books has helped me expand not only my reading knowledge but also it helped with getting rid of my shyness" - Jake
"Even though Battle of the Books seems stressful, it's a lot of fun." - Haley, grade 5
"I would like to add that I had a great time this year." Sarah F., grade 5
"Battle of the Books was very fun and I strongly recommend you joining. I also think you should read these great books." - Aira, grade 5
"No, but if you already didn't know, it's awesome!" - Sarah B.
If you missed Battle of the Books this year, look out for interest meetings at the end of May and in early June. In the meantime, fourth through sixth graders can join our Ginormously Good Reads Book Club on Tuesday, December 10 at 7 pm or catch up on all the great books we read for the 2019 Battle of the Books competition.
2019 Battle of the Books Books for Grades 4-6
New from syndicated comic strip artist Mark Tatulli comes a full-color middle grade graphic memoir that centers on Mark's own experience in the summer after seventh grade. As a middle schooler, Mark finds himself on the smaller side of the physical spectrum--being short AND skinny has really wreaked havoc on his confidence. So to end his bullying woes and get the girl--or at least the confidence to talk to the girl--he starts to explore bulking up by way of the miracle cures in the backs of his comics. But his obsession with beefing up is soon derailed by a new obsession: Star Wars, the hottest thing to hit the summer of 1977. As he explores his creative outlets as well as his cures to body image woes, Mark sets out to make his own stamp on the film that he loves. Mark Tatulli's graphic memoir debut is a humorous and heartfelt take on body-image, finding a creative outlet, and spending a summer in the 70's.
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