Walking into the library, one’s eyes are immediately bombarded by hundreds upon hundreds of books. For some, this a daunting sight. For others, the prospect is a battle. A battle of the books, that is. Battle of the Books is where students from schools across Pinellas County read certain books from different genres, and then compete against other schools in a quiz bowl format at the district and regional levels, with the questions asked being based on the Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Program book list. Ms. McDougal, school librarian and organizer of the Battle of the Books at Osceola, said that the competition “encourages you to try different genres,” pointing out how science fiction, biography, and fantasy, among other genres, are all included in the Battle of the Books reading list. This year, books like The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, Burning Blue by Paul Griffin, and Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden are on the reading list, among others; there are a total of 10 books that the competition will ask questions on.
While the qualifying test for the Osceola Battle of the Books team is not until January 16, some students have already expressed interest in Battle of the Books. Haley Moore, 12th grade, explained she wants to participate in the Battle of the Books because her schedule wouldn’t allow it in middle school, but now she has more time. She said she is pleased with the “big variety” of books this year, praising them for having “different characters, different personalities” in comparison to previous years, when she felt the books all had similar plotlines.
The full Battle of the Books reading list can be found in the library, with the relevant books bolded on the list. To sign up for the qualifying test, see Ms. McDougal in the Media Center.