other people in and out so that everyone got a chance.”

     These books’ content are tested based on different characters and events of each story with each question beginning with “In which book”. This past competition lasted approximately three and a half hours with 18 rounds where each of the four teams faced each other several times.

     “You have six people on your team, six people on the other school’s team and somebody asks questions,” sophomore Helen Wilford said. “They are usually like ‘in which book does something specific happen’ and you have to talk amongst your team.” 

     While the competition's requirements remained the same this year, preparation for the competition required several changes. The team has had to switch practice from their usual setting in the media center to practicing weekly through Zoom.

     “The hardest thing was not recognizing my teammates,” Wilford said. “When we did practices, I didn’t know who was saying what, so if I didn't know, I wasn’t sure who would know this during the competition.”

     Along with the challenge of having to practice virtually, the team’s actual competition format was different from previous years. Each of the four teams were spread out at different locations with the Rose team choosing to reside in the media center. This was the first instance the entire team has gathered together face-to-face.

     “We were six feet apart in the library and we couldn’t really hear the lady that was asking the questions so it was difficult to hear,” Klugh said. “Usually we’d be in a room with microphones and stuff like that.”

     Klugh also competed as one of the eleven in the competition and was thankful for the opportunity that Battle of the Books provided in allowing an academic outlet for competitiveness.

     Many Battle of the Books members seem to seem to appreciate the opportunity the competition gives them to expand their horizons in regards to which books they like to read.

     “The book list is different every year so I get to read books I wouldn’t have normally thought to read otherwise and they usually turn out to be pretty cool,” Wilford said.
     With an anticipated ten members returning to the team next year, many feel excited to continue their passion for reading through advancing potentially to the state round next year. It was cancelled for 2021 due to the pandemic.

     If you wish to join the Battle of the Books team, please email McDaniel at: mcdania@pitt.k12.nc.us.