Battle of the Books
2008-2009

 
Practice Battles:  August 12-October 15, 2008
Battle of the Books:  October 16-17, 2008
IISSAC Championship:  October 24-25, 2008

Title List
Alder, Elizabeth.  The King’s Shadow
Bauer, Joan.  Squashed
Hautzig, Esther.  The Endless Steppe
Jacques, Brian.  Mossflower
Lawhead, Stephen R.  Merlin 
Montgomery, L. M.  The Blue Castle
Raskin, Ellen.  The Westing Game
Snell, Ron.  It’s a Jungle Out There!
Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Kidnapped
Yep, Laurence.  Dragon’s Gate

How does it work?
Teams are finalized at the beginning of school in August.  However, we might still have a spot for you even later.  Ask in the library if you’re interested in joining one of this year’s teams.
 
Each team has a teacher for a coach.  Teams usually divide the books so you don’t have to read all the books, but you can if you want to.  The teams will meet for book discussions and practice battles throughout the months before the Battle of the Books.
 
The Battles: 
The battles take place in rounds where two teams battle against each other and the two highest scoring teams face each other in a final battle.
 
During a round of the Battle of the Books, teams are asked questions about the books from the title list.  Each question begins with “In what book…”  The answering team has 30 seconds to confer and answer with the title of the book.  Extra points are given if the team can also name the author.  If the answering team gives an incorrect answer, the opposing team has five seconds to give their answer.  Teams answer every other question.
 
The winning team’s members receive a prize!  In past years, this has been an ice cream or ice cream and pizza party.

The winning team will also represent Mountainview in the IISSAC Championship Battle of the Books.