Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books 2014 kicked off tonight with an informational meeting for kids and their parents. After the Q & A teams could sign up and check out one the four battle books.

Are you totally perplexed and wondering what I am talking about? Let me bring you into the loop. Battle of the Books is a trivia competition similar to Jeopardy or Quiz Bowl. However, rather than having random categories, all of the questions and answers are drawn from four books that have been chosen by the Ionia County Youth Librarians (I will get to the books in a minute).

The competition if for kids in third through fifth grade (we are hoping to have a middle school battle of the books in the future).  Kids form teams of three or four and they can be any combination of grades and/or ages; so if you have a siblings in third and fifth grade they can compete on the same team.  Also teams are required to have a team leader. This can be a parent, teacher, teenage sibling, etc. that will serve as a contact person and help the team stay on track.

This is the third year that Portland District Library has hosted Battle of the Books and I know that this is going to be our best year yet. It was amazing to see so many kids this evening excited about participating.  Saranac has taken first place the past two years so this year I am positive that  Portland will prevail.

So kids just read books and answer questions? Well, yes and no. The library will host a number of fun programs leading up to the preliminary and final battles. First up, we will have a team spirit night during which kids will do a team craft. Last year all of the participants decorated team t-shirts, so kids will get to use their creativity while building team unity. Next, teams will have the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge of the books playing fun team games like pictionary, charades, hangman, etc.

Then we get down to the actual battles. There will be one practice battle so the kids can familiarize themselves with the battle format. The first real battle is what we call the preliminary battle. This will take place at the Portland District Library and all of the Portland teams will compete against each other. The Portland teams that come in first, second, and third will go on to the final battle that will take place at the Ionia School District.  At the final battle the top three Portland teams will compete against the top three teams from Saranac, Lyons, Clarksville, Lake Odessa, and Sunfield. Even if teams do not make it to the final battle we encourage the kids to come to the final battle to cheer on Portland.

Battle of the Books is something new and different for kids to participate in during those long winter months. It also gives kids that don't play sports a chance to compete and shine. If you have a third, fourth, or fifth grader that is interested bring them to the library. Sign up will continue through December 1st and we also have a list of kids that want to participate but don't have a team yet.

Of course, one of the first questions is: What books do we have to read?   It is always important that we (the ionia county youth librarians) choose books that are appealing to everyone and entertaining. After all, Battle of the Books is not a graded school assignment; we want kids to enjoy the experience.  Here are the four books:

There are extra copies available in the children's area of the library. My personal favorite is The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, which is based on the author's own childhood. It is an older book and it takes place during the late 1800s in a small Utah town. John D's older brother Tom has a great brain, which he uses to please his "money-loving heart". All I have to say to sell this book to kids is that the opening chapter has Tom selling tickets to flush the magic water closet when his family gets the first indoor toilet in town.

There is a little something for everybody from historical fiction to sci-fi and adventure.