2011-2012 Book List | FAQ | Sample Questions | Battle of the Books Calendar | Scores |

Get ready, get set....READ!  It’s Battle Time…time for your 4th and 5th grade students to form teams for the annual Battle of the Books competition at the Racine Public Library. This is our tenth year of battle!

Battle of the Books is a literature contest for 4th and 5th grade students in Racine County. Teams comprised of up to four students are asked to read and become knowledgeable about the content from a list of titles selected by Racine Public Library librarians.  Teams may be formed with students from the same or different schools. Teams with both 4th and 5th graders are accepted.

Meets are held in a public forum where team members are asked random questions about the books they read. Points are accumulated based on the number of right answers.  The team with the highest score among all participating teams is declared the champion. 

For more information please check out the Frequently Asked Questions or contact Anne Callaghan (262.636.9245).

Frequently Asked Questions

REGISTRATION
SCHEDULING
THE MEETS
THE QUESTIONS
THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE
OFFICIALS
OTHER QUESTIONS

REGISTRATION
Registration is requested. Online registration is now closed. If you want to register a team please email anne.callaghan@racinelibrary.info.

 SCHEDULING

Attention Battle of the Books Teams
Not sure what to expect from your competition meet?  Join us for one of two information sessions to learn all you need to know.  These 60 minute programs will cover how best to prepare for your meet, what will happen during competition, and how questions will be asked.  We'll be presenting a mock meet so you can get a feel for what's expected in "battle".  Registration is requested.  Contact Youth Services at 262.636.9245 or complete this online registration form. 

Each team is scheduled for one meet.

Meets are generally scheduled on Mondays Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school and on Saturday afternoons in late February through early April. Meets are generally held at the Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh St, but may also be scheduled in other locations, such as schools.  Meet date, time and location will be sent to participating teams in early January.

Space is available on the registration form to indicate dates the team is not available. If a team is unable to attend a scheduled meet every attempt will be made to reschedule.

THE MEETS
Participants should arrive 15 minutes early to check in and receive table assignments.  Meets last approximately one hour.

Each meet is divided into three rounds. Teams are asked five questions for each of the first two rounds, and three questions for the third. Correct answers are always the title of a book. Points are issued for correct answers(5 pts for the first two rounds; 10 pts. for the third). A bonus point is available in the first two rounds for knowledge of author’s last name. Questions are read twice after which the team has 20 seconds to answer. 

THE QUESTIONS
Questions for all three rounds are formatted so that the answer will always be the title of the book. For example, “In which book does a spider save a pig?” Answer: Charlotte’s Web Author: White.

Librarians write approximately 25 questions per books.  With 40 books on the reading list, meet questions will be selected from a collection of approximately 1000. Questions are recycled once all questions have been used.

For more examples of sample questions from past years click here.

THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE
Teams with the top five scores go into the Winners’ Circle. The Racine Public Library will host a party for all participants, their families, and their coaches at which special recognition of Winners’ Circle teams will be made.

OFFICIALS
Racine Public Library staff act as meet officials. 

OTHER QUESTIONS
Contact Anne at 262.636.9245 or email anne.callaghan@racinelibrary.info for more information.

CALENDAR