May 27

May 27 A Look into Battle of The Books

Photo submitted by Rusk.

Evelyn Rusk

What is it?

Battle of the Books is an annual state-wide competition spanning elementary, middle, and high school in which teams compete on their knowledge of a list of 20 books given by the organization, WEMTA. They take a multiple choice test, and whoever gets the highest score, wins. The books included in the reading list span multiple genres, including fantasy, realistic fiction, nonfiction, and comic books. Many times, these books are up-and-coming; they become very popular in the years following their time on the Battle list. Some examples you may recognize include Legendborn (2022), The Inheritance Games (2022), or From Dust, A Flame (2024).

Our Hamilton team has enough interest that spots on the final team are competitive: members take a practice exam to narrow down the final 4 teammates.

This year’s members:

Top Row: Evelyn Rusk, Madison Matuszak, Shravan Karthikeyan

Bottom Row: Emmalyn Winter, Emily Savatski, Michaela Harnett

What do Members Think About the Club?

Evelyn Rusk (Club Leader)

From four years of personal experience in Battle of the Books, I have always been surprised it was not more well known. This club gives readers the chance to explore new genres, find new authors, and often get sneak peeks at books that become popular later on. Many of my favorite book series I’ve found through this club.

Mrs. Gorski (Advisor)

“I started Battle of the Books in response to students who had participated at Templeton with Mrs. Paque and wanted to continue the experience in high school. I believe we began in 2013… Since then, we’ve consistently had strong performances at the state level, and the plaques on display outside the library are a testament to their hard work.

I am consistently impressed by the students who take on this challenge year after year. Reading 20 young adult books is no small feat, especially when balancing rigorous academics and extracurricular activities. Yet, the students who participate are passionate about reading! Battle of the Books is exciting because it combines teamwork with the opportunity to read books you might not have picked up otherwise. Even though we don’t meet the teams we compete against (since the Battle is virtual), it’s always rewarding to see how we stack up against other teams across the state. This year, 79 teams competed in the High School Division.

I encourage anyone who is interested in participating in the Battle of the Books next year to contact me. “

Why Was the Battle of the Books Made?

“The statewide Battle of the Books program is designed to promote a love of reading among our students. It encourages students to read a variety of books and remember information about the plots, characters, and settings of the books… It is a fun, academic-based competition that has been very successful in school districts throughout the state in encouraging students to read” (“Programs Home”).

What about the Competition?

Our final team, comprised of Emmalyn Winter, Madison Matuszak, Shravan Karthikeyan, and Michaela Harnett, competed against 79 other competitors this year on February 27th, and took 19th place!

What is the Booklist for This Year?

Accountable : the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed by Dashka Slater

Bladestay by Jackie Johnson

The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram

Divine Rivals : a novel by Rebecca Ross

Gwen & Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Just Do This One Thing for Me by Laura Zimmermann

Louder than Hunger by John Schu

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

Mexikid by Pedro Martin

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Rez Ball by Byron Graves