- Lillington-Shawtown Elementary
- Battle of the Books List
About Battle of the Books
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Our Battle of the Books team is made up of 4th and 5th grade students.
Students try ou
t for the team by taking a comprehension test on a designated book from the reading list and completing a title and author matching section. Being on the Battle of the Books team is a privilege, and our team members represent our school when we go off to Preliminary Competition and then hopefully onto District Competition, as well.
Tryouts will be held within the first month of school, and after-school practices will begin no later than the first week of October. Do you meet the following criteria?
- You're a fourth or fifth grade student.
- You love to read.
- You can handle a fast-paced and substantial workload.
- You are willing to stay after school from 3:15 to 4:30 one to two days per week. (We begin practicing on Tuesdays, but add on Thursday practices, as well, beginning in January.)
- You're responsible and follow your 3 Be's--not just at school, but everywhere you go!
If that sounds like you, then start reading and preparing for tryouts in September! We'll notify everyone who is planning to try out of the book being tested on about a week and a half to two weeks before tryouts, so covering more of the list gives you better odds to be prepared! Check out the books we'll be reading for the 2022-23 season below!
2022-2023 EBOB Book List
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A Nest for Celeste
by Henry Cole Year Published: 2012Celeste is a mouse who is looking for a home. Is it nestled in the toe of a warm boot? In the shirt pocket of Celeste’s new friend, Joseph? Or is home the place deep inside Celeste’s heart, where friendships live?
A Place at the Table
by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan Year Published: 2020Sixth graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression.
The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show.
They make good cooking partners... but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?
Clean Getaway
by Nic Stone Year Published: 2020How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.
What Not to Bring:
A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with this New York Times bestseller and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included.Crenshaw
by Katherine Applegate Year Published: 2017Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?Fish in a Tree
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Year Published: 2017Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
Front Desk
by Kelly Yang Year Published: 2019Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?
The Great Treehouse War
by Lisa Graff Year Published: 2017Winnie's last day of fourth grade ended with a pretty life-changing surprise. That was the day Winnie’s parents got divorced and decided that Winnie would live three days a week with each of them and spend Wednesdays by herself in a treehouse between their houses, to divide her time perfectly evenly. It was the day Winnie’s seed of frustration with her parents was planted, a seed that grew until it felt like it was as big as a tree itself.
By the end of fifth grade, Winnie decides that the only way to change things is to barricade herself in her treehouse until her parents come to their senses—and her friends decide to join. It’s kids vs. grown-ups, and no one wants to back down first. But with ten kids in one treehouse, all with their own demands, things get pretty complicated! Even if they are having the most epic slumber party ever.
In the newest novel by beloved National Book Award finalist Lisa Graff, kids turn the tables on their parents, and all the rules are tossed out the window. But does Winnie have what it takes to hold her ground and keep everyone happy?The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd Year Published: 2017Dream Big. Be Extraordinary.
Everyone in Emma's family is special. Her ancestors include Revolutionary War spies, brilliant scientists, and famous musicians--every single one of which learned of their extraordinary destiny through a dream. For Emma, her own dream can't come soon enough. Right before her mother died, Emma promised that she'd do whatever it took to fulfill her destiny, and she doesn't want to let her mother down. But when Emma's dream finally arrives, it points her toward an impossible task--finding a legendary treasure hidden in her town's cemetery. If Emma fails, she'll let down generations of extraordinary ancestors...including her own mother. But how can she find something that's been missing for centuries and might be protected by a mysterious singing ghost?
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer
by Lamar Giles Year Published: 2019Otto and Sheed are the local sleuths in their zany Virginia town, masters of unraveling mischief using their unmatched powers of deduction. And as the summer winds down and the first day of school looms, the boys are craving just a little bit more time for fun, even as they bicker over what kind of fun they want to have. That is, until a mysterious man appears with a camera that literally freezes time. Now, with the help of some very strange people and even stranger creatures, Otto and Sheed will have to put aside their differences to save their town—and each other—before time stops for good.
The Last Musketeer
by Stuart Gibbs Year Published: 2018Before they were legends, they were friends. All for one and one for all!
On a family trip to Paris, Greg Rich's parents disappear. They're not just missing from the city—they're missing from the century. So, Greg does what any other fourteen-year-old would do: He travels through time to rescue them.
Greg soon finds out that his family history is tied to the legendary Three Musketeers. But when he meets them, they're his age, and they'll only live long enough to become true heroes if he can save them.
To rescue his parents, Greg must assume the identity of a young Musketeer in training and unite Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—but a powerful enemy is doing everything possible to stop him.
The League of Seven
by Alan Gratz Year Published: 2014Young Archie Dent knows there really are monsters in the world. His parents are members of the Septemberist Society, whose job it is to protect humanity from hideous giant monsters called the Mangleborn. Trapped in underground prisons for a thousand years, the Mangleborn have been all but forgotten–until now.
Evil genius Thomas Alva Edison and his experiments in the forbidden science of electricity have awakened a Mangleborn in the swamps of Florida. When Archie’s parents and the rest of the Septemberists are brainwashed by the monster, it’s up to Archie and his loyal Tik Tok manservant Mr. Rivets to assemble a new team of seven young heroes to save the world: the League of Seven.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick Year Published: 201112 year-old orphan Homer runs away from Pine Swamp, Maine, to find his older brother, Harold, who has been sold into the Union Army. With laugh-aloud humor, Homer outwits and outruns a colorful assortment of Civil War-era thieves, scallywags, and spies as he makes his way south, following clues that finally lead him to the Battle of Gettysburg and the dramatic story of the 20th Maine at Little Round Top. Even through a hail of gunfire, Homer never loses heart--but will he find his brother? Or will it be too late?
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe
by Carlos Hernandez Year Published: 2019Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence that poses this question: What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)? How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany's locker?
When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn't under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal's office for the third time in three days, and it's still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany's locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess...except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he's capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken--including his dead mother--and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There's only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk.Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe
by Jo Watson Hackl Year Published: 2018How far would you go to find something that might not even exist?
All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by a mysterious artist. Now Mama's run off, and Cricket thinks the room might be the answer to getting her to come back. If it exists. And if she can find it.
Cricket's only clue is a coin from a grown-over ghost town in the woods. So with her daddy's old guidebook and a coat full of snacks stolen from the Cash 'n' Carry, Cricket runs away to find the room. Surviving in the woods isn't easy. While Cricket camps out in an old tree house and looks for clues, she meets the last resident of the ghost town, encounters a poetry-loving dog (who just might hold a key to part of the puzzle), and discovers that sometimes you have to get a little lost...to really find your way.Stand Up, Yumi Chung
by Jessica Kim Year Published: 2021On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-MEAT” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she’s reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.
Instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship, which will help in a time of hardship at the restaurant. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem is that the instructor and all the students think she’s a girl named Kay Nakamura–and Yumi doesn’t correct them.
As this case of mistaken identity unravels, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and disappointing everyone she cares about.Copyright © 2022 Finalsite - all rights reserved.