The Battle of the Books is on March 20, 2024, at Grayslake North High School. Teams of four or five students compete against each other answering questions based on the reading list. The librarians created a set list of 20 books, of which all the questions will be based on. Teams typically divide up the book list so one student is not required to read all 20, although some do. Senior Alex Adams read all the books for this year’s battles and has participated in the Battle of the Books since her freshman year.
“I decided to join because Mrs. Mason [ACHS Information and Learning Center director] suggested it,” Adams said. “I was on the fence about it for a while, but the final push was something my mom told me. She said she knows how much reading means to me and that even if I might not be good at it I should at least try.”
Adams ended up enjoying the battle immensely. Each team will play at least three battles and the fourth battle will be the championship round. The questions consist of information found in any of the 20 books. The question is asked and the first team to hit the buzzer gets to answer the question. Teams get points for the correct book title and bonus points for the author’s name.
This year, the librarians have made a few adjustments to the game. This year the book list was their creation rather than the Abe Lincoln Reading List that the state came up with. The Lincoln Reading List is a list of books Illinois has deemed necessary for any serious scholar to read. However, students do not want to read most of the books on the Lincoln Reading List. The librarians decided to create a new list for the battle that students wanted to read. Besides a different reading list this year, the librarians are still discussing other ideas to make the battle more interactive. Additionally, all the schools will eat together prior to the battle.
“We will all have pizza together which we have never done before,” Barbara Mason said. “We think it is going to be nice to socialize and get to know some of the kids [from the other schools] because you just show up and all of a sudden you compete.”
The team that wins the battle will receive a Barnes & Noble gift card and get to keep the traveling trophy until next year’s competition. In addition, every student will receive a certificate of participation. Furthermore, ACHS students who read the entire book list qualify for the Reader Hall of Fame. Students can read the books on the Abe Lincoln list and the Battle of the Books list to qualify for the Hall of Fame.
Sign-up started back in November, however, students are still able to join until March. The sign-up sheet, rules, book list and all information can be found on the district website.
