Students are turning a new page in the Middle School with the introduction of a Battle of the Books competition. It’s designed to engage more boys in pleasure reading while bringing out their competitive spirit.
“It was good for me because I’m not usually a big reader. Having a competition that I could look forward to and encouraged me to read has helped,” said Max S. ’29. “It really gets you excited about it.”
To qualify for the competition, students were required to read at least one of four books selected by Middle School Librarian Ann Liu. They were then sorted into five teams and faced a series of questions about the books.
“One of the best parts of the competition is the way it gets them talking about the books. They quiz each other at lunch and during breaks,” Liu said. “I think they’re surprised by how much detail they need to remember. It pushes them to read more carefully—not just for speed, but for comprehension.”
For the past two years, Liu has invited Middle Schoolers to represent Landon in a regional Battle of the Books with other schools in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. However, each school is only allotted two teams of four – limiting participation. So, she launched the Landon version.
“I wanted to increase boys' participation, expand the number of books they read throughout the school year, and provide a fun competition among peers rather than against other schools. It was important to me to reel in the boys that would not normally participate in something like this,” said Liu.
She accomplished that by reducing the number of books these busy Form I and II students had to read to qualify.
“I read Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan and New Kid by Jerry Craft,” said Jack G.’29. He participated in both regional battles, but said this format with his fellow Bears was much more manageable.
Max agrees. “I started by reading Resist by Alan Gratz because it was a pretty easy read, and I thought the competition would be a fun thing to do and add onto my plate in the eighth-grade year. It ended up being really fun.”
Liu said she’s excited to add the Battle of the Books to other Ellicott Library programming. She hosts bi-monthly Reader's Roundtable pizza lunches, where students share recommendations about books they've enjoyed, and even uses their recommendations to expand the library collection.
Liu also invites popular authors to visit and speak with the boys, hosting book clubs before the events for students both familiar and unfamiliar with the author's work.
“Next year’s eighth graders will have the experience and can encourage the seventh graders. I’ve asked them to help me select the books for competition,” Liu said. “They are psyched to do it again!”
Boys thrive at Landon because every aspect of our program is designed intentionally for them, including reading instruction. Learn more about how third graders gain reading confidence, and watch this video about our Upper School book clubs.