2011 – 2012
Grades 3-5
The 100-year-old Secret by Tracy Barrett
The Magic Half by Annie Barrows
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
Dying to Meet You by Flight of the Phoenix
Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Lin Grace
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills
Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
Dragon’s Egg by Sarah Thomson
Bobby vs Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee
Grades 6-8
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
The Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott
Flawed Dogs: the Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster by Berkeley Breathed
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Dark Life by Kat Falls
Pemba’s Song: A Ghost Story by Tonya Hegamin & Marilyn Nelson
Scat by Carl Hiassen
Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted
The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Peterson
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
Bystander by James Preller
Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Jolted: Newton Starker’s Rules for Survival by Arthur Slade
Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Battle of the Books is a voluntary reading incentive program for students in grades 3-8. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while competing with peers.
How Does A Student Participate?
A student participates by reading from the book list provided for that year’s Battle of the Books. Students may count “books” they have read before. However, they cannot count books that they have only seen on a video or a movie. They must read the book. They should keep a summary so they can review this information before their “Battle.” All the books are AR. The students can take the AR test after they have finished reading each book.
Where Do The Students Get The Books?
From the school library, their local library and at book stores.
When Do The Students Read The Books?
The school battles will be held in May. Therefore, students will have plenty of time to read the books during the school year. Reading through the summer is completely optional, but available to students.
What Is The “Battle?”
A typical “Battle” is a tournament in the format of Jeopardy, in which students’ teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list. They play several rounds that includes all the books on the reading list. The team with the most points at the end will be the winners.
How Does It Benefit The Child?
The students gain knowledge and enjoyment from reading good books, sharing them with friends, parents and teachers, plus a fun day of playing in the “Battle.”