Battle of the Books
Battle of the Books (BOTB) is a voluntary reading program and academic competition for students in grades 3–8. Designed to promote literacy and a love of reading, the program challenges students to read a diverse selection of books and work collaboratively with their teammates to demonstrate their knowledge.
Students read from a book list curated by district librarians and participate in team-based competitions held each year in January for elementary students and April for middle school students. During the competition, teams answer questions that test their understanding of the books' characters, settings, plots, and authors.
By combining reading, teamwork, and friendly competition, Battle of the Books encourages students to explore new genres, strengthen comprehension skills, and develop a lifelong appreciation for reading. Students interested in participating should contact their school librarian or library clerk for information about joining a team.
Elementary
Students in grades 3–5 are invited to participate in the Elementary Battle of the Books, a reading competition that encourages a love of reading and literacy. Each year, Library Media & Textbook Services selects 64 books for students to read.
Each school determines their four-student team who will represent their school in December. Those teams are invited to compete in the district competition held in January.
To prepare for the competition, students should be familiar with the books’ characters, settings, events, and authors. During the event, teams compete in a quiz-bowl-style format and also present a book talk.
A unique feature of the elementary competition is the involvement of community volunteers from across the district and city. These volunteers serve as hosts, read competition questions, and interact with participants, helping create an exciting and memorable experience while celebrating student learning and literacy.
The live district competition is produced by Library Media & Textbook Services and hosted at the School Service Center. Parents and community members can tune in to the competition, which is streamed live on Teams.
Middle School
The Middle school BOTB competition takes place every April. Students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades read from a list of 24 books, with each student responsible for completing 6 titles.
Like the elementary battle, competitors are asked questions about events, characters, settings, and authors of the books. Our largest competition took place in April 2026, with more than half of our schools participating!
