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MIDDLE SCHOOL BATTLE OF THE BOOKS OVERVIEW
 

Click Here to View the Official Book List
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  • Competitors in Grades 6-8 have the option of participating individually or as a team of 2.
    (Teams and Individuals will be scored separately)
     

  • *REGISTRATION IS CLOSED*
    All participants should fill out the registration form from January 11 through 8pm on February 3. (If you have a partner, you both will need to fill out the form!)
     

  • What does the competition look like?

    • 2 Virtual Battles for all competitors

    • The Penultimate Battle: a live competition on the Auditorium stage for the top 10 teams and top 10 individuals 

    • The Final Battle: a live Jeopardy-style battle in MCTV studios for the top 3 teams and top 3 individuals (If you don't make it to the Final Battle we encourage you and your team to watch MCTV's live stream or recoding of the Championship Battle!)
       

  • Prizes!

    • All competitors who finish the first AND second virtual Battles will receive a Battle of the Books T-shirt. Shirts will be delivered to the schools for distribution.

    • Competitors who are invited to the Penultimate Battle will receive a Battle of the Books button to commemorate their experience.

    • The winners of Final Battle will have their names engraved on a trophy that will be on display for the year at their school and will earn $250 for their school library to purchase new books

    • The second-place teams at Final Battle will earn $150 for their school library to purchase new books

    • Participation Award: The school with the highest participation rate receives $100 for their school library to purchase new books

    • Additionally, the Library plans to do a special presentation of the check and/or Trophy with the winning team in front of the school or their classmates, recognizing their hard work and alignment with the school's commitment to academic excellence.​

​​​​HELPFUL HINTS FOR PARTICIPANTS

 

  • Attend the Kickoff on January 11th from 10:00-11:00am! We are excited to get started and we hope you are, too.
     

  • Have fun reading all 5 books! Consider taking notes on each book to help you remember details.
     

  • If you have friends who are also competing, talk about the books and quiz each other—it’s a great way to review.
     

  • Attend the Middle School Celebration following the Penultimate Battle. It’s for ALL participants and their families!

Schedule

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MIDDLE SCHOOL BATTLE OF THE BOOKS 2025 SCHEDULE

 

January 11: Middle School Kick-off, 10:00-11:00am

Online Registration opens and Battle books will be available.

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February 3: Registration Closes at 8:00pm

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February 9-16: Practice Battle Open (Virtual)

 

February 17-19: First Middle School Written Battle (Virtual)

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February 24-26: Second Middle School Written Battle (Virtual)


March 6: Penultimate Battle (Top 10 Individuals & Top 10 Teams) 
Auditorium, 4:30pm   

*Middle School Celebration for all teams to follow at 5:30pm on the Library's Mezzanine

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March 13: Final Battle (Jeopardy-Style)
MCTV Studio, 4:00pm (Individuals) & 5:00pm (Teams) 
Teams will Battle in person and be recorded by MCTV

Sample Questions

SAMPLE QUESTIONS
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The following are some examples of questions asked in the Battles.

Not all questions will fall into these precise categories.

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1. “Name of important character or significant nickname of a minor character”

Give the first and last name of the battle character who heard voices in their head ever since they could remember.​

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2. “In what book” 

In what book does a battle character have a favorite Gen-Gyro-Gang hoodie that he sometimes wears 3 days in a row?

 

3. “Comparison with another book(s) on the list”

In ONE LAST SHOT, Frank apologizes to Malcolm for talking like Yoda. In what other battle book does a character frequently reverse the word order in her sentences, earning her the nickname Mrs. Backwards?

 

4. “Important setting or location”

Petra and her family are leaving Earth to colonize a planet hundreds of years away. What is the name of this planet?

 

5. “Give one out of two or more possibilities”

Mr. Fanshaw is very excited to learn about the P. A. G., but he tells Cam that every school club needs two things. Name one of these two requirements.

 

6. “Short answer – significant title, event or object”

In PRIMER, what is the first thing we see "Primer" do?

 

7. “Quotation directly from the book” 

Ashley says "No one's ever…ever done anything like this for me before." What is she referring to?

 

8. “Definition of unique terms or important words”

In what book is the term "latchkey child" used to describe having to hang out alone after school until a grown-up gets home to make dinner? 

 

 

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ANSWERS

1.     Malcolm (Anderson, p 4)

2.     THE LAST CUENTISTA (Higuera, p 15)

3.     SLACKER (Korman, p 13)

4.     Sagan (Higuera, p 10)

5.     1) Approval from the guidance department  2) Faculty adviser (Korman p 46-47)

6.     Save a falling plane (Mura, p 13-17)

7.     Her birthday party (Mura, p 93)

8.     WHEN YOU REACH ME (Stead, p 3)

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