NRHEG students battle over book knowledge
Members of “Old Spice,” a team of fourth grade boys, listen intently as the moderator asks a question about one of the 12 books they read. The team of Brecken Luna, Kashton Gehrke, Julian Naser, Jacob Lewer, and Collin Misgen was edged out in a preliminary round. Staff photo by Kay Fate
How many questions could you answer about the last book you read?
How about the last 12 books you read?
That was the task in front of six teams of fourth and fifth graders at NRHEG Elementary School during the Sixth Annual Battle of the Books.
It’s a national program that challenges students to become experts on 12 books from a chosen list – everything from timeless classics to current bestsellers.
It’s voluntary, designed to encourage reading among students, who then compete in teams to answer questions about plots, characters, themes, and more.
In Ellendale, the competition started in February, as part of “I Love to Read” month.
The rounds are timed. Each team had a buzzer to eliminate the guesswork about who could answer first.
Of the 12 books, two are typically similar in either characters or plots.
“If a question is asked, they have to have actually read the book, or they won’t know which one it is,” said Jenny Bunn, a fourth-grade teacher who helps facilitate the program.
Though only fourth and fifth graders compete, “we encourage all the kids to read the books, because if they get stuck on a question up on stage, they can ‘phone a class.’ They can quick run down and ask a class to help them out, so we try to get all the kids involved in it,” she said.
The event returned after a two-year hiatus for COVID, which affected participation numbers, Bunn said.
“This one is a little smaller, they don’t really know what it’s about,” since these students were just first and second graders the last time a competition was held, she said.
“If they had any older brothers and sisters, they know about it, but other than that, this is new to them,” Bunn said. “We always invite the third-grade class to come watch, because that gets them pumped up for next year.”
After four rounds, the fifth-grade team called “Peaches” took home the championship medals.
The books and their authors:
“The Wild Robot,” by Peter Brown
“The Chalk Box Kid,” by Clyde R. Bulla
“Miss Rumphius,” by Barbara Cooney
“Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher,” by Bruce Coville
“Moo,” by Sharon Creech
“The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog,” by John R. Erickson
“Earthquake Terror,” by Peg Kehret
“Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things,” by Lenore Look
“All About Sam,” by Lois Lowry
“The Worst Best School Year Ever,” by Barbara Robinson
“Rowan of Rin,” by Emily Rodda
“I Survived the Eruption of Mt. St. Helens 1980,” by Lauren Tarshis
Fourth-grade teams:
Whoppers: Asa Wilson, Justin Possin, Abe Chance, Josh Estrada, and Tate Michales
The Nerdies: Jessariah Gilbertson, Olivia Louks, Kenzi Buenger, Alayna DeShanne, Daisy Ettlin, and Haven Hanson
Old Spice: Jacob Lewer, Brecken Luna, Julian Naser, Collin Misgen, and Kashton Gehrke
Fifth-grade teams:
Peaches: Camellia Lynne; Cali Nelson, Kali Peterson, Mikayla Lewer, and Tiffany Jenkins
Book: Grace Riskedahl, Madison Shultz, Kenzi Ward, Dylan Malakowsky, and Hayden Ripka
Toad Readers: Adelynne Grams, Addison Quade, and Violette Botten