What is Battle of the Books?
Battle of the Books is a bowl-style trivia tournament that’s all about books, engaging hundreds of young minds every year, hosted by the Douglas County Libraries. DCL chooses 10 books per level (3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade). The students read and study their ten books. Then dozens of teams from different schools through Douglas County compete against each other in interschool battles, elimination battles, and finals tournaments to determine a districtwide champion for all of Douglas County.
For more information, visit the Douglas County Libraries' website on Battle of the Books.
What does a team look like?
Stone Mountain sends two teams to Battle of the Books--one team of 3rd/4th graders, and one team of 5th/6th graders. Each team consists of 7 students. Only 5 students may compete at a time, so there will always be two alternates at each battle.
If we have more students interested in Battle of the Books than we have available spaces, tryouts will be held in December. The tryout will consist of a pencil and paper quiz with questions from each of the 10 books. We also ask students to create 5 or more questions for each book they read and to turn in questions by the day of tryouts. Students will be chosen based on the quiz and effort put into creating questions.
Where can I find the book list?
The Douglas County Libraries chooses the books each year. You can find the list of books on their website. The books may be checked out at the SME library, the Douglas County Libraries, and on Sora.
Who coaches Battle of the Books at Stone Mountain?
Mrs. Deeter and Mrs. Olson
What are the expectations/time commitment for team members?
Anyone interested in Battle of the Books should read as many books as possible in the fall to prepare for tryouts in December.
If chosen for the team, all ten books need to be read by the first battle in late January. In addition, team members will be asked to specialize in two or more books which will require re-reading.
Team members are expected to attend a weekly hour-long practice starting in January.
Behavior and knowledge of the books during practices will directly affect which students will compete and which will be alternates for the upcoming Battle. Every student will get a chance to Battle. However, for our eliminations rounds, students will be chosen based on their knowledge of the books and their behavior during practices.
All team members, including alternates, are expected to attend all Battles. Battles usually fall on Monday or Tuesday afternoons and evenings starting in late January through the beginning of March, usually at the Highlands Ranch Library. Battles are about 30 minutes long.
What does it cost?
The season usually costs about $100, payable in January after the teams are decided.
SME Battle of the Books Timeline
September: Book lists are released on the Douglas County Libraries' website. Start reading as soon as you can! Try to create at least 5 practice questions for each book. You can hand the questions in on paper, by email, or through the Google form that will be emailed to you if you sign up. These questions help you remember the details of the book better and help us create a database of questions to use during practice.
November: Look out for the sign-up in the Cub Chronicle! Sign up to let the coaches know you want to try out.
December: Check the Cub Chronicle for the tryout date. Tryouts are held in the library and consist of a pencil and paper quiz. Book questions are also due at this time.
December: First practice for team members.
January: Weekly practice begins. Ask your coach when practices are planned. Practice will be cancelled if there is a delay or if school is canceled.
End of January - March: Battles begin at the Highlands Ranch Library. The schedule will be emailed to all participants as soon as it's available, usually mid to late December.