Battle of the Books 2013 winners!

The Battle of the Books 2013 at the Orion Township Public Library was epic, ending with a nail-biting tie-breaker for first place!

On Saturday, March 16, about 200 Lake Orion fifth graders lined the gymnasium floor of the Scripps Middle School. The bleachers were filled with anxious coaches and parents. The librarians fired off 50 of the hardest questions they could write about fifteen books, but those fifth graders rose to the challenge. They had studied the fifteen books well, and even the stumpers didn’t break their spirits. When the dust cleared on that Saturday, the unbelievable happened: we had a tie for first place.

Two teams came to the Orion Library on Monday, March 18: The Bookie Wookies and The ?????. Question after question was asked by Debra Refior, the head of the Youth Services department, and both teams kept answering the questions correctly! In the end, one team pulled ahead by one question, and The ????? took first place.

All of the teams were honored at Battle of the Books Awards Ceremony at the Lake Orion High School Auditorium on Tuesday, March 19. Ruth McNally Barshaw, an author/illustrator whose book Elllie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel was studied for the Battle, wowed the crowd with her amazing doodles and inspirational stories.

The Orion Township Public Library’s Youth Service department is overwhelmed with pride for the students, their coaches, and their parents. The costumes were fantastic, the team names were creative, and good sportsmanship was upheld by everyone. Every fifth grader there read something they wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. For the librarians, that means they all won.

For more information about the Battle of the Books, please visit: http://orionlibrary.org/children.asp