Brandon Twp.- They came ready for battle, some in pajamas, others with a giant homemade turtle shell, a few with kneepads and helmets, still more with a variety of hats, all armed with knowledge of six books.
The third annual Battle of the Books at the library on March 26 had seven teams comprising more than 30 fifth and sixth graders participating. The teams met several times between November and March as members read the Newberry Award winning books? ‘Worth,? by A. LaFaye; ‘The Report Card,? by Andrew Clements; ‘Surviving the Applewhites,? by Stephanie Tolan; ‘Everything on a Waffle,? by Polly Horvath; ‘The Witch of Blackbird Pond,? by Elizabeth George Speare; and ‘The Tale of Desperaux,? by Kate DiCamillo. Each team had an adult coach that questioned them about each book.
During the battle team members, without help from coaches, answered three rounds of questions (36 total) posed by librarian Fran Runnells, about the books.
When it was all over, the Brandon Book Reading Bedheads came out on top with a score of 128, followed by the Super Speed Reading Turtles with a score of 119; and in third was the Extreme Reading Team with 117 points.
‘The purpose of the Battle of the Books is to promote reading good literature and teamwork,? says Runnells, who hopes to expand the program in future and possibly compete with teams from Clarkston. ‘I really like how excited the kids get with team names, costumes, the comraderie they have with each other, and how excited they get about the books.?
Friends of the Brandon Library sponsored Border’s gift cards for the winning teams. Other annual prize contributors include Frosty Boy, Buck’s Dollar & More, Cook’s Farm Dairy and Jet’s Pizza.