High School: Find Your Books in the Catalog

Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson - Fifteen-year-old Daniel has followed in his parents' footsteps as the Alien Hunter, exterminating beings on The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma, but when he faces his first of the top ten outlaws, the very existence of Earth and another planet are at stake.




Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock - After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.






Graceling by Kristin Cashore - In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.






Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston - The American-born author describes her family's experiences and impressions when they were forced to relocate in a camp for the Japanese in Owens Valley, California, during the Second World War.






Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going - Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly 300 pounds, gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius on guitar wants Troy to be the drummer in his rock band.





Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen - Plagued by Tourette's syndrome and a stepfather who despises him, Sam meets an old man in his small Midwest town who sends him on a road trip designed to help him discover the truth about his life.






One Good Punch by Rich Wallace - Eighteen-year-old Michael Kerrigan, writer of obituaries for the Scranton Observer and captain of the track team, is ready for the most important season of his life--until the police find four joints in his school locker, and he is faced with a choice that could change everything.





Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - After her "stand-in mother," a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters.

-All summaries taken from the Novelist database.

2010 Battle of the Books Information

Information on the2009 Battle of the Books

6th grade: Monday, March 1st 2010 - 7PM
(Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library)

Booklist & Registration Form

7th & 8th Grade: Tuesday, March 2nd 2010 - 7PM
(Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library)

Booklist & Registration Form

High School: Monday, March 8th 2010 6:30PM

(Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library)

Booklist & Registration Form

The Booklists for the Battle are now available:

on this Blog
at area school libraries
Moon Public Library
Sewickley Public Library

There will be no physical informational meetings again this year. Instead, we'll interact virtually within this blog. You are encouraged to ask questions via the comments on each post. This will allow everyone to see your question and my answers. Hopefully this will allow busy teens and Team Managers to get all of the information that they need to participate successfully. If you have a question for me that you would not like everyone to see,you can email Kelly at Sewickley at rottmundk@einetwork.net or Heather at Moon at panellah@einetwork.net.

What About BOB? Everything You Need To Know About Battle of the Books 2010

The Battle of the Books is a competition where teams made up of five teens read the chosen books and then participate in a trivia contest about those books. It’s a fun way to get some recreational reading done and actually get rewarded for it with some great prizes.

As a team, you need to assign the books to be read by the various team members. You can have each team member read two books, have all team members read all of the books, or some combination between. It’s up to you.

You will need to have a responsible person who’s 18 years of age or older to be your Team Manager. The Team Manager is there to help you get organized and provide transportation on the night of the event. Many teams ask a teacher, a parent, or their school librarian to be their team manager.

Here are some of the Rules about checking out Battle Books

1. Books may be borrowed for 1 week and renewed once.
2. A limit of 2 books is allowed on a team member’s card at any given time.
3. The books can only be borrowed on a library card belonging to a team member. Team managers should not check out books for their team members. Copies may be available through your school libraries, Sewickley Public Library, or Moon Public Library.
4. Overdue Fines are $.25 per day for Battle Books.
5. If the library doesn’t have the book because they’ve all been checked out, ask a reference librarian to order one for you from another library. (This service is free all the time.)

So what actually happens on the night of the battle you ask? Well here it is in a nutshell: You will need to arrive at the Hansen Library 15 minutes early so that you can sign in and set up your table. Each team will have a pad of paper, a pencil. Your Team Manager will actually be a Team Scorekeeper for another team to be named that night.

The Battle Moderator will begin by asking the first question twice. At the end of the second time, the Timekeeper will allow 20 seconds for teams to deliberate and write down their answers. After 20 seconds, one team will have the chance to answer out loud (the answering team will vary every question.) The Battle Moderator will announce the correct answer and the Team Scorekeepers will mark how many points were won. If your team answers correctly you get 4 points plus a bonus point if you can give the last name of the author. This means that each question is potentially worth 5 points. Answers must be specific. The moderator and judges will decide if an answer given is correct, and that decision is final. If time permits, there will be three rounds with one question from each book per round.

At the end of each round, scorecards will be collected and verified. At the end of the third round, the Judges will tally all of the scores. If there is a tie, a special lightning round will take place between the tied teams. Once a clear winner has been made, the Battle Moderator will announce the winners. The top three teams will win prizes.

So, are you interested? To get started grab a booklist and a registration form. Both will be available on this blog and in the Teen Area on Monday, November 30. You’ll need to find four friends in your grade group, find a responsible adult to be a Team Manager, create a name for your team, and start reading!!! All final registration forms are due at Sewickley on Monday, January 25th by 9PM or at Moon by 8PM.

Tips for Team Managers 2010

Here are some tips for Team Managers. Of course you want your team to do well, but more important than that is that they all have fun. Here are some guidelines and tips to help you help them do well and have fun.

• Make sure that each team member understands which books on the reading list he/she is expected to read.


• Meet with the team regularly to offer encouragement, check on reading progress, foster team cohesiveness and to help team members learn author’s names and facts from books.


• Act as communication link between the library and team members and parents with all information regarding the Battle of the Books. Please keep us informed of any problems or changes. You may email Kelly at Sewickley at rottmunk@einetwork.net or Heather at Moon at panellah@einetwork.net


• Make sure your team demonstrates sportsmanlike behavior before and during the battle.


• Make sure your team members and their families understand the rules of the Battle and expectations the evening of the Battle.


• Possibly provide transportation for your team members.


• Make sure they arrive on time at Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library (6th, 7th & 8th grade battles: 6:45, High School Battle: 6:15.)


• During the Battle each Team Manager will act as scorekeeper for another team. You will be asked to:


• Ensure that the team you are monitoring stops writing at the end of the 20-second time limit(whether answer is complete or not.)


• Record the number of points earned for each question.


• Remain focused on the team you are monitoring. (Please remember that these teens also need your encouragement.)


• Build Team Spirit


• Help them come up with a descriptive Team Name.


• Decorate team t-shirts.


• Have your team wear the same color or item of clothing to the Battle.


• Practice, Practice, Practice


• Decide who will read each book. You will probably want more than one person to read each title.


• Decide how often you will meet to discuss the books.


• Hold “mock” battles or “Jeopardy” style games based on the books.


• Have kids make up some of their own practice questions to quiz each other during the meetings.


• Coaches may want to read all the books.


• Seek to understand the characters and the setting of the books. Then, if the children have to guess on an answer they may be correct.


• Encourage and Reward


• Give words of praise and encouragement.


• Serve snacks at the meetings.


• Play a game before your meetings.


• Have a pizza party or ice cream outing at the completion of the Battle.


• Keep it fun and make happy memories!