Battle of the Books is a reading competition where teams of students compete by answering trivia questions about a set list of books. The goal is to encourage students to read and enjoy quality literature while engaging in friendly competition. The Central Ohio Battle of the Books competition is comprised of high school students from various Central Ohio high schools. Teams earn points by correctly answering questions related to the books they’ve read. The competition is structured in rounds, and teams face off against one another in a bracket-style format. At the end, the top teams compete for trophies. It’s a fun and motivating way for students to dive into reading and test their knowledge of the books they've explored.
The Central Ohio Battle of the Books takes place in the evening after school in the spring. This tournament-style competition, similar to College Bowl or Family Feud, challenges student teams to earn points by answering questions about the books on the competition list. The event follows a double bracket format, ensuring each team plays at least two rounds against different opponents. After each round, scores are tallied, and the bracket is updated to determine the next matchups. The competition continues until two final teams face off for the championship. Trophies are awarded to the top three teams.
Find the rules here.
Students participate by reading books from the official book list for that year's Battle of the Books. They may include books they’ve read before, but they cannot count books they have only watched as a movie or video—they must read the book. Students read independently throughout the year, and since the Central Ohio Battle of the Books takes place every spring, they also have the opportunity to start reading over the summer.
The students gain knowledge and enjoyment from reading good books, sharing them with friends, parents and teachers, plus a fun day of playing in the "Battle." Students also meet other students from the various Central Ohio schools and make lasting relationships.
Each school has one team of at least 5 members. If a team has more than 5, team members can rotate or sub in after a round has been completed.
No, having more students on a team means fewer books for each person to read. This allows each team member to focus on a few books, become an expert on them, and share their knowledge with the rest of the team.
"Home." America's Battle of the Books. N.p., 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2018. <http://www.battleofthebooks.org/>.