What is Battle?
Battle of the Books is a trivia-style reading competition and all Ferndale Upper Elementary 5th graders are invited to participate!
The youth librarians at FADL have hand-picked a diverse selection of 6 middle-grade books.
In teams of 2-4, participants will read the books and prepare for Battle day (Tuesday, March 17th), when they can test their Battle Book knowledge against their peers!
The winning team will be honored by having their names engraved on a plaque for all future FUEL students to see.
How Do I Sign Up?
FUEL 5th graders can sign up with their teachers starting Wednesday, December 10th.
Get with your friends to form a team, think up a creative team name, and get reading!
Prize for best team name will be announced at Battle in the spring.
Need a team? See your ELA teacher for assistance.
Where do I get the books?
FADL has provided enough copies of the books to FUEL to provide each team with one copy of each book. Ask your teacher about getting the books for your team. Teams can keep the books when they are done.
If you need extra copies, there are copies at Ferndale Library that you can check out with your library card. Click on the book covers below to place a hold today. Where available, eBook and eAudiobook copies can be borrowed from Libby and Hoopla.
Don't have a library card? As a Ferndale student or resident you are eligible for a Ferndale library card! Learn more about signing up for a library card.
You can also call the Youth desk (248.546.2504 x694) and we would be happy to place a hold for you.
What happens on the day of Battle?
Battle of the Books is Tuesday, March 17th at 1:30 PM in the FUEL gym. Things to know about the day of Battle:
- You will sit with your team.
- Ferndale Youth Librarians will give each team blank answers sheets.
- There will be two rounds of questions, with 10 questions each round, making for a total of 20 questions.
- If there is a tie, we will read tiebreaker questions.
- We will announce the winning Battle team.
- We will announce the team that won Best Team Name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does spelling count?
- Do your best.
- Spelling only counts if we have to do tiebreaker questions.
How long do you have to answer each question?
- 90 seconds
How does your team turn in their answer sheet?
- Designate a team member to hold up the answer sheet.
- Please stay seated as a volunteer/staff collects answer sheets.
How many points for each question?
- 1 point for the author's full name.
- 1 point for the book title.
Battle Books
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks
It can get pretty dull living on a small, out-of-the-way station like Wilnick SS. Best Friends Sanity Jones and Tallulah Vega do their best to relieve the monotony of every day space life by finding adventures, solving mysteries, and taking turns getting each other into and out of trouble. But when Sanity's latest science project-an extremely-illegal-but-impossibly-cute three-headed kitten-escapes from the lab and starts causing havoc, the girls will have to turn the station upside down to find her-before the damage becomes irreversible.
Available through the library catalog in print (English and Spanish) as well as on Libby as an eBook.
The Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack Cheng
Andy Zhou is used to being what people need him to be: the good kid for his parents and, now, his grandparents in from Shanghai, or the helpful sidekick for his best friend Cindy's plans and schemes. So when Cindy decides they should try out for Movement on the first day of sixth grade, how can Andy say no? But between feeling out of place with the dancers after school, being hassled by his new science partner Jameel in class, and sensing tension between his dad and grandfather at home, Andy feels all kinds of weird. Then over anime, Hi-Chews, and art, things start to shift between Andy and Jameel, opening up new doors - and new problems. Because not matter how much Andy cares about his friends and family, it's hard not to eel pulled between all the ways he's meant to be, all the different faces he wears, and harder still to figure out if any of these masks if the real him.
Available through the library catalog in print as well as on Libby as an eBook and eAudiobook.
Dear Mothman by Robin Gow
Halfway through sixth grade, Noah's best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Lewis was adventurous and curious, always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders and names. After his death, lonely and yearning for someone who could understand him like Lewis once did, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels and also looking for evidence of Mothman's existence in the vast woods surrounding his small Poconos town. Noah becomes determined to make his science fair project about Mothman, despite his teachers and parents urging him to make a project about something "real."
Available through the library catalog in print as well as on Libby as an eBook and eAudiobook and on Hoopla as an eBook and eAudiobook.
Forever This Summer by Leslie C. Youngblood
Georgie has no idea what to expect when she, Mama, and Peaches are plopped down in the middle of small town USA--aka Bogalusa, Louisiana--where Mama grew up and Great Aunt Vie needs constant care. Georgie wants to help out at the once famous family diner that served celebrities like the Jackson 5 and the Supremes, but everyone is too busy to show her the ropes and Mama is treating her like a baby, not letting her leave her sight. When she finally gets permission to leave on her own, Georgie makes friends with Markie--a foster kid who'd been under Aunt Elvie's care--who has a limb difference and a huge attitude. Then Markie asks Georgie to help her find her mom, and suddenly summer has a real purpose. But as Georgie and Markie's histories begin to entwine, Georgie becomes more desperate to find the truth. But words spoken cannot be taken back and once Georgie knows the truth, she may even find a way to right past wrongs and help Aunt Vie and Markie out after all.
Available through the library catalog in print as well as Libby as an eBook and eAudiobook. And on Hoopla as an eAudiobook.
Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young
When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he's in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it's clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him.
One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story-a Water Monster-in need of help.
Now Nathan must summon all his courage to save his new friend. With the help of other Navajo Holy Beings, Nathan is determined to save the Water Monster, and to support Uncle Jet in healing from his own pain.
Available through the library catalog in print and Libby as an eBook and eAudiobook as well as on Hoopla as an eBook and eAudiobook.
The Circuit (graphic novel) by Francisco Jiménez
An honest and evocative account of a family’s journey from Mexico to the fields of California -- and to a life of backbreaking work and constant household moves -- as seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for education and the right to call one place home. A popular choice for community reads, as well as school curricula and curriculum adoptions, Francisco Jiménez’s award-winning memoir, now brought to life in Celia Jacob’s beautiful and resonant artwork, is a powerful story of survival, faith, and hope.
Available through the library catalog in print as well as Libby as an eBook.