Pawling Library competes in the Mid-Hudson Battle of the Books
On Saturday, September 8th, 24 Mid-Hudson libraries battled it out in the Mid-Hudson Middle School Battle of the Books. The Battle of the Books is a summer reading program in which middle school students read a selection of eight novels then compete in a bracketed trivia competition against teams from other libraries. The mission statement of the program is to create “a community of engaged middle- and high-school-aged readers in our five-county region by introducing them to great books, authors, and their fellow readers in an atmosphere of friendly competition and good sportsmanship.”
Librarians and staff from participating libraries work year-round to organize the competition, selecting the books, writing questions, recruiting volunteers, and communicating with the venue. Team members work hard reading the books and attending team practice over the summer. They discuss and analyze the books, do practice questions, and travel to local libraries for practice battles. The Pawling Library sent a team of four girls to the competition, and they made it through several rounds before being eliminated. Most importantly, they had fun and were able to meet their peers from other towns in the region. The winning teams were Beacon in first place, Clinton in second place, and Brewster in third place.
