How to get Started

1. BEFORE YOU REGISTER, meet with your prospective team to make sure that you all have the same goals and desired effort level. Parents should also discuss how involved they want to be. Everyone should be in agreement that it is a good fit before the team is officially registered.

2. Once your team is formed, it is important to divide the book list. Only FOUR students may participate in a battle, so teams of five will need to think carefully about how books are split up. With 16 titles, each team member should plan on becoming an expert on four titles. You can read the books alone or with a family member, or listen to the audio book. 

3. Start learning the Title and Author(s) for each book. Half of all OBOB battle questions are title and author. Print and cut out the Book to Author Match. Practice using the Author Name Pronunciation Guide. Authors work hard to write and publish their work. We owe them the respect of learning their names correctly. Mispronunciation of an author's name can lose your team points in battle.

4. Start reading the books. 

   • Keep in mind that you can listen to audio books if you need to. 

   • Because the questions about the books are detail-oriented, it is not recommended that you rely on a synopsis of the book for the information you will need. 

   • Use the sets of Practice Questions to test your knowledge about what you read. These questions are NOT the same as the questions that will appear in the official battle but may be similar. DO NOT try to memorize the answers to these specific questions. They are useful as a study aid only.

5. If possible, try to attend some of the community events or to meet with your team over winter break. Students will need to continue to read all through break to meet their goals. 

6. Encourage your student to keep notes about what they read: names of characters, interesting facts, big plot points - all of these things may come up in battle. If note taking is too hard, ask your student to tell you about what they read. 

Practice Questions last updated: 09/14/2025

We have a high standard of sportsmanship and ask that students keep their comments positive and affirming to their teammates and opposing teams both during battles and in future interactions. All interactions should be positive and supportive before, during, and after battles. (This includes non-verbal reactions such as giggling, whispering, and hand gestures.) Poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated and may result in you and/or your team being disqualified.

Beginning in 2025-26, students or teams found to be in repeat violation of the Sportsmanship Agreement will be subject to the following:

• First reported breach of conduct: the student's teacher will be notified of the situation and the teacher will address sportsmanship expectations with the student directly.

• Second reported breach of conduct:  the student's teacher will be notified again and the teacher may determine that that student should not be allowed to participate in their next battle. Either the student will be required to be the observing teammate, or they may be required to stay in the classroom and miss the battle entirely.

  • This may mean that the student's team has fewer than 4 members participating in their next battle.

  • Teachers will communicate directly with families if a student is going to be asked to sit out of a battle. Removing a child from battle is at the teacher's discretion and the situation will be carefully reviewed. 

• Third reported breach of conduct: the student may be pulled out of the OBOB season. Their team would be allowed to continue without them. 

  • The student's teacher will make this decision and will inform the OBOB committee and notify the student's parents.

  • If an entire team is disqualified from the season, there may be adjustments to the Battle Schedule or Bracket Roster.

Each situation is unique and will be carefully considered by the teachers. It is a key value of the OBOB program that students practice quality sportsmanship.