(03/02/2023) The Battle of the Books traveling trophy was up for grabs March 2 at the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Service Center. The annual competition challenges middle school students to prove their knowledge and understanding of literature.
Teams of students first compete within their middle school community, with the winners advancing to a district-level Battle of the Books competition. The annual competition promotes reading and comprehension of literature in a fun and engaging format. A total of 19 teams representing all six middle schools battled to prove they learned key concepts from 25 books chosen for this year’s competition.
The winning team, who chose the name of “The Book Travelers,” was Margaret Phillips (7th grade), Kingston Vang (7th grade), and Lincoln Vang (8th grade) from Northdale Middle School led by Battle of the Books coordinator Jess Leighton, a sixth grade teacher. View photos from the competition on March 2.
“I really love Battle of the Books because it promotes literacy and the students get to read such a wide variety of genres,” Leighton said. “There are 25 books on the list and most teams divide them up, but some students read all of the books.”
“It was tough, but as things went on we got more confident and just went with it,” Kingston said. “I feel excitement, like I’m going to faint,” Lincoln said after winning. “I was crying,” added Margaret.
Participating schools:
- Anoka Middle School for the Arts.
- Coon Rapids Middle School.
- Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science.
- Northdale Middle School.
- Oak View Middle School.
- Roosevelt Middle School.
See the reading list, studied by students.
Battle of the Books was sponsored by the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation, Coon Rapids Rotary Club, and Midwest One Bank.
Congratulations to all participants on a successful competition.
