About OBOB

What is OBOB?

The Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is a statewide program designed to inspire and support reading and comprehension. At the elementary school level, it is open to students in 3rd through 5th grade.

Anyone can participate, regardless of ability. There is no cost to participate. 

OBOB’s mission is to encourage students to enjoy reading, broaden their reading interests, increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and foster cooperative learning and teamwork among students.

Team and Book Information

To get started, students form a team of 2 to 5 students. Teams can have as few as 2 participants, but we encourage teams of at least 4 to pool knowledge and accommodate for illness or other unexpected absences. 

Students typically form these teams themselves. However, interested individuals who do not have a team are highly encouraged to sign up. 

We want everyone who is interested to participate and will work with them to find a spot.

Students may only participate on one team.

Students must have a parent or guardian’s approval to participate. A parent or guardian must complete a registration form for their student. These will be available online in mid-November. All registrations forms must be in by Dec. 15th.

Each team needs a non-student team coach. This is typically a parent or guardian, but can be a grandparent, older sibling, or other trusted adult who can serve as a leader and help them prepare and be present when they participate.

Students should start reading the assigned books as soon as possible. It is up to each team how to divvy up the books and reading duties. Here is a list of the assigned books.

Books can be found at the school or local library. A number of area bookstores offer discounts on OBOB books. 

Competition Calendar

After teams are formed and have prepared, it culminates in a school-wide competition. The Llewellyn event will take place over two days, Mar. 4th & 5th beginning immediately after school.  

Please make sure all team members are available on these days. 

All Llewellyn teams will participate on the first day. The top 8 teams from day one will proceed to a second series of battles on day two to decide final winner for the school.

The winning team at the school level will proceed to the regional competition, which will take place on a Saturday in March, the exact date has not been determined yet. Winners from the regional competition will proceed to the statewide competition, which is held in Salem on April 13.

Here are key dates:

INFORMATION SESSION Dec. 10

LLEWELLYN STUDENT FORMS DUE November 1st - December 15th

TEAMS FINALIZED  Dec. 18

LLEWELLYN OBOB  Mar. 4th & 5th 2:30 p.m.

REGIONAL OBOB March 15th

STATE OBOB  April 13

Training and Battle

Teams should meet regularly to coordinate reading and practice for battles. 

There will be an event in January at Llewellyn for teams that want to do practice battles. We will also share a list of teams with the coaches so they can coordinate one-on-one team practice battles on their own.

We’ll provide more information to coaches on a weekly basis beginning in December. This will include tips for training and details on the competition process. Please see the resources tab on this site for ways to get started on your own. 

You can learn more about OBOB at the main OBOB website. You DO NOT need to register there.

You can also watch a video to see what competition looks like and learn more.

REMINDER FOR GROWNUPS: This is an event for children to encourage reading and learning. Adults and spectators are expected to model good behavior or will be asked to leave.