Students in our 4th, 5th, and 6th grades traveled to the SUNY Adirondack campus in Queensbury to compete in the Battle of the Books Tournament! We are excited to share that our 5th grade team won the tournament for their age group! Our 6th grade team came in 3rd and our 4th grade team made it to the semi-finals. Congratulations to all of our students who challenged themselves to read and understand all the books required for participation.
The event brings together students from over 18 local school districts for some friendly competition. Each grade level is challenged to read 10 books selected by the team at the WSWHE BOCES School Library System. Students gather for the Battle of the Books to display their knowledge of the materials.
Our 4th grade team was coached by Suzanna Chhim-Parisi. The team was made up of students Grace Belden, Cassandra Butler, Harper Smith, and Liam Sprague. 4th graders read the following books: Ban this Book by Alan Gratz, El Deafo by Cece Bell, Frindle by Andrew Clements, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly and Laura Freeman, Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by John Scieszka, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley, and Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy.
Our 5th grade team was coached by Sue Gerrain. The team was made up of students Molly Komon, Charlotte Morrison, Colten Murdie, Lila Nix, Adalyn Seeley, and Adalynn Smith. 5th graders read the following books: Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice by Debbie Levy, Breakout by Kate Messner, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin, Elephant Run by Roland Smith, Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh, My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen, Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet, and The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Our 6th grade team was coached by Jennifer Casabonne. The team was made up of students Charles Carodonna, Bailey Rock, and Maddilyn Weiler. 6th graders read the following books: All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gainman, I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (by Malala Yousafzai with Patrica McCorminck, note this is the young readers edition), The Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen, The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, New Kid by Jerry Craft, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, and When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed.