Battle of the Books
School Competitions
School Teams larger than 5 members need to narrow down to one 5-person team per grade level for the District competition in March.
- It is at the School's discretion how the school competition will be held. This may change from year to year depending on the interest level. Some options may include:
- If the school has enough for only one team at every grade level to compete, the school is not obligated to hold a school competition.Those teams can advance as the grade level team to the district competition.
- The school could choose to have each single student compete against each other to make up their grade level team for the district competition.
- If there are enough students at the same grade level, the school could create multiple teams which can compete against each other to determine which is the team advancing to the district competition.
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If Team Managers would like to use a google quiz, similar to the District Competition, you may request the School Quiz in February.
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A BVSD employee should oversee the school battle.
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All school battles should be completed before March 13.
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School teams need to register for the District Event by March 23.
District Battle is Saturday, March 28
Battle of the Books 2026 Lists
How to find BoB books
- A limited number of print copies will be available in the school libraries for team members to take turns reading. (Donations of book sets to school libraries would be greeted with delight).
- All titles are available as ebooks and audiobooks in Sora in September.
- Area public libraries have purchased extra copies for participants to check out.
- Local book stores have been given the titles lists and may offer discounts to BVSD families.
Why these books?
BVSD uses The Alaska Association of School LibrariansBattle of the Books program. They begin the process of creating a book list each year by choosing 30 nominated titles that meet the following criteria:
- Variety of reading levels that are 25% below grade level, 50% on grade level, and 25% above grade level
- Variety of lengths and genres
- Balanced for books that typically appeal to “girls” and “boys”
- Recommended in paperback format with a price under $10
- Must be in print with a minimum of 5,000 copies available
- Efforts will be made to include a non-fiction title
- Suggestions from students, parents, and librarians are taken into account when making selections, as long as suggestions meet the requirements of reading levels, length, genre balance, gender balance, previous title, paperback format, and copies in print.
- The Colorado Front Range Regional committee narrowed the Alaska lists down to 6 per grade level, and adjusted a couple of the title/grade level. We will be accepting constructive feedback after the event in April.
NEW! Regional Event!
We will be joining other Front Range school districts in a regional Battle of the Books on April 18. This means our district competitions will be Saturday, March 28. But never fear! The book lists for each grade have been reduced to 6 titles, to ensure each student has enough time to read their entire list before March! The top three teams for each grade at the district event will move on to the regional event.
- School competitions finished by spring break. Teams register by March 13, 2026.
- District Event: March 28, 2026.
- Regional Event: April 18, 2026, in Loveland.
What is BoB?
Battle of the Books (BoB) is a quiz bowl style competition for students in grades 3-12. When students enroll in this program, they commit to working with a school team to read all of the books from the Battle of the Books list. The list includes ten to twelve books of various levels of difficulty. Students can read the books independently, as part of a school group, or with an adult. This is a free program.
The goal of Battle of the Books is to provide opportunities for students to work together in a group for a common goal, expose students to award-winning pieces of literature, and encourage a high volume of reading both inside and outside of the classroom. Yes, it is a competition, but the purpose is to foster a love of reading!
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Team registration starts in October. Ideally, teams should be registered by November 13 to receive Practice Questions and other updates.
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Each participant is encouraged to read all the books on their grade level book list.
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School Teams compete in February, before Spring Break.
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District competition is Saturday, March 28, 2026.
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Front Range Regional competition is Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Battle of the Books coordinator
Rae Ciciora, District Library Coordinator