7th & 8th Graders: Find Your Books Now (2011)

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Tamar Budhos - Fourteen-year-old Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but the expiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for the whole family.



Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman - In India, in 1941, when her father becomes brain-damaged in a non-violent protest march, fifteen-year-old Vidya and her family are forced to move in with her father's extended family and become accustomed to a totally different way of life.




The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart - Sophomore Frankie starts dating senior Matthew Livingston, but when he refuses to talk about the all-male secret society that he and his friends belong to, Frankie infiltrates the society in order to enliven their mediocre pranks.




The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong - Still mourning the death of their mother, three brothers go with their father on an extended sailing trip off the Florida Keys and have a harrowing adventure at sea.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the Unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.




The Maze Runner by James Dashner - Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.



Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica - Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.



The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon - In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.




Slob by Ellen Potter - Picked on, overweight genius Owen tries to invent a television that can see the past to find out what happened the day his parents were killed.





-All book summaries taken from NoveList database.

6th Grade: Find Your Books in the Catalog (2011)

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin - Jason, a 12-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer relates what his life is like as a he tries to make sense of his world.



Elephant Run by Roland Smith - Nick endures servitude, beatings, and more after his British father's plantation in Burma is invaded by the Japanese in 1941, and when his father and others are taken prisoner and Nick is stranded with his friend Mya, they plan a daring escape on elephants, risking their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese prisoner of war camp.



The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.





The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming - Thrill to the audacity! Gasp at the hucksterism! Come one, come all to the jaw-dropping, larger-than-life biography of expert humbugger, relentless curiosity seeker, and unparalleled showman P.T. Barnum.




Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer - When Fletcher Moon, the youngest detective in the world (he lives in Ireland), is framed for a crime he did not commit, he must team up with the unlikeliest of allies, run from the authorities, and solve the case within twelve hours to clear his name.




Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth - In India during World War I, thirteen-year-old Leela's happy, spoiled childhood ends when her husband since age nine, whom she barely knows, dies, leaving her a widow whose only hope of happiness could come from Mahatma Ghandi's social and political reforms.




The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd - When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.




The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy - In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.



Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor - Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.





The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.



-All book summaries taken from the Novelist database.

Tips for Team Managers 2011

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 you as a team manager demonstrate 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: 6:30.)


• 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 do not talk to the team you are scoring while they are coming up with their answers).


• Build Team Spirit


• Help your team 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!

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

The Battle of the Books is a competition where teams made up of (four or) 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. Sewickley & Moon's battle books may be borrowed for 1 week and renewed once.
2. Only 2 battle books are 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, Moon Public Library, or other Allegheny County Libraries.
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 Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library 15 minutes early so that you can sign in and set up your team's table. Each team will have a pad of paper and 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 here and in the Teen Area on Monday, November 28.
  
• You’ll need to find four friends in your grade group (6th grade, 7th & 8th grade, or High School)
  
• Find a responsible adult to be a Team Manager
  
• Create a name for your team
• And start reading!!!
  
• Want to learn more? Come to one of our four informational team meetings. Come to the meeting that best suits your schedule!
• Tuesday, January 11 or Wednesday, January 12 from 7-7:30 at Moon Library or
  
• Tuesday, January 18 or Wednesday, January 19 from 7-7:30 at Sewickley Library
  
• All final registration forms are due at Sewickley or Moon Library on Monday, January 23, by 8PM.

2011 Battle of the Books Information

**Informational Team Meetings will be held in January 2011**

All team members and managers are strongly encouraged to attend one of these informational meetings. These meetings will address:

1. Battle book selection process
2. Team manager responsibilities
3. Team responsibilities
4. Battle rules
5. And more.

Teams may turn in their sign-up sheets at these meetings. Meetings will be held at both Moon and Sewickley Libraries for your convenience. Please attend whichever meeting works best with your schedule.

• Tuesday, January 11 or Wednesday, January 12 from 7-7:30pm at Moon Library, or
• Tuesday, January 18 or Wednesday, January 19 from 7-7:30pm at Sewickley Library
  

2011 Battle of the Books Dates & Times

6th grade: Monday, February 28, 2011 - 7PM
(Edgeworth Elementary School's Gym)

6th Grade Booklist
6th Grade Registration Form

7th & 8th Grade: Tuesday, March 1st 2011 - 7PM
(Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library)

7th & 8th Grade Booklist
7th & 8th Grade Registration Form

High School: Monday, March 7th 2011 6:30PM

(Sewickley Academy's Hansen Library)

High School Booklist
High School Registration Form

If you have any questions that you would like answered prior to the Informational Meetings you can either leave them as comments on this blog post or email them to Kelly at Sewickley at rottmundk@einetwork.net or Heather at Moon at panellah@einetwork.net

The Booklists for the Battle are now available:

• Up above
• At area school libraries
• At Moon Township Public Library
• And at Sewickley Public Library of the Quaker Valley School District
  

High School Battle Tie-Breaker Showdown

The 2010 Battle of the Books competitions have come to an end. The high school teams weren't going down without a fight! A three-way tie took us into a question after question after question tie-breaker round. The judges had to create new tie-breaker questions on the spot after we exhausted our list. All of the teams did an awesome job!

This year's winners are:

First Place

The Knights Who Say Ni

Second Place
Bibliophobics

Third Place
Rapid Readers

Thank you to all of the other teams and team managers who worked so hard for this year's Battle:

Pirate Rangers
Moon Monsters
Team Espana
Toxic Cupcakes
Veni Vedi Vici

*Be on the lookout for Battle information next November, as there will be some new requirements for teams and team managers.