Southfield Public Library Battle of the Books Manager’s Booklet

Southfield Public Library

26300 Evergreen Road • Southfield, Michigan 48076 (248) 796-4240

Team Member Information Team Name: Name Address Phone number Notes

Manager

Co-Manager

Member 1

Member 2

Member 3

Member 4

Member 5

Member 6

Middle School Challenge Battle of the Books 2018

Title & Author Summary

The Last Boy at St. Edith’s By Lee Gjertsen Malone

Seventh grader Jeremy Miner has a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. 475 of them to be exact. That’s how many girls attend his school, St. Edith’s Academy. Jeremy is the only boy left after the school’s brief experiment in co-education. And he needs to get out. His mother—a teacher at the school—won’t let him transfer, so Jeremy takes matters into his own hands: he’s going to get expelled.

Framed! : a T.O.A.S.T. Mystery by James Ponti

So you’re only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help…What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country? If you’re Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both. Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He’s learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It’s a technique he invented to solve life’s little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down. Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, she doesn’t know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter, a true story, and that she can’t share her mission with anyone—not even her best friend, Sal. It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that’s the case, then Miranda has an even bigger problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child.

I Am Malala: How one girl stood up for education and changed the world (Young Readers Edition) By Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren't allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn't go to school. Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school. No one expected her to survive.

4th

and 5th

Grade Battle of the Books 2018

Title & Author

Summary

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko

San Francisco, 1900. The Gilded Age. A fantastic time to be alive for lots of people . . . but not thirteen-year-old Lizzie Kennedy, stuck at Miss Barstow’s snobby school for girls. Lizzie’s secret passion is science, an unsuitable subject for finishing-school girls. Lizzie lives to go on house calls with her physician father. On those visits to his patients, she discovers a hidden dark side of the city—a side that’s full of secrets, rats, and rumors of the plague. The newspapers, her powerful uncle, and her beloved papa all deny that the plague has reached San Francisco. So why is the heart of the city under quarantine? Why is Noah, the Chinese cook’s son, suddenly making Lizzie question everything she has known to be true? Ignoring the rules of race and class, Lizzie and Noah must put the pieces together in a heart-stopping race to save the people they love.

Prize Winners Of Piedmont Place by Bill Doyle

Cal Talaska can’t wait for his family to win the Great Grab Contest! The prize? Twenty minutes to grab anything in the world-famous Wish Shoppe! He knows his family will leave the competition in the dust, but first he has to convince them to compete.

The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg

Shelby Holmes is not your average sixth grader. She's nine years old, barely four feet tall, and the best detective her Harlem neighborhood has ever seen--always using logic and a bit of pluck (which yes, some might call “bossiness”) to solve the toughest crimes.

When eleven-year-old John Watson moves downstairs, Shelby finds something that's eluded her up till now: a friend. The easy-going John isn't sure of what to make of Shelby, but he soon finds himself her most-trusted (read: only) partner in a dog-napping case that'll take both their talents to crack

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Sczieszka

Kid-genius and inventor Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. An uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm, and a flash of electricity bring Frank’s inventions—the robots Klink and Klank—to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his inventions.. . . until Frank’s arch nemesis, T. Edison, steals Klink and Klank for his evil doomsday plan!

Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas by Jonathan W. Stokes

Twelve-year-old Addison Cooke just wishes something exciting would happen to him. His aunt and uncle, both world-famous researchers, travel to the ends of the earth while Addison is stuck in school all day. Luckily for Addison, adventure has a way of finding the Cookes. After his uncle unearths the first ancient Incan clue needed to find a vast trove of lost treasure, he is kidnapped. Addison’s uncle is the bandits’ key to deciphering the ancient clues and looting the treasure... unless Addison and his friends can outsmart the kidnappers and crack the code first!

Zoe In Wonderland by Brenda Woods

Zoe Reindeer considers herself “just Zoe”—never measuring up to her too-perfect older sister or her smarty-pants little brother. Truthfully, though, she’d rather just blend in with the plants at the family business, Doc Reindeer’s Exotic Plant Wonderland. She does have one friend, Q, and he’s the best one ever. But Q’s moving away and, Zoe doesn’t know what she’ll do without him. Than a tall astronomer from Madagascar comes looking for a Baobab tree. His visit starts a ball rolling that makes Zoe long for real adventures, not just imaginary ones and shows her that perhaps her first real adventure is finally beginning.

Battle Books Battle books may be checked out for two weeks. There are no holds and no renewals for these books. There is a limit of two books per library card. All students who LIVE or GO TO SCHOOL in Southfield or Lathrup Village are eligible to get a Southfield Public Library card. See someone at the Circulation Desk for details.

Don’t Forget to Vote! Be sure to have your team vote for their favorite books. Each year on Battle Night we announce the favorite books of the participants. Be sure to turn in your votes at least one week before the Battle.

Sample ballot:

Rate the Battle Books for 2018

Author/Book Title

Author/Book Title

Author/Book Title

Author/Book Title

Author/Book Title

Author/Book Title

Rate the Battle Book(s) that you just read:

A=Super B=Good C=So-So Put this ballot in the box in the Youth Room.

We will announce the results the night of your Battle.

LAST DAY TO VOTE!

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MANAGERS & CO-MANAGERS

The primary purpose of these programs is to encourage young people to read, and to give them recognition for participation in the sport of reading. Emphasize to your team that the Battles are fun and ALL participants are winners.

Managers and co-managers are encouraged to read the Battle books along with their team. This way they can encourage the students and help them form and answer practice questions about the books in preparation for the night of the Battle.

Battle books may be checked out for two weeks. There are no holds and no renewals for these books. There is a limit of two Battle books per library card.

Managers and co-managers are encouraged to meet with their teams on a regular basis. Two group study rooms are available to reserve for team meetings. Rooms can be reserved at the Youth Reference desk up to three weeks in advance. The remaining group study rooms are available on a first come, first served basis.

All students who LIVE or GO TO SCHOOL in Southfield or Lathrup Village are eligible to get a Southfield Public Library card. See someone at the Circulation Desk for details. You should encourage your team members to get their own library cards to check out Battle books.

A manager or co-manager is required to attend one of the Update Meetings. At this meeting, we will explain:

o the expectations for teams and managers on the night of the Battle o the evening’s timetable and agenda o Battle book questions and timing o answer cards and scoring

Managers should make sure that all team members have transportation the night of their Battle prior to the night of the event.

Managers need to inform the Southfield Public Library youth staff about any changes or corrections to be made to your team as soon as possible. Please make especially sure that all the names of your team members are spelled correctly.

All Battle programs are held at the Southfield Pavilion. They begin promptly at 7 pm., but you and your team members are expected to be in the Pavilion by 6:30 pm. (Please see enclosed map for the location of the Pavilion.)

Sample Questions from Previous Battles

Smells Like Dog Author: Suzanne Selfors Homer’s eyes flew open and he sat up straight. Dog groaned. Had the answer been at his feet the entire time? “You can’t smell regular things, can you?” Homer whispered. “But you can smell.” What can Dog smell? p. 269 Answer: lost treasures The Sasquatch Escape Author: Susan Selfors “Eight in the morning,” Mr. Tabby repeated as he locked the gate behind them. “Do not be late…” Then he turned and headed back to the old factory. “Look,” Pearl whispered, nudging Ben with her elbow. What slid out from under Mr. Tabby’s vest as he walked away? p. 194 Answer: a long, red, cat’s tail Pie Author: Sarah Weeks Alice carefully slipped the pie into the oven. The lattice was uneven, but it didn’t matter. She was proud of the pie she and Charlie Erdling had made, and she smiled, remembering what Aunt Polly had once told her was the most important ingredient that goes into the making of a pie. What was that ingredient? p. 163 Answer: love The Other Half of My Heart Author: Sundee Frazier Minni shares initials with one of the greatest people ever to live. This person is who she wants to be like when she grows up. What is the name of this person? p. 21 Answer: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here Lies Linc Author: Delia Ray What was the statue, on the grave, that Linc selected for the Adopt-a-Grave project? p. 67, 89 Answer: Black Angel Gregor the Overlander Author: Suzanne Collins Gregor’s dad took a needle and pulled a small stone out of his pocket. He began to rub the stone along the needle in short, quick strokes. “Get some kind of bowl and fill it with water,” his dad said. What was Gregor’s dad trying to make? p. 281 Answer: a compass

December 2017

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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3 4 Kick off Meeting

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Library Closed

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Library Closed

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Library Closed

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Library Closed

January 2018

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ay

Thursday Friday Saturday

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Library Closed

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Library Closed

3 4 5 6

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M L King Day

Library Closed

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22 Last day to

register for

Battle of the

Books

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February 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesd

ay

Thursday Friday Saturday

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4 5 Manager’s

Update Meeting 7 PM

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President's Day

Library Closed

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March 2018

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesd

ay Thursday Friday Saturday

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11 12 13 4th and 5th

Grade Battle of

the Books

7 PM

14 Middle School

Challenge Battle of the

Books 7 PM

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Good Friday

Library Closed

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Library Closed

Manager’s Notes

Thank you for volunteering

to be a

Manager or Co-manager for

Battle of the Books!

We hope

you have fun, too!