As Battle of the Books prepares for its twentieth year, new Schoolcraft Community Library Director, Faye VanRavenswaay, will be coordinating the program which is a voluntary reading incentive program open to fourth, fifth and sixth graders from Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, Parchment, as well as home-schooled students.
This year’s competition will be held in February with the preliminary and semifinals on February 14 and the Grand Battle on February 19. During the event at the Schoolcraft High School Performing Arts Center, students will compete by answering questions about books from a predetermined reading list representing a variety of genres and reading levels. Teams earning the most points compete in the Grand Battle.
By the time the event begins, students have been reading, studying, and mock battling for several months and are excited to show off what they know.
Moderator for this year’s Battle is Jenny Taylor, third grader teacher in Vicksburg.
Recently retired Schoolcraft Library Director, Bobbi Truesdell, selected this year’s Battle titles as soon as last year’s Battle ended. After books are selected, hundreds of Battle questions are written and other arrangements begin for the next year. It takes an entire crew of volunteers and staff members to pull off the program each year.
Last year the program had nearly 200 participants on 32 teams.