Avondale students battle over books

An Avondale School District team from Auburn Elementary took first place in the annual Battle of the Books competition sponsored by the Auburn Hills Library. Team Keepers of Knowledge members, Manonmani Ravela, Grace Barron, Lily King, Kayla Miller, Emma Walters and Delaney Levesque are all fifth grade students at the school. Teams were required to read six books over three months to prepare for the competition. Supported by either a parent or a school staff member, the group then practices answering questions about the book and the author. “There is a lot of team building when the kids are involved in preparing for the Battle,” said Tricia Kowalski, media manager at Deerfield and Woodland elementary schools. “The students have to work in their groups, cooperate and be accountable to each other for the success of the team.”

In its 20-year history, the competition has engaged thousands of students. This year, almost 100 Avondale students from Auburn, Deerfield, R. Grant Graham and Woodland elementary schools participated. Candie Carnahan, a youth services assistant at the Auburn Hills Library likes the program because it fosters a broadening of the fifth grade readers’ horizons. “It allows students to step outside of their reading comfort zones and explore different genres and subject matters they might not normally choose.” Carnahan and youth librarian Tina Rossow organized and hosted the event at Avondale High School where two additional Avondale teams also placed in the top three.

The Raging Bookcats from Deerfield Elementary took second place and The Super Readers from Woodland Elementary took third. Prizes at the event were also awarded to The Funky, Chunky Reading Wizards from Deerfield Elementary for Best Team Name and to The Super Readers from Woodland Elementary for Best Costumes. First place team members received $10 Barnes & Noble gift cards as well a trophy engraved with their team and school name. All other teams who placed during the event including Best Name and Best Costume, were awarded $5 gift cards to Barnes & Noble.

Carnahan summed up why the library is proud to continue the tradition of sponsoring the Battle, “it is our hope that in doing so, each child might learn something new—either about themselves or the world they live in. Or, at the very least, have fun working as a team and eating cookies after the Battle is over. Either way, each student that competes is a winner in our eyes.”

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