Libraries Gear Up For 19th Annual Battle Of The Books Teen Reading Competition

Buffalo and WNY teens and pre-teens are gearing up for the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Battle of the Books, this Saturday, August 5th, an exciting annual reading trivia competition featuring more than 150 contestants on 23 teams representing 14 area libraries. Get the details here!

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Battle of the Books takes place Saturday, August 5 at Erie Community College-South Campus Gymnasium, 4041 Southwestern Blvd. in Orchard Park. The public is encouraged to attend and support their favorite library team(s) during the fast-paced, nail-biting final round competition, which begins at approximately 11:15 a.m. This family-oriented event is free and open to the public.

Now in its 19th year, Battle of the Books pairs participating library teams against one another. Teams comprised of enthusiastic young readers entering sixth through ninth grades read the same five preselected books. Then, they spend months practicing challenging trivia questions pertaining to each book before the big Battle showdown. This year’s selected book titles are: The Apothecary by Maile Meloy, The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson, The Iron Trial by Holly Black, The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver.

This year’s Battle will honor David Fairlie, a beloved and dedicated librarian from Clarence Public Library who passed away earlier this year. Fairlie coached several Clarence teams to victory throughout the history of Battle of the Books, and his absence will be sorely felt.

The 2017 Battle of the Books teams represent the following libraries:

Amherst Public Library
Boston Free Library
Crane Branch Library in Buffalo
Cheektowaga Public Library
Clarence Public Library
Eden Library
Elma Public Library
Grand Island Memorial Library
Hamburg Public Library
Town of Tonawanda Public Library - Kenmore Branch
Lancaster Public Library
Newstead Public Library
North Collins Public Library
Orchard Park Public Library

In 2016, the amazing team from Amherst Public Library took home the Battle of the Books trophy and each team member was awarded a gold medal. Silver medals were given to all of the hardworking members of the Grand Island Memorial Library, which was runner up.

Battle of the Books is part of the New York State Summer Reading initiative Build a Better World, taking place at all 37 Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries. Summer Reading focuses on fun activities and programs to encourage school-aged children to read during the summer months in an effort to advance their academic performance.
Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation, Rich Products Corporation, National Fuel, Holmes Elementary School students, The Buffalo News, WGRZ TV 2, WBLK Radio, WYRK Radio and Holland Nascar MotorSports Complex are sponsors of the Library’s 2017 Summer Reading programs.

For more information call 858-8900 or visit the Library System’s website www.BuffaloLib.org or Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.