Germantown Library Spearheads Growth in
‘Battle of the Books’ Competition
January 20 deadline for local schools to sign up for reading competition
GERMANTOWN, Tennessee, January 6, 2017 – Area students have an opportunity to participate in both a local and nationwide “Battle of the Books” competition this year due to the Germantown Community Library and its management partner Library Systems & Services (LS&S). Local schools have until Jan. 20, 2017, to register, and schools interested in hosting a local event can contact Daniel Page at [email protected] or 901-757-7323.
The local “Battle of the Books” competition began in 2013 by a school librarian in Germantown, and quickly grew to several schools across the county. In March 2016, the school district asked the Germantown Community Library and LS&S to oversee and expand the program.
The “Battle of the Books” is a daylong competition between schools where teams are asked a series of questions based on the books they’ve read. The competition includes participants in grades 3-12, who read an extensive list of books throughout the fall and spring. The competition begins in April and runs through May. Grades 3-5 participate in a “Family Feud”-style team contest, and grades 6-12 participate in a relay-style contest held in high school gymnasiums that includes running relays mixed in with questions from the judges.
Germantown Community Library Director Daniel Page says the success in Germantown is catching on. “It promotes learning, education and teamship,” Page says. “It combines reading with healthy activities and it’s a really super cool style.”
The top team from each school will battle each other in a countywide competition, and the top teams from each county will participate in a state competition. This year, the Germantown Library is working with a national “Battle of the Books” organization that allows the state’s winning team to have a shot at participating in a nationwide competition.
As the Germantown “Battle of the Books” competition has grown, so have local participants in other states. Page says there are 20-25 teams signed up in Tennessee so far, but they are always looking for more. There is no cost to participate.
Mayor Palazzolo says he is thrilled to see the growth in the competition.
"Germantown has a strong commitment toward public education and life-long learning,” Palazzolo says. “Our community promotes early childhood literacy through the support of Books from Birth, the national program known as The Big Read and now through promotion and support of ‘Battle of the Books.’ We are fortunate to have an incredible asset in the Germantown Community Library providing support and leadership in these programs.”
Jennifer Mock, the lead librarian at the Germantown Municipal School District, says “Battle of the Books” has helped students get excited to read.
“The best part of this program, besides getting your team excited about books and reading, is that same excitement spreads to all their classmates and friends who root for them,” Mock says. “Once the season ends, the rest of my student population can't wait to get their hands on the ‘battle books’ - books they might never have considered if it weren't for Battle of the Books.”
