Each of the 19 contestants competing Tuesday in the final rounds were already classroom champions from each of the fourth and fifth grade classrooms. They nervously sat on the high school auditorium stage, each with a paddle listing the title of books they read. As the rest of the Page students, teachers and many family members watched, contestants answered question after question about their books.
Much like a spelling bee, if a student didn’t answer their question correctly, they were eliminated from the competition. In most cases, the questions required the readers to answer very specific details about the books they read, like “What did Ivan’s parents name him and why?” from the book The One and Only Ivan; or “What attacked the old dog?” in The Incredible Journey; or “When did each person get their savvy?” from the book Savvy.
Page has hosted the Battle of the Books for several years as a way of encouraging reading and promoting reading for content. Several books are selected for the Battle competition. Students must read two of the Battle Books for the contest.
Finalists in this year’s Battle of the Books were Logan Witt, Austin Underhill, Clara Keizer, Clara McKeown, Dominic Galassi, Case Tolan, Shaddik Carpenter, Gracie Caswell, Bailey Rice, Izzy Williams, Ayiesha Ferolino, Sawyer Pelton, Thomas Grabemeyer, Hunter Jordan, Lukas Redick, Norah Wiswell, Maddy Bont, Emi Crews, Mic Price