The battle is on – Battle of the Books! What is Battle of the Books? Chandler Public Library and Chandler Unified School District have partnered to offer this reading competition for over 20 years! It’s a regional program that includes elementary schools and public libraries in Chandler and across the Greater Phoenix area.
Teams of fifth and sixth grade students read a list of 12 books, selected each year by librarians at schools and public libraries. The students read and study each book, then answer questions about the books at competitions. Each participating school holds three competitions, then teams go on to district semifinals and finals in the Spring. Winners of their district go on to compete at the East Valley Regional Competition. Last year over 550 students from 34 Chandler schools participated in Battle of the Books. The winner of the state regional competition was a team from Tarwater Elementary.
This year’s Battle of the Books starts April 17, with the East Valley Regional taking place on May 1 at 6 p.m. at the Chandler Downtown Library. Anyone is invited to attend.
The goal is to promote a love of reading and encourage students to read a variety of books. It’s great to see kids discover new authors or genres they otherwise wouldn’t read. Participants gain experience with teamwork and improved reading comprehension. Parents get to see their child’s love of reading progress during the school year. As library staff, we love to hear this and hope the program fosters lifelong reading habits for these kids, too.
If your child enjoys reading and is a fifth or sixth grader next school year, contact your school’s librarian to sign up. Then stop by Chandler Public Library to find this year's books!
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