Literary Showdown: Severn Hosts Area Schools for Battle of the Books 2017

8/18/2023

Severn opened its doors to reading enthusiasts from seven local AIMS schools this Monday for a bookish knowledge showdown, Battle of the Books. After traveling the past several years to this annual event, the Severn Library Crew is pleased to announce that our first year hosting was a great success as we also welcomed our first ever 5th grade team to the competition.

What is Battle of the Books?

Started by a group of AIMS librarians, Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program designed to encourage students to read quality, diverse literature. Based on the national competition, our local competition typically includes AIMS schools from Anne Arundel County, DC and Baltimore.

In the fall, a select group of AIMS librarians choose ten books for the spring competition. The books run the gamut from realistic fiction and fantasy to graphic novels and narrative nonfiction. Teams are divided by grade level and include 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Severn’s teams are led by Teel Campus Assistant Librarian Ms. Whitney Etchison and Chesapeake Campus Librarian Ms. Pilar Okeson with support from Ms. Diana Michel, Teel Campus Library Associate.

The competition itself is in a quiz show format, with each team collectively answering twenty questions about the ten required books. Each team has the option to challenge another team’s answer twice during the contest.

"Battle of the Books offers a competitive challenge for students who love to read for fun. The question answering aspect of it demands that students read critically and for deeper meaning and they must also work together as a group requiring cooperation and communication. It's been a fantastic experience for the students involved." — Ms. Pilar Okeson

Severn hosts our first Battle of the Books competition and our 5th grade team waits to hear the results from the question. — *Charlie Friedrich ‘24 and his 5th grade team wait for the judge to evaluate their answer.*

For the Readers, By the Readers

Although Severn’s BOB teams are organized by Ms. Etchison and Ms. Okeson, preparing for Battle of the Books is largely up to the students. Our librarians hold interest meetings in the fall and from those groups select those that will make the team, giving preference to previous competitors (if any). If there are more students than available spots, they hold a mini competition and choose team members based on their performance. From there, each team creates its own strategy for reading all ten books. On some teams, all of the members read every book, others choose a divide and conquer strategy. The competition questions are detailed and specific so each team has to consider their strengths and weaknesses as they form their game plan.

“For kids that love reading it’s an opportunity for them to dive in and embrace reading in a whole new way, working together on a team. We also see kids expand out of their ‘reading comfort zone’ and read books they might not choose on their own. Sometimes they find a whole new genre they wouldn’t have read before.” — Ms. Whitney Etchison

To prepare for the Battle of the Books our 5th and 6th grade teams works together to quiz each other. — *Our first ever 5th grade team meets to prepare with our 6th grade team a week before the competition.*

2017 Team Rosters

Our first every fifth grade team poses with smiles after the Battle of the Books competition. — *5th grade team: Charlie Friedrich ‘ 24, Raeha Richman ‘24, Mady Given ‘24, Adele Hlousek ‘24, Kate Castleberry ‘24*

Our 6th grade Battle of the Books team poses after the competition. — *6th grade team: Ms. Etchison, Madie Wright ‘23, Margaret Cravens ‘23, Fionn Kinsella ‘23, Ben Saunders ‘23, Rohan Lakhanpal ‘23*

Our 7th grade Battle of the Books teams poses after the competition — *7th grade team: Brooke Griffin ‘22, Emma Hlousek ‘22, Emily Salehi ‘22, Fiona Griesser ‘22, Alex Brenia ‘22 (not pictured)*

Our first place winnning 8th grade Battle of the Books team poses after the competition. — *First place winning 8th grade team: Julia Youssef ‘21, Daniel Babalola ‘21, Michael Hesford ‘21, Luke Marbury ‘21*

Lifelong Love of Reading

Part of the Severn Library’s mission is to foster the love of reading and lifelong learning in our students. Throughout the year, our libraries hold events and programs to get kids excited about reading beyond what’s required in class. From our recent African American Read-In in February and initiative for every Severn student to have a public library card to the annual Upper School Read, librarians Ms. Mary Coutts, Ms. Whitney Etchison, Ms. Pilar Okeson and Ms. Diana Michel are committed to making reading fun for students in every grade.

Back