Keller
By: Simrah K.
Have you ever heard of the authors Joseph Campbell, O. Henry, or Mark Twain? Well, if you haven’t, Battle of the Books is a successful club that’ll inform you and will engage you with several ideas about different books to read. You will get really great book recommendations and you won’t be stuck reading the same repetitive books. Here’s a brief of what’s going to happen in Battle of the Books.
Reporter: What are some of your favorite books?
Mrs. Theander: “Since January, I've read 55 books and am just about to finish number 56. Right now, I'll say that the following are my top five books because I've read them all multiple times because I liked them so much: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (adult book), The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson, and I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez.”
Reporter: What are you looking for in your competitors?
Mrs. Theander: “For Battle of the Books (BOB) club, I am looking for students who LOVE to read. Essentially, students who have a PASSION for reading books and who enjoy reading books for FUN and in their spare time. I am also looking for students who are willing to reread parts of books. Finally, BOB competitors need to be students who are willing to work on a team with others and to discuss books with other book lovers (including me).”
Reporter: How are you and the competitors going to prepare to be successful in Battle of the Books?
Mrs. Theander: “So, as it turns out, this year's BOB club is going to be more like a book club where the competitors are going to help me and the other junior high teachers (at the other schools) read and compile a list of 20-30 books that will be used in future BOB competitions. Since this is the first year EVER that BOB is coming to junior high, we are asking the kids to help us find the books that we will be reading. So, really, the majority of the club this year will be focused on us reading books, talking about books, and deciding which books we love/hate. Students can join at any time this year, so if someone is still interested, they can come check us out.”
Reporter: How many times to do you meet?
Mrs. Theander: “We will be meeting about two times a month (basically every other week) unless we are close to the holidays and spring break. The meeting will always be in my classroom room 120."
Reporter: When is the final battle?
Mrs. Theander: “As of right now, me and the other BOB sponsors (teachers) are looking to possibly have a small battle between our schools during the last week of April or first week of May. As I was saying before, this year will look different than any other year since it's the first year ever for Battle of the Books at the junior highs, so we need the kids to help us find the books that will be used for future BOB competitions.”