What is Battle of the Books (BoB)?
It’s a countywide competition of young adults from more than a dozen participating Westchester public libraries. We have two Croton teams — grades 4-7 and 8-12 — that practice weekly to answer trivia questions based on five books selected by librarians from all over the county.
Teams have weekly practices before the final battle, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Ossining High School.
The 2024 season is over! Email gwen@crotonfreelibrary.org to be put on the notification list for 2025.
About Battle of the Books
- Grades 4-7, Younger Division: Thursdays, 7-8pm, beginning Aug. 8
- Grades 8-12, Older Division: Tuesdays, 7-8pm, beginning Aug. 6
Anyone in Croton or Cortlandt who’s entering grades 4-12 (or their homeschool equivalents) in fall 2024.
The 2024 season is over! Email gwen@crotonfreelibrary.org to be put on the list for 2025.
Teams will practice once a week until the final battle on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Students receive their books in late June, and are encouraged to get a head start on reading them during the summer!
Each year, the Westchester Library System’s BoB committee nominates and votes on our books. They’re diverse, interesting, and fun!
Books for grades 4-7:
- Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland
- The Swifts by Beth Lincoln
- The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters
- Mabuhay by Zachary Sterling
- The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz
Books for grades 8-12:
- We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
- Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry
- Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
- Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Each division must have at least three members each to participate.
Please note: Each team is capped at 10 participants, and if there is a lot of interest, we may need to draw for spots.
Team coaches: Nikki Rank (Younger Division) & Gillian Rothchild (Older Division)
Team adviser: Gwen Glazer
Students get to know five books inside and out, and meet other book enthusiasts! Our program is structured like a book club for the first several meetings, and then we start practicing to compete against teams from other libraries as the season goes on.