Busy, Bright, Bookworms
The annual “Battle of the Books”, hosted by local indie bookstore Woozles, began on January 4, but our team of Elders began preparing months in advance. They worked their way through an assigned set of 60 books from a variety of genres, time periods, and topics.
These keen readers have met weekly in the school library to discuss books, memorize titles and authors, and get some reading done.
“Thank you!” to alumni parent volunteer, author, and writing coach Renée Hartleib , who has helped to facilitate these meetings. Collectively, team members have finished reading almost all of the books. They practice by creating summaries and sample questions for each book.
In each match, teams from two schools take on 30 tough questions drawn from the assigned reading list. Every question begins with something such as “In which book…?” The challenge for both teams is to identify the title and its author–in just 60 seconds. Each team can earn five points per question.
Our first round was against West Bedford, who won by a narrow margin. In our second round, we hosted Caudle Park, and came out on top. With each match, points stack up. Team rankings are calculated based on total points scored. Our next match will be held after March Break.
Battle of the Books is charming, challenging, and fun! Watching students huddle together, working out their answers in whispers is endearing. The spirit of friendly competition and the love of reading are front and centre.
Our team members’ parents helped to procure books, chatted about them with their children, and supported them along the way.
It’s been a great season so far. Go H.I.S!
