Youth Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books is a friendly reading competition among students in grades 5 – 12. Battles are broken up by grade level: 5^th Grade Battle, 6-8^th Grade Battle, and 9-12^th Grade Battle. Through Battle of the Books, students are challenged to read a variety of books they may not otherwise be exposed to and work with a team of peers to answer trivia questions about the books.

For the 2026-2027 school year Youth Battle of the Books is open to Pittsburgh Public School students in grades 5th-12th only.

New titles are selected for each year’s Battle. The books appeal to a wide range of interest and include award-winners, star-reviewed titles, and a range of Lexile levels that are fitting for the grade level they are assigned. Works of many genres are selected so that students can read a variety of great works and become exposed to authors they may not have known about prior to participating in the battle. Since new books are chosen each year, the lists always look a little different, but can include realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy, historical fiction, humor, graphic novels, and more.

The Battle of the Books committee views selecting books for the program as a serious undertaking. Titles are suggested based on Lexile level, appeal to students, starred reviews and awards, PPS reading lists, book availability, publication date, and genre. Attention is made to highlight diverse voices. With input from other CLP staff, the committee selects its list of books. Sincere effort is made to develop a diverse group of titles that encompass a variety of genres and reading experiences. Books that are part of a series are only considered if they are the first title in the series.

Battle of the Books is a great opportunity for students to read new books while also engaging in teamwork, friendly competition, and a super exciting trivia contest! Since Battle of the Books requires students to team up with friends and classmates, they practice the fundamentals of group work: communication, commitment, and responsibility. Throughout the course of several weeks, students must work with their teammates to stick to a reading schedule, practice questions, and of course, read books! By leaning on each other, students get hands-on experience with group assignments and sticking to deadlines, in a friendly and engaging way that can help them succeed in school and beyond.

All selected book titles are available as circulating copies in CLP’s collection, which all PPS students have access to through their CardFest library cards. (Even if the student lost their physical card, their library account exists in our system and their card can easily be replaced.)

Most, if not all, titles are available in a variety of formats including print, eBook, and Audio books.

For the 2026 – 2027 school year, giveaway copies will be given to the first 20 teams that register for Battle of the Books. Each participating school library will receive one set of books.

• Anyone in the district who has 5th – 12th grade students interested in Battle of the Books can form a team
• Teams will ideally include 5-7 team members but can be smaller or larger
• Every team must have an adult sponsor
• Sponsors will register their team by the designated deadline
• Sponsors will encourage team members to read the books!
• Sponsors will meet with the team. The more the team meets, the more prepared they’ll be.
  • Suggested activities for meetings include working out a reading schedule, quizzing each other on the books, and learning author names.
• Sponsors can sponsor more than one team
• Sponsors must be PPS staff members or a designated parent / guardian sponsor
• Sponsors must be present for the full Battle of the Books event
• Sponsors are responsible for managing team members’ behavior during the event

Battles will take place in March of 2027 at a PPS school during the school day.

Schools will receive reimbursement for bus rental.

Recommended team size is 5-7 students but can be smaller or larger.

There will be 3 rounds of trivia questions—round one: Character, round two: Setting, and round three: Plot. Each round will include one to two questions from each book.

There is an Emcee who hosts Battle and asks trivia questions. There will be judges who collect the answers, tally points, and handle any disputed questions or answers. The Emcee will read each question twice, and then teams will be given 30 seconds to input their answers. After 30 seconds, the Emcee will ask the next question. During break times, the Judges will go over the answers and tally scores, and the Emcee will announce the correct answers and current score counts.

Sponsors can decide if they want their team(s) to create an art project (i.e. poster, diorama, alternative book cover) to hype team members and/or wear matching shirts or decorate t-shirts with their team name.

Points are allocated based on the number of correct book trivia questions answered. In the event of a tie, a numerical tie-breaker question will be asked to determine the winner. Participants will receive a trophy.