Wednesday Wonders: Battle of the Books 2018 - SLO Classical Academy
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Wednesday Wonders: Battle of the Books 2018

{photos by Liane Kascha-Hare and Arianna Cortez}

Last week SLOCA once again hosted its fun and friendly Battle of the Books competition! And today’s blog is written by an eyewitness SLOCA mom: Liane Kascha-Hare, Track B parent of Finn (LMS), Lillian (Intermediate), Josephina (Kinder), and Ian (age 4):


Thursday, May 31, 2018

Today was finally the day for the 3rd annual SLOCA Battle of the Books. Students from 4th to 6th grade were ready to battle it out. The students had all year to read 30 books from a selected list and as soon as they had read ten, they were eligible for the battle. Some even took on the challenge to read all 30. 

The room buzzed with excitement as thirteen girls and boys waited for the scorekeepers and timekeepers to assemble, and Ms. Emily explained the rules. The kids were divided into four teams: the Knights, Unusual Chickens, Masterminds and Perfect People. Those fun names paid tribute to four of the books on the list. 

As soon as the battle started, the room fell silent and the participants' concentration was palpable.  Five rounds were played altogether.  For the first three rounds, two teams played against each other, 24 questions each round. Two battles were going on simultaneously, so each team had a chance to play against one other.  The teams alternated to answer questions about a book and the players have 30 seconds to decide on a book title (which netted 5 points), and 10 seconds for the author (an extra two points).  Only the team captain could answer. If the team could not provide an answer, then the opposing team got a chance to steal the points.  

Two examples of a question were, “In what book did the main character get scared of taking a school photo?” (Wonder by Palacio) or “In what book were cats sold for $400?” (By the Great Horn Spoon by Fleischman) 

After the first three rounds, the group moved outside and played a relay game, all teams at the same time. There was a lot of running, laughter and excitement and many correct answers. Then the suspense mounted, while the scorekeepers and Ms. Emily tallied up the points. The top two teams would play one final round to determine the winners. 

Team Mastermind and Team Knights won and were gearing up for the one last, final battle of the day. The two other teams stayed to cheer on their classmates.

And the final winner was… by 20 points…. drumroll… Team Knights!!!! 

Congratulations Knights and all other teams who read a combined 400 books, exhibiting both sportsmanship and a love of books today. I love watching the Battle of the Books and admire anyone who can remember all those little details in the books they read. It is truly a feat!

Lastly, thank you Ms. Emily for another fantastic year of the Battle of the Books!


Yes, we heartily agree – thank you, Ms. Emily! And thank you, parents of the participants, for encouraging your child’s love of literature. Many thanks also to Liane, for writing about this epic battle for us!

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