The Battle of the Books. 

What is it, you may ask?

Well, the Battle of the Books is a competition between students where players compete against each other with their understanding of the books selected. The competition is used to promote literacy in the School District of Palm Beach County, and just over the past year, over 600 teams and 2,700 students have competed for 1st place in each category. 

How the competition works is very simple. Teams are divided into three categories: 3-5th grade, 6-8th grade, and 9-12th grade, where each will have its own first place winner. Students form teams and compete by reading the books given to them. Then, the teams log in with their sponsor around January and take an online test which contains trivia on the books they read. The qualified teams will then travel to the grand battle to compete in a mock game show. The winning team receives a first place trophy to place in their school until next year, as well as certificates for the team members.

This year we had three teams competing in the Battle of the Books. All three took the qualifying test and only one, the Read Bulls, made it to The Grand Battle of the Books, which was held at the Education Network studio on February 11. The members who made up The Read Bulls were Joseph Gonzalez, Natalie Forton, Mariangel Mero, Maya Soud, and Karla Zalamar. They valiantly fought against Dreyfoos School of the Arts and placed second. 

If you would like to sign up for next year, talk to West Boca’s media specialist, Ms. Cannon, who is in charge of the competition for the school for more times about registration. If interested, the sponsor will provide you with the book list, rules, and a timeline for the competition. Good luck and happy reading!