Rye Team Wins Battle of the Books

RYE, NY — Rye took the children's team trophy in the third annual Westchester Library System Battle of the Books.

Nearly 250 young people representing 16 libraries participated in the event, sponsored by the HOPE for Youth Foundation, took place Oct. 15 at Ossining High School. The Popcornians, representing the Somers Library, won the Teens Tournament; and the Rye Rockets, representing the Rye Free Reading Room, won the Children’s Tournament.

Westchester Library System’s Battle of the Books is a fast-paced trivia competition for avid readers entering Grades 4 –10. Both competitions were on the same day.

Somers Library’s Teen team, the Popcornians, were coached by Tara Ferretti, a Young Adult Librarian. Their team included Leigha Carnow, Max Caron, Keira Ferretti, Jordan Han, Aine Hoekstra, Amanda Jen, Maria Klimentova, Matthew Kushner, Marguerite Pugliese, Nitin Seshradi, and Jaewon Yeo.

In the Final Battle, they defeated the Keeler Battlers (representing the neighboring Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem).

The Rye Rockets were coached by Lisa Dettling, a Children’s Librarian. Their team included Connelly Boyle, Ayden Hufford, Leyla Murati, and Lily Shaaban.

In the Final Battle, they defeated the defending champions, the Bedford Brainiacs (representing the Bedford Free Library).

“All of my team members participated in the 2015 Battle, where we were at the bottom of the pack. That was so disappointing for the team after they had worked so hard,” Dettling said. This year, “We worked really hard in practices to learn about the books, and practiced with the buzzers. We also worked hard getting to know each other and found each team member’s strengths so we could use them to our advantage. With a team of only four kids, we were able to really focus on what each person brought to the table,” she added.

The first and second place teams in both brackets received trophies to bring home to their libraries. (Like the Stanley Cup, these trophies travel each year from winner to winner.) This year, as the Children’s champions, the Rye Free Reading Room received a collection of non-fiction books donated by Cherry Hill Press. The Teens champions each received a bookmark signed by Stacey Lee, author of Under a Painted Sky.

Battle of the Books was conceived by Liz Anastasi, who is now a Teen Services Librarian at the Greenburgh Public Library. Says Anastasi, “Battle of the Books promotes a love of reading for kids and teens and, perhaps most importantly, inspires teamwork and good sportsmanship in an atmosphere of friendly competition.”

Children’s Tournament

Participants in the Children’s Battle of the Books read the following works:

· Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America (Jim Murphy, 2006)

· Crispin: The Cross of Lead (Avi, 2002)

· The Fourteenth Goldfish (Jennifer L. Holm, 2014)

· Gods of Manhattan (Scott Mebus, 2008)

· Rules (Cynthia Lord, 2006)

Teens’ Tournament:

Participants in the Teens Battle of the Books read the following novels:

· Counting by 7’s (Holly Goldberg Sloan, 2013)

· Every Day (David Levithan, 2012)

· Dead End in Norvelt (Jack Gantos, 2011)

· Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeiffer, 2006)

· Under A Painted Sky (Stacey Lee, 2015)

Participating Libraries

The following libraries participated:

Ardsley Public Library

Bedford Free Library

Briarcliff Manor Public Library

Bronxville Public Library

Eastchester Public Library

Greenburgh Public Library

Hendrick Hudson Free Library (Montrose)

John C. Hart Memorial Library (Shrub Oak)

Larchmont Public Library

Mount Pleasant Public Library

Ossining Public Library

Ruth Keeler Memorial Library (N. Salem)

Rye Free Reading Room

Somers Library

Town of Pelham Public Library

White Plains Public Library

About Westchester Library System

For almost 60 years, Westchester Library System (WLS) has served as a provider of services for the 38 public libraries of Westchester County. One of New York State’s 23 library systems, established under the State Department of Education Law, WLS' mission is to provide services and support that assist Westchester public libraries’ efforts to empower and improve communities with extensive, open access to information, technology and personal development tools. WLS is supported by funds from member library fees, federal, state and county government, foundations, corporations, and individuals.