The fifth and sixth grade Battle of the Books winning team received a very special prize this year–a signed copy of New York Times bestselling author and friend of Latin, James Ponti's, newest book “City Spies, Forbidden City.”
Students read a minimum of one book this summer and one book this fall from a curated list. Many students chose to read multiple books from the list to increase their chances at winning the Battle of the Books competition. Below is a sampling of the selections:
"City of Ghosts" by Victoria Schwab
"The Only Black Girls in Town" by Brandy Colbert
"Dead City" by James Ponti
"Nikki on the Line" by Barbara Carroll Roberts
“Show Me a Sign” by Ann Clare LeZotte
During class, Ms. Houck and Ms. Finkle “book talked” the content with students to prepare them for battle. Fifth and sixth graders were placed on teams that competed in a bracket-style competition, having to answer twenty questions crafted by both Ms. Houck and Ms. Finkle about the books they read. Some of the questions included:
Q: In which book would you find the following quote? “At lunch, I hold the plastic tray in a death grip, wishing again that Phineas were here.”
A: “Lily and Dunkin” by Donna Gephart
Q: In which book would you find the following line? They tried to bury us…. But they didn’t know we were seeds.
A: “Efrén Divided” by Ernesto Cisneros
Q: Skull and Bone is the favorite comic book series for a main character in which book?
A: “City of Ghosts” by Victoria Schwab
Q: In which book would you find a chapter titled Bedpan?
A: “Cyclone” by Doreen Cronin
Q: In which book does Seema run after her sister who tries to escape her destiny?
A: “Amal Unbound” by Aisha Saeed
Q: In which book would you find a list of rules that includes, “Never let overconfidence allow you to think it is OK to break any of these rules?”
A: “All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team” by Christina Soontornvat
Q: There was a rhythm in my fists. Is the opening line of which book?
“Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky” by Kwame Mbalia
Q: “I guess some friends are just glitter, and some friends are glue” is a line from which book?
A: “Shouting at the Rain” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Q: In which book would you find Claremont School?
A: “The Turnover” by Mike Lupica
The students did a fantastic job working as teams and supporting one another!
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