Wilson Creek Students Compete in 'Battle of the Books'

They came, they read, they conquered. Teams of students from each of Wilson Creek Elementary’s five fifth grade homerooms participated in the ninth annual Battle of the Books held at the school on Tuesday, April 23.

The Battle of the Books is a fun reading incentive program, sponsored annually by Wilson Creek’s media center. Students begin preparing for the competition in the fall, tackling a list of eight books representing a wide range of genres. Students were required to read at least six of the eight books to participate, but many of the participants read the entire list of eight books - a total of 2,175 pages. 

At the event, a moderator reads out questions related to the content of the eight books: a direct quote taken from a character, a question or statement about something that happens in the book, a passage taken directly from the book or a question about a picture or illustration in the book. Teams work together to answer the questions and earn points.

The goal is simple, according to Wilson Creek Media Specialist MJ Sturgeon: make reading fun while exposing students to high-quality children’s literature.

This year’s book list included classics like “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” by Christopher Paul Curtis, and newer works like “Things Not Seen” by Andrew Clements and “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer Holm.