Info About How the Battle Works

How the Competition is Set Up

We are planning for this year's Battle of the Books to be held on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at Westside Middle School. This is a round-robin tournament. Each team will participate in 4 rounds.

Since this is a round-robin tournament, there will not be any steals or any tie-breakers during the rounds.

The total points for each team will be calculated to determine the winners. Medals will be awarded to the top three teams.

In the event of a tie among the top three (or more) teams, the tie will be broken using a format similar to the spelling bee. Check back for details on how the tie breaker will work.

Schedule (Updated 2/15/2020)

08:00 - 08:20 - Round 1 check-in

08:25 - 08:45 - Round 2 check-in

08:30 - 08:50 - Round 1

08:55 - 09:15 - Round 2

09:20 - 09:40 - Round 3

09:45 - 10:05 - Round 4

10:10 - 10:30 - Round 5

10:35 - 10:55 - Round 6

11:00 - 11:20 - Round 7

11:25 - 11:45 - Round 8

11:55 - 12:30 - Tie Breakers (if necessary) and Awards

What the Rounds Will Look Like

During the rounds, two teams will be assigned to each room. There will be a moderator who will read the questions and a time keeper.

The moderator will alternate between asking questions of the two teams. All questions will be in the form, "In which book..." Teams will receive one point for answering with the correct book title and one point for answering with the correct author.

For example:

Question: "In which book does someone throw raw eggs at a blue house?"

Answer: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

If a team gets the title and author correct, they receive 2 points. If they get only the title or only the author correct, they receive 1 point. If they miss both the title and author, they receive 0 points.

A team is not allowed to steal the question by giving the correct answer when the other team gives an incorrect answer.

Since this is a round-robin tournament, ties between teams in the same room are allowed so there will not be tie-breaker questions.

Each team will participate in 4 rounds. The points from each of their rounds will be totaled to find a team's overall score.

Important Points

1. Many teams get dressed up to show their team spirit. Your team could design a team t-shirt; there are iron-on options that are easy to do at home. They could also accessorize with matching headbands, hats, or boas. There are lots of ways to make the battle even more fun!

2. At most four kids may represent a team in any round of the competition. Between rounds, teams can change their lineup, but teams cannot change team members in the middle of a round.

3. Each team will have an assigned table in the cafeteria (a round table or half of a long cafeteria table). You can leave coats and other items here that you don't want to lug around.

** Please do not leave any valuables unattended. **

During your team's unscheduled rounds, you can head to the cafeteria for a snack and a break. If you remain outside the classrooms, you must be quiet so as not to disturb the ongoing battles.

Our committee has requested a donation from Hy-Vee of Rice Krispie treats, bananas, and water bottles. Each team will have a bag of snacks to enjoy that you will find at your assigned cafeteria table.

Teams are welcome to bring additional snacks. Please be sure to clean up after yourselves. Trash cans will be available throughout the cafeteria.