At the beginning of May, students at Williamson Middle School put their reading knowledge to the test in the annual Battle of the Books competition. After competing in an in-school tournament, several students traveled to Sodus to face off against teams from both Sodus and Wayne Central.

Battle of the Books is a trivia-style competition open to students in grades 5-8. Teams of three to five students read a set list of books and are then quizzed on the content in a game-show format. All teams can answer each question, earning points for correct answers without any penalties for incorrect ones. It’s a fun and engaging way to celebrate literature and build teamwork, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills.

This year’s book list included:

• No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy

• Northwind by Gary Paulsen

• The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

• Wish by Barbara O'Connor

• Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

• The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day

Thanks to a Special Project Grant from the Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC), this year’s participants were able to enjoy several exciting extras. The grant helped provide each student with their own copies of the competition books to keep, snacks during meetings, t-shirts, and fun prizes following the tournament.

Williamson Middle School is proud of all the students who participated and grateful to the RRLC for supporting a love of reading and friendly academic competition.
Learn more about the RRLC’s Special Project Grants here: https://rrlc.org/services/grant-opportunities/special-project-grant