Battle of the Books

2010-11

Who can participate? 4th-5th grade students

Form teams of 4-6 students from the same grade level

Everyone who wants to participate can

What’s it all about? It’s like a book club for students who

love to read and discuss books

Teams read from a list of 20 great books

Teams meet often to share impressions, compare notes and master the details

Teams compete in the spring

How do I sign up? Take home a registration form and talk it

over with your parents (permission required)

Talk to your friends - round up a team Recruit an adult team manager or coach

to help you stay organized Turn in your team forms to

Ms. Hodgson by October 1st

2009-10 Champions:Lords of the Library

What books are on the list?

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot* by Gerald Morris

King Arthur’s most famous and perhaps funniest knight takes the reader on some whacky adventures. *WAW nominee

The Black Stallionby Walter Farley

The story of understanding and love between a boy and a magnificent, wild horse and the adventures and dangers they shared.

Chancey of the Maurey River* by Gigi Amateau

Claire and Chancey both have challenges to overcome that strengthen their bond and inspire others.WAW nominee*

Dovey Coeby Frances O’Rourke Dowell

Accused of murder in her North Carolina mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe, a stronged-willed twelve-year-old girl, comes to a new understanding of others, including her deaf brother, as she attempts to clear her name.

Eleven*by Patricia Reilly Giff

Sam discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday that triggers childhood memories. His friend, Caroline, helps him build a castle for a for a school project and together they unravel the mysteriesof his past.

Frindleby Andrew Clements

Nick Allen decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her when he cleverly invents a new word. That begins a chain of events which quickly moves beyond his control.

Hachiko Waitsby Leslea Newman

Set in Tokyo, Japan, Professor Ueno has a special relationship with his dog, Hachiko. The loyal dog walks the professor to the train station every morning and meets him at the station every afternoon when he comes home from work. That all changes one day. Based on a true story.

Help! I’m A Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford

Two girls spend an adventurous night trapped inside the public library during a terrible blizzard.

Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and Possibly Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B. spends happy hours being home-schooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins cancer treatment and her parents must sell partof the orchard and sendher to public school.

The Incredible Journeyby Sheila Burnford

A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel 250 miles together through the Canadianwilderness to find their family.

Jim Thorpe’s Bright Pathby Joseph Bruchac

A biography of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe, focuses on how his boyhood education set the stage for his athletic achievements which gained him international fame and Olympic gold medals.

Loserby Jerry Spinelli

Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feelthat way about himself.

Love That Dogby Sharon Creech

This story is told through a boy’s journal entries with his teacher who loves poetry and encourages her students to do the same. Both his writings and his understanding about life and poetry evolve overthe course of theyear-long dialogue.

The Man Who Loved Clownsby June Rae Wood

Thirteen-year-old Delrita, whose unhappy life has caused her to hide from the world, loves her uncle Punky but sometimes feels ashamed of his behavior because he has Down syndrome.

Masterpiece*by Elise Broach

The adventures of Marvin, the artistic beetle and James, the boy, take an interesting turn when they attempt to recover a famous drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.*WAW nominiee

No Dogs Allowedby Bill Wallace

Twelve-year-old Kristina, still struggling to come to terms with the death of her beloved horse, finds it difficult to accept the new dog she receives for her birthday.

The Secret Schoolby Avi

In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bidson secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room schoolhouse in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly.

Swindle*by Gordon Korman

A swindling baseball card dealer meets his match when he tries to con Griffin Bing, a sixth grader with a plan and a team to implement it. *WAW nominee

Through My Eyesby Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.

Time for Andrewby Mary Downing Hahn

When he goes to spend the summer with his great-aunt in the family's old house, eleven-year-old Drew is drawn eighty years into the past to trade places with his great-great-uncle who is dying of diphtheria.

Battle of the Books

2010-11