The Area-Wide Book Battle Site Has Moved

Please be aware that our book battle page has changed. You can follow this link to our new page here.

And the Winners Are...10th Annual Area Wide-Book Battle Highlights

Once again  some of the best area-wide middle school readers got to show off the power of words in the 10th Annual Area-Wide book Battle. All of the students who battled deserve high praise for their dedication to reading. As teachers and librarians we hope that their love of reading follows them throughout the rest of the lives.

That being said, the book Battle Committee wants to honor the winners of this year's battle...

Our First place winner is Rockwood South Middle 

In Second Place Pattonville Heights Middle School

and 

In Third Place Holman Middle School

We would also like extend a special thanks John David Anderson for being a part of this year's Battle.

Rest up and get ready for next year's 

11th Annual Area-Wide Book Battle

And the Answer Is...

 

This week's Question of the Week was...

In which book does a boy get to play football because his mom was out voted two to one?

And the answer is...

SYLO by D.J. MacHale

Here are all the schools that correctly answered this week's question...

Cross Keys Middle

Hazelwood North Middle

Oakville Middle

Hazelwood Northwest Middle

Rockwood South Middle

Ladue Middle

Hixson Middle

The Fulton School

Ft. Zumwalt North Middle

St Gabriel

Holman Middle

Pattonville Heights Middle

Brittany Woods Middle

Congratulations to all the school that correctly answered this week's question.

With only two more weeks before the battle begins, this will be the last Question of the Week.  Looking forward to seeing all the teams come together and show off their reading prowess. 

The next post you will see will have the winners of the 2017 Area-Wide Book Battle.  May the force be with each and everyone of you!

Question of the Week #13

I apologize for the late start today, I was late getting to school and as par for the course, I forgot to write the post.

So here is this week's Question the Week...

In which book does a boy get to play football because his mom was out voted two to one?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author along with your school's name.

And the Answer Is...

Last week's question was...

In which book does the protagonist keep tools inside his/her gloves?

And the Answer Is...

Rook by Sharon Cameron 

Here are the schools who correctly answered this week's question...

Rockwood South Middle

Pattonville Heights Middle

Ladue Middle

Hixson Middle

Hazelwood North Middle

Brittany Woods Middle

Congratulations to all the school who correctly answered this week's question.

Question of the Week #12

This week's Question of the Week is...

In which book does the protagonist keep tools inside his/her gloves?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author of the book and the name of your school. Please only one answer per team.

And the Answer Is...

This week's Question of the Week was...

In which book do characters decorate a Christmas tree with feathers, popcorn, and buttons?

And the answer is...

Stella By Starlight by Sharon Draper

Here are the schools who correctly answered this week's question.

Hazelwood North Middle

Cross Keys Middle

Rockwood South Middle

The Fulton School

Ft. Zumwaldt North Middle

Brittany Woods

Oakville Middle

Question of the Week #11

This week's Question of the Week is...

In which book do characters decorate a Christmas tree with feathers, popcorn, and buttons?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author of the book along with the name of your school.

And the Answer Is...

Last week's Question of the Week was...

In which book is an antagonist an apiologist?

And the Answer Is...

Sidekick by John David Anderson

Here are the schools who correctly answered this week's question

Cross Keys Middle

Hazelwood North Middle

Hixson Middle

Pattonville Height Middle

Ladue Middle

The Fulton School

Oakville Middle

Rockwood South Middle

Congratulations to all the schools who participated and got the correct answer.

Question of the Week # 10

This week's Question of the Week Is...

In which book is an antagonist an apiologist?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author of the book along with your school's name.

And the Answer Is...

Last week's Question of the Week was ...

In which book does a character find a black t-shirt, jeans, a CD, and a red chrysanthemum?

And the Answer Is...

The Great Green Heist by Varian Johnson

Here are the schools who correctly answered this week's question.

Our Lady of Lourdes

St Gabriel

St Clare of Assisi

The Fulton School

Oakville Middle

Rockwood South Middle

Hixson Middle

Ladue Middle

Congratulations to all the school who got the answer right!

Question of the Week #9

This week's Question of the Week is...

In which book does a character find a black t-shirt, jeans, a CD, and a red chrysanthemum?

Remember to include in your answer your the title and author of the book and the name of your school.

This week's Question of the Week was...

In which book does the protagonist point out to her grandfather that he has been playing solitaire wrong his whole life?

And the Answer is...

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Here is a list of all the school who correctly answered this week's question

Oakville Middle

Ft Zumwalt North Middle

Cross Keys

Pattonville Heights Middle

Rockwood South Middle

St Clare of Assisi

Hinson Middle

Hazelwood North Middle

The Fulton School

Feature Book of the Week Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper

Feature Book of the Week

Stella by Starlight

by 

Sharon Draper

Stella lives in the segregated South—in Bumblebee, North

Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can’t. Some folks are right pleasant. Others are a lot less so. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn’t bothered them for years. But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something they’re never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, unwelcome change by any stretch of the imagination. As Stella’s community—her world—is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire. And she learns that ashes don’t necessarily signify an end.

About the Author

Sharon M. Draper is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Awards, and is a New York Times bestselling author, with Out of my Mind staying on the list for almost two years. She was selected as Ohio’s Outstanding High School Language Arts Educator, Ohio Teacher of the Year, and was chosen as a NCNW Excellence in Teaching Award winner. She is a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner, and was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum. She is a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, and is the recipient of the Dean’s Award from Howard University School of Education, the Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Marva Collins Education Excellence Award, and the Governor’s Educational Leadership Award. Last year she was named Ohio Pioneer in Education by the Ohio State Department of Education, and in 2008 she received the Beacon of Light Humanitarian award. In 2009 she received the Doctor of Laws Degree from Pepperdine University. In 2011, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the field of adolescent literature by The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as the 33rd Annual Jeremiah Luddington Award by the Educational Book and Media Association, also for lifetime achievement. In 2015 she was honored by the American Library Association as the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime literary achievement. (Check out more about this talented author at her website).

After this week the Comment Contest will be closed. So get your comments in this week!

Question of the Week # 8

This week's Question of the Week Is..

In which book does the protagonist point out to her grandfather that he has been playing solitaire wrong his whole life?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author's name along with your school's name.

And the Answer Is...

I apologize for not posting this on Friday. Parent teacher conferences on Wed. and Thurs. allowed me to sleep in on Friday, and I totally blanked on getting the post done.  Ah, well, better late than never.

Last week's Question of the Week was...

In Surround by Sharks what word is spelled wrong on the posters Tam and Pamela made about Davey?

And the Answer Is...

Missing.

Here are the schools, who correctly answered this week's question

Cross Keys

Hazelwood North Middle

Hinson Middle

St Clare of Assisi

The Fulton School

Rockwood South

Brittany Woods

St Gabriel

Congrats to all those who got this one correct.

Feature Book of the Week Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Feature Book of the Week

Tandem

by

Anna Jarzab

Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds, many lives—infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds, inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real—until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love—one who knows her secret, and one who believes she's someone she's not.  

About the Author

Anna Jarzab is the author of All Unquiet Things, The Opposite of Hallelujah and Tandem, the first book the Many-Worlds Trilogy. She lives in New York City and works in children’s book publishing.

Question of the #7

This week's Question of the Week is...

In Surround by Sharks what word is spelled wrong on the posters Tam and Pamela mad about Davey?

As you can read this is a bonus round question and requires a word answer instead of the title and author's name.  Make sure that you include in your answer your school's name. Please only one answer per team.

Good luck!

And the Answer Is...

This week's question was...

In what book does a character say someone is so hip that when he sits down he's still standing?

And the answer is...

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Here are the schools  who correctly answered this week's question

Hazelwood North Middle

The Fulton School

Cross Keys

Ladue Middle

Hinson Middle

Hazelwood Central

St Clare of Assisi

Rockwood South Middle

Hazelwood Northwest Middle

Brittany Woods Middle

Oakville Middle

St Gabriel

Check back Monday for another Question of the Week.

Also there only two more Feature Books of the Week posts, so make sure you participate in the comment contest, which will be closing  May 18.

Feature Book of the Week Rook by Sharon Cameron

Feature Book of the Week

Rook 

by 

Sharon Cameron

Centuries after a shifting of the Earth's poles, the Sunken City that was once Paris is in the grips of a revolution. All who oppose the new regime are put to the blade, except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy's arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

About the Author

I live in: Nashville, Tennessee, born and raised.
My Former Life: I have been a classical piano teacher, full-time mom (unpaid), part-time genealogist (also unpaid, but what does that matter, right?), chair of a non-profit for a local theater group (wait, that’s unpaid, too!), and a coordinator of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Midsouth Conference (guess I excelled at working for free!).

My life now: Still have my family, still coordinating that conference. I am also a writer. For this I get paid.

Question of the Week # 6

Time for another Question of the Week. This week's question...

In what book does a character say someone is so hip that when he sits down he's still standing?

Don't forget to provide both that title of the book as it appears on the official list, but the author of the book and the name of your school.

Also remember to continue commenting on the Feature Book of the Week posts now on Tuesday.

Keep reading! See you all soon.

And the Answer Is...

This week's Question of the Week was...

In what book does a character berate his mother for calling in sick?

And the Answer Is...

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe by Dan Poblocki

Here is a list of the school who correctly answered this week's question.

Hazelwood North Middle

Oakville Middle

Hazelwood Northwest Middle

St Gabriel

Cross Keys Middle

Pattonville Heights Middle

Ladue Middle

Hixson Middle

The Fulton School

Rockwood South Middle

Bayless Jr. High

Congratulations! Get ready for another question next week.

Featured Book of the Week Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Feature Book of the Week

Mila 2.0

by 

Debra Driza

Mila was never supposed to remember her past, or know what lurked beneath her synthetic skin. She was never meant to learn that she was "born" in a secret computer science lab and programmed with superhuman skills. But when a group of hooded men show up on her doorstep, hoping to strip her of her advanced technology, she has no choice but to run for her life. In every direction there are dangerous people, hunting her down. They will do whatever it takes to capture Mila, including hurting the people she cares about most.

About the Author

Debra Driza is a member of the teen lit blogging groups the Bookanistas and The League of Extraordinary Writers, and a former practicing physical therapist who discovered tormenting her characters was infinitely more enjoyable. These days you can find her at home in California, adding random colors to her hair and wrangling one husband, two kids, and an assortment of Rhodesian Ridgebacks (most of them naughty).

Question of the Week #5

This week's Question of the Week is....


In what book does a character berate his mother for calling in sick?

Remember to include in your answer the title and author of the book along with the name of your school.

Check back tomorrow for The Feature Book of the Week and Friday for the answer to this week's question.

And the Answers Are...

When preparing for the Book Battle, the committee members, who write the questions, spend time deciding which questions to use in the competition, which to send for the all the schools to use in practice, and which to use on the blog. We often throw questions out because they could be confused with another book.  This week's question is one of these. 

This week's Question of the Week was...


In which book does a character hide a book?

Therefore, the answers are...

Tandem by Anna Jarzab

and 

Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop

Here are the schools who correctly answered this week's question.

The Fulton School

Hazelwood North Middle

Rockwood South Middle

Oakville Middle

St Gabriel

Laude Middle
Hixson Middle

Pattonville Heights Middle

Hazelwood Northwest Middle

Feature Book of the Week: Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth

Feature Book of the Week

by

Coe Booth

It was one thing when Jarrett's mom took care of foster babies who needed help. But this time it's different. This time the baby who needs help has an older brother -- a kid Jarrett's age named Kevon.

Everyone thinks Jarrett and Kevon should be friends -- but that's not gonna happen. Not when Kevon's acting like he's better than Jarrett -- and not when Jarrett finds out Kevon's keeping some major secrets.

Jarrett doesn't think it's fair that he has to share his room, his friends, and his life with some stranger. He's gotta do something about it -- but what?

From award-winning author Coe Booth, Kinda Like Brothers is the story of two boys who really don't get along -- but have to find a way to figure it out.

About the Author

It's hard to write about myself, especially since I don't think I've had the most exciting life. So I’ll keep this simple. Real simple.

I was born and raised in New York City, in the borough of the Bronx. A lot of people ask me what it was like growing up in the Bronx, so I’ll say it was probably just like growing up in any other inner city. I went to public school, and when I didn’t have dancing school or piano lessons, I spent my free time jumping double dutch on the sidewalk and riding my bike up and down the block with my friends. Parking lots were our playgrounds and fire hydrants were our sprinklers on hot, sticky summer days. It was great!

I always say I started writing novels in second grade. Of course, back then my novels were just loose-leaf paper stapled together, but the stories were mine and I was proud of them. I loved the feeling of putting CHAPTER ONE on top of the first page and writing until there was a satisfying ending, or until one of my teachers caught me writing instead of paying attention in class and confiscated my book. I lost more novels that way!

By seventh grade, writing brought me a little bit of “fame.” My novels-in-progress would get passed around the class — behind the teacher’s back, of course — and by the end of the day my friends would beg me to write more. (Well, maybe they didn’t actually beg, but that’s how I choose to remember it!)

While I was in college, I had many jobs: I sold jewelry at a department store, worked at a bookstore, and taught creative writing and video production to kids and teens. My favorite job at that time was teaching memoir writing to senior citizens. I loved hearing all about their lives: growing up in the Bronx back in the 30s and 40s, their first loves, and all about how they had to fight to overcome racial discrimination back then. They had real powerful stories to write.

After I graduated from college in 1996, I started working with teenagers and families in crisis. A lot of the teens I worked with were homeless, involved with gangs, or addicted to drugs. Some were victims of child abuse and neglect. It was a tough job, but I was always impressed by the teens’ survival skills.

It was probably that job that inspired me to write TYRELL. I wanted to give readers a realistic portrayal of what it’s like to grow up in hard circumstances, especially when you have only yourself to count on. I began writing TYRELL while in the creative writing MFA program at The New School. I graduated in 2005, andTYRELL was published in 2006.  

My second book, KENDRA, was published in 2008.  For this novel I wanted to write about a girl trying to understand herself and her very complicated family, while experiencing her first relationship.  I wanted to explore the truth of some relationships, one where you're not really sure what's going on until you've gone too far. 

My third novel, BRONXWOOD, is the sequel to TYRELL.  I really loved getting back into Tyrell's head and seeing the world through his eyes again.  And, of course, I really wanted to know what happened next in Tyrell's life!  

My first book for middle-grade readers, KINDA LIKE BROTHERS, is in stores now!  
I live in the Bronx, working as a full-time writer and a part-time writing teacher at Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program.  In my free time, I volunteer for the NAACP ACT-SO program where I mentor teen writers.

My hobbies include reading (of course), playing piano, (very) amateur filmmaking, and traveling.  Some of my favorite places (so far) are France, Italy, Bermuda, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, England, and Spain!  And when I'm procrastinating from writing, you can find me wasting time on Facebook and Twitter.  

Check out more about Coe Booth on her website.