Battle of the Books 2024 is here. Here is this year Booklist. 

Battle of the Books is a free annual book-based trivia tournament that promotes literacy and a love of reading. It’s for elementary school children in Barrie and Oro-Medonte in grades 4 to 8. Participating schools will put together a team of students who will work together to read as many books as possible from our annual book list. The Teacher-Librarian (or other adult acting as team coach) can assist students by helping to divvy up the book list, hold practice trivia games, or complete other games and activities that will encourage the students to read as many books as possible, work together, and have tons of fun.

The Barrie Public Library will help support teams by visiting them at their schools for additional fun and games, and to help teams prepare for the semi-final battles and Grand Battle. Additional visits or meetings can be arranged with library staff upon request. Both the Downtown Painswick and Holly locations will have multiple copies of each book on the annual book list that students can sign out on their library cards.

For the 2023 2024 school year, the semi-final battles will be held at the beginning of May semi-final battles take place at both the Downtown and Painswick libraries. Teams that progress beyond the semi-final battles will compete in the Grand Battle in early May (held in the evening) at the Five Points Theatre announced at a later date.

Interested email: askus@barrielibrary.ca

Battle of the Books 2023 is now complete. A BIG Congratulations to our teams that competed this year:

• St. Catherine of Sienna
• Sister Catherine Donnelly
• Homeschool Cliffhangers
• Oakley Park
• St. Bernadette
• Trillium Woods
• St. Monica's
• Hillcrest Public School
• Assickinack Public School
• Codrington 

 Thank you to these schools for supporting this program and demonstrating such great team spirit in the semi-final battles.

The following schools went on to the Grand Battle at the Five Points Theatre

• Homeschool Cliffhangers
• St. Monica's
• Assikinack 
• Codrington

1st Place: Homeschoolers

2nd Place: Assikinack

3rd Place:  Codrington 

Battle of the Books 2023 is a fun, interactive in person trivia extravaganza  featuring the Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Forest of Reading Nominee titles, some classics and more. Students in Grades 4 to 8 are challenged to read the books, then come together and challenge other teams to become the ultimate battle of the books champion. Use your book smarts to test your knowledge and play our online trivia games and related activity cards.

The 2023 list is here

Check out our 2021 final Trivia game Can you guess them all? 

Teachers and parents! Your students can get copies of all the Silver Birch Forest of Reading titles with a library card. Complete or share this online application to get them started on a reading adventure.

Congratulations to West Bayfield Elementary School on their victory in the 2019 Grand Battle!

Congratulations also go to the Radical Speed Readers on their silver medal and to St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary School on their bronze medal. The other Grand Battle finalists were Codrington Public School and Hewitt's Creek Elementary School.

Thank you also to the following schools for supporting this program and demonstrating such great team spirit in the 2019 semi-final battles: Algonquin Ridge, Ardagh Bluffs, Assikinack, Emma King, Ferndale Woods, Guthrie, Mapleview Heights, St. Bernadette, St. Monica's, St. Nicholas, Trillium Woods, and Warnica.