Battle of the Books 2021

An annual academic competition for children in elementary, middle, and high school (grades 4 through 12), Battle of the Books is encourages students to read quality books and collaborate with their classmates in a lively and encouraging environment. The list of books, upon which questions are developed, is carefully selected to include classics, award-winners and trending favorites, and also varies in a range of reading levels so that all students can participate within mixed level teams. There are 10 books per level, resulting in a total of 30 books. GSN encourages teams to have two students from each grade level, forming a team of 6 strong readers.

This year, peers from regional international schools were invited to Georgia School for the competition. A total of 12 students from each school took on the challenge to participate in the Battle of the Books, creating an exciting atmosphere between the Lions and the Sharks! Grade 10 student, Talia, mentioned, “As one of the first interschool events in Ningbo, post COVID, I am proud that GSN was able to host it. I’ve been participating in Battle of the Books ever since Grade 6 and I feel like it is a great opportunity to interact with other schools as well as to read great literary works that are usually out of my zone of preference.” Another Grade 10 participant, Elmer, said “The questions were more detailed than I expected, so next year I will read more books and try even harder. I had so much fun reading different types of books!”

The competitors were awarded with participation medals, a customized eco-bag, a nightlight bookmark, and were able to choose their own book from a prized selection. Congratulation to all GSN Lions and NBIS Sharks who read several stories and answered detailed questions about them all!

GSN Librarian, Mr. Darren Panahi, said “My favorite part of the event is to see how the students’ attitudes change from being nervous and doubtful before the event, to being excited and looking forward to participating again in the next year’s competition. Their experience with Battle of the Books will undoubtedly be something they’ll remember for years to come.”