Battle of the Books competitions

Oh, my.  I have SO MUCH I need to post on our family blog!  It's been a busy, full, happy last couple of months for us!

First off,  Wade and I and our Richmond group finished up our Battle of the Books experience at two different competitions in May.  After an entire school year of weekly meetings and reading, it was a lot of fun to see what our 15 kids had learned.  I was so happy to be a part of it!

At the local competition at Pierce Elementary; three of our kids were in the final top 2 groups

In Bakersfield at a VERY large church for the county competitions; my friend Becky Anderson sitting up against the tree ran the BOB program with me.  We had a great time driving to Bakersfield together while the kids rode on the bus.  She and I talked the whole way there and the whole way back! :)

Ms Hays, second from left, let us use her classroom all year for our meetings.  Mrs. Speredelozzi in the middle runs our Accelerated Reader program at the school and helped us keep track of books read.  Lori Amster on the left had run BOB in the past and was there with her daughter.  And Yuki, in the blue, was on the top team that won the battle, out of almost 500 kids attending!  It was fun to have her mom there to see that!

Final two teams on the stage..A glimpse of just how many kids were there in Bakersfield!

I love this, and I love Wade.  I hope he'll want to do BOB one last time next year with his mom again, but I won't force him!

A huge moment for me and for our Richmond group was when the MC of the event asked kids to stand who had read all 30 books on the list.  The minimum was 20, to be able to go to the battles.  All 15 kids in our group stood along with a handful of other kids, out of the room of ~500.  I was so proud of our students for their hard work and perseverance!

Some really great books

This morning I'm cranking up iTunes radio and trying to prepare mock Battle of the Books questions for our group at Wade's school.  In just a couple weeks my friends Becky Anderson, 4th grade teacher Allison Hays, and I will join 13 or 14 fourth and fifth graders to two different competitions--at Pierce Elementary here in town and then across the mountains to Bakersfield to battle with other students on 30 books they've read and studied this year.

It has been quite the experience for me.  Every Wednesday for 30 minutes we've met with this fun group, encouraged them to read the books on the list with activities, treats, and "book talks," and now we're in the final review and practice phrase.  As I put together my half of the questions this morning, I found myself thinking about the books I've read on the list and what a remarkable list it is!  Many of these books were stories I'd never read before or heard of, and they are great!  I'm so glad I took the opportunity to volunteer in this unique way.  It's taken some work and some time, but it has also been a blessing.

Here's the list of book titles and authors' last names (I've marked my new favorites in all caps, but they've all been good.):

SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS, by Rawls (author of Where the Red Fern Grows; I like Summer of the Monkeys better)

IDA B, by Hannigan

The Best School Year Ever, by Robinson

MISS RUMPHIUS, by Cooney

All About Sam, by Lowry

Fables, by Lobel

The Million Dollar Shot, by Gutman

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Dahl

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Williams

THE HOBBIT, by Tolkien  (I read this for the first time ever last year--what a great book!)

Regarding the Fountain, by Klise

RUBY HOLLER, by Creech

Dealing with Dragons, by Wrede

SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, by MacLachlan

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Catcher, by Coville

SNOW TREASURE, by  McSwigan

Ralph S. Mouse, by Cleary

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by O'Dell

Sign of the Beaver, by Speare

Wanted...Mud Blossom, by Byars

Night of the Twisters, by Ruckman

THE WESTING GAME, by Raskin

Where the Mountain Meets the  Moon, by Lin (great story on gratitude!)

EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS, by Wiles

Worth, by LaFaye

The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, by Birney

Tuck Everlasting, by Babbitt

THE GREAT BRAIN, by Fitzgerald

Inside the Earth (Magic School Bus) by Cole

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, by Erickson