The battle is on. The book battle, that is.
The Battle of the Books is a nationwide program that encourages kids to read and gives them the opportunity to battle others with their newfound book knowledge. This summer, the battle was on in Brainerd, Minn.
“What a great bunch of readers in Brainerd!” said Margi, “Some may have scored better on the Windswept questions than I did. Thanks to all for the warm welcome!”
Sponsored by Friends of the Brainerd Public Library, many books (including Windswept!) were written by Minnesota authors or taking place in Minnesota — of various genres with different themes. There are stories of fantasy, realistic fiction and historical fiction, dealing with themes like love, loss, forgiveness, diversity, acceptance, tolerance and war.
Participants will read four books — one every three weeks — in the summer. After finishing each book, there will be a book club event of sorts for students to discuss the books with both adult volunteers and other students. The following week, they’ll get to meet the author, who will appear either in person or via Zoom.
The final battle will take place in September. Kids will be split into groups of four and go head-to-head with their peers, answering questions about the books they read.