Step 1: Get the team together

It is much easier to practice when the team is all in one place: you can meet in-person or digitally. Plan to meet at least three times before the battles begin. The more you meet, the more confident your readers will be.

Make sure that you check-in with your readers to figure out how hard they want to work. Some teams really want to win, some are really excited to talk about books. Tailor your coaching style accordingly.

Step 2: Divide your reading list

There are 16 titles. Each reader should aim to be responsible for FOUR books. Of course you can read more than four titles, but four books per child will allow you to divvy up the whole list with each reader taking on one of the titles. Once all of the books have been assigned, figure out if you have gaps. A five-person team will always have one person observing the battle. Make sure that you have coverage on those books!

Be mindful when splitting up the reading list that the kids are excited about the books they have been assigned. If the reader isn't excited about the books, they will have a very hard time finishing them.

• Remember that you can use audiobooks, team reading (trading-off reading sections with a teammate or parent), or having a parent read to a child to help get through books.

Step 3: Practice the title and author(s) of each book

A battle consists of 16 questions: eight are title and author, and eight are content/trivia questions.

There are 16 title and author combos, there are thousands of possible content questions. Learn your titles and authors! This is the easiest skill to have ready for battle. Practice title and author combos at every meeting and whenever you ask your child which book they are reading.

The proper pronunciation of the author's name is important. Use the Pronunciation Guide on the Family Resources page.

Step 4: Crowd-source your answer

One team member needs to be designated as Spokesperson for each battle. The spokesperson can change from battle to battle but they are the ONLY team member who can give the answer to the judges.

Have your team practice huddling up and discussing their answer before having the spokesperson give the team response. Teams have 15 seconds to give their answer. Practice speaking clearly.

Parent-coaches can pull general trivia questions to ask the kids if you want to practice this skill before the books have been read. You can use the practice questions on the Family Resources page once the readers have started getting through their books.