Sycamore’s Battle of the Books
Sponsored by the Sycamore Public Library
Mission:
The goal of Battle of the Books is to encourage elementary students to read quality literature of each genre. The aim of the program is to support the love and discovery of reading in students and to encourage an environment of friendly competition that promotes positive socialization and respect.
Participation:
One team per school made up of 3rd – 5th grade students with a minimum of 6 members per team.
We will not limit the number of students from St. Mary’s that wish to participate. I will have a spreadsheet made of who has read which of the 20 books we will be questioned on, and our team will consist of members that represent all of those books. As the year goes on and members are reading more books we will change the team up so that everyone gets a chance to compete. There are a total of 10 competitions and 1 final battle. Everyone that is reading will have a chance to compete.
We will follow the student handbook with regards to grades and eligibility to participate in clubs and sports.
Elementary Schools that are Participating:
North, North Grove, South Prairie, Southeast, St. Mary’s and West
Book List:
The 2018 Bluestem Book List, made up of 20 total Books, 5 nonfiction and 15 fiction. The Bluestem Book List is designed for students in grades 3rd – 5th and is composed of both timeless classics and current titles.
The Bluestem Book List can be found at
Books are available in the school library and at the public library.
Team Meetings:
Beginning Monday, August 28th, we will meet every Monday from 3:00 – 4:30pm in the St. Mary’s School Library. This may change after our first competition, which is Oct. 16th, 2017.
We will prepare for our competition by discussing the books we have read and working on learning the book titles and authors’ names.
2017 – 2018 Competition Schedule
Note: All battles will take place on Mondays but are subject to change
October 16, 20176:00pm North Grove vs. St. Mary’s
November 13, 2017 4:30pm West vs. St. Mary’s
December 11, 20175:15pm St. Mary’s vs. South Prairie
January 22, 2018 5:15pm St. Mary’s vs. Southeast
February 5, 2018 5:15pm North vs. St. Mary’s
February 26, 20184:30pmNorth vs. St. Mary’s
March 5, 20185:15pmWest vs. St. Mary’s
March 19, 20186:00pmNorth Grove vs. St. Mary’s
April 9, 20185:15pmSt. Mary’s vs. South Prairie
April 23, 20186:00pmSt. Mary’s vs. Southeast
April 30, 2018reserved for any make-ups
May 7, 20184:30pmFinal Battle