Battle of the Books 2012 is now under way in the Middle School at AIS-R.  Another fun-filled kickoff assembly was held February 20^th, as teachers once again battled to demonstrate to their kids the excitement and purpose of Battle of the Books. The intent of Battle of the Books is to get our kids excited about reading, light a fire under reluctant readers, and promote reading as a rewarding pursuit. This is a volunteer program where students make the decision to read outside of what is assigned in class and in so doing, begin to acquire the habits of a lifelong reader.

All students will be reading as many of the chosen 20 titles as possible -- over a period of two to three months. Questions for the battles will be written by students and based on literary elements like plot, setting, and characterization. Teams will be formed, battles staged, and playoff rounds held as we head toward the finals. Although there is a competitive element to BOB, we continually stress that reading isn't a competitive endeavor, but by adding this element, we hope to jump-start kids who have not yet found the reading habit. By working in teams and writing questions about the books, students begin to bond as a team, share the excitement of the books they are reading, and gain new knowledge -- not only of the books they are reading -- but of the authors of these books, and genres of books they might not have considered before.

New this year, we have created a blog site for the Battle of the Books. It includes a discussion blog spot where kids can talk about the books, pictures of the book covers and summaries, links to book “previews” – video trailers designed to get kids interested in the books, and the question database. Access to the blog will be through Moodle and can be accessed from home.

Announcement of the final battles will be made when dates are firm and parents will be invited. If you have a chance, please take a look at some of the books your kids are bringing home -- you might be surprised by the high quality of young adult literature these days!