A reader’s Olympics: Islanders compete in a ‘Battle of the Books’
The Battlers — Madeleine McNally, Henry Lowell-Liszanckie, Jasper Yang and Emmett Cummings — convene outside the library gearing up for the competition.
Picture this: Six pre-teens and teens huddle around a table, enthusiastically debate the particulars of a book, and finally arrive at consensus.
A parent’s fantasy?
No, reality this summer at the Shelter Island Library.
With books as their tools and librarians as their coaches, the participants of “Team Shelter Island” have been training all summer for the upcoming “Suffolk County Battle of the Books,” an annual competition dedicated to exciting and inspiring its contestants.
Now in its twentieth year, the Battle of the Books is an inter-library, county-wide program focusing on eight young-adult novels, for readers in grades 6 through 9. On the day of the Battle, teams participate in four rounds, with each round covering two of the eight books. Each team is given 20 questions per round that can range in topic from plot details to author information to quote identification. The four top teams will compete in the County Championship on Monday, August 15, at Stony Brook University.
The six Island teammates have been reading all summer in preparation for the upcoming Battle. They read eight books chosen by the competition, including “Hope Was Here” by Joan Bauer, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J. K. Rowling and “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” by E.L. Konigsburg.
The readers received the books on June 1, and the first meeting took place on June 13. Since then, there have been biweekly meetings to discuss the books and take practice quizzes, keeping the goal of victory in mind.
Jamie LaGasse, head of the library’s youth programs and coach of the team, said this is not her first Battle, but it is her first with the Shelter Island team. A grant from the Shelter Island Educational Foundation helped provide the readers with the books and other materials for the competition, she said.
Named for a nefarious villain from one of the books, the players havedesignated themselves the “Dog-Hats,” inspired by “What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World,” by Henry Clark. They plan to arrive at the competition in costume, possibly as Hope from “Hope Was Here,” or Mr. Clark’s sofa.
Madeleine McNally, a summer resident and three-year veteran of the library’s team, proudly remarked, “This is the highlight of my year.”
Since this is the last year that Maddie is eligible for the competition, she plans is to go out with a bang.
“The point is to get the kids to read,” Ms. LaGasse said.
In that case, team Shelter Island has had a victorious summer.
Supporters are welcome to attend competitions on both days of the Battle, but must provide their own transportation. During the rounds, no photography or recording is allowed and electronic devices must be silenced. For more information, call (631) 749-0042 ext. 108.
