Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books is an annual literacy event in Halton for students in Grades 3 to 8 that combines books, team spirit and school pride.  We are taking a NEW approach to the 2026 Battle of the Books. For the first time ever, participating schools will receive a list of thirty (30) book titles to prepare from.

Click Here to Register

Why participate?

  • Battle of the Books is a literacy-building program that is a great way to get your students or children excited about reading, and to help them find new books.
  • It helps build an understanding of good sportsmanship and fair play.
  • While we call it a ‘battle’ we always try to maintain a spirit of fun and fair play so that even those teams who do not win, still have a positive experience.

Who can participate?

  • Students in grades three to eight from any Milton school can play.
  • Each team needs a school staff member or volunteer to act as a coach.

How are the teams organized?

Teams are created by the participating schools once their registration has been confirmed.
A team is comprised of a maximum of nine members, with six members of each team actively playing at any given time, with three members as substitutes.

  • Junior Teams: up to three students from each of grades three, four and five.
  • Senior Team: up to three students from each of grades six, seven and eight.
  • Halfway through each round, teams will be able to switch in the substitutes.
  • If your team does not have enough players from one grade, students of a lower, not higher grade, may be substituted.
  • Students who go on to play in the Grand and Regional Battles must have played in the Round Robin.
  • One team member should be designated as the spokesperson.  All responses must be given by the spokesperson.
  • A school can register one junior and one senior team.

What does this event involve?

  • Battle rounds at Milton Public Library occur in person over a morning or afternoon at the library. Teams will be assigned a date and time to visit the library and participate in a round-robin tournament.
  • Typically each team participates in four (4) out of five (5) rounds of play.  Juniors vs juniors and Seniors vs seniors.
  • The two junior teams, and similarly, the two senior teams with the highest cumulative scores at the of the day, will proceed to the Grand Battle.
  • The winner of the junior and senior Grand Battle will proceed to the Regional Battle to compete against schools from Halton Region.

How are the “battles” played?

  • Teams of 6 players are seated across from each other and are asked alternating questions representing a specific category.  The substitutes will be assigned seats with their coaches and may “sub” in at the halfway point in the “battle”.
  • Round-robin battles consist of eight (8) pairs of questions, while Grand and Regional Battles have ten (10) pairs.
  • The coaches and team are asked to choose one player as the designated Spokesperson.  The spokesperson can only change between “battles”.
  • All team members may discuss the possible answers, but only the Spokespersons answer will be accepted by the moderators.
  • NEW – In each round, there will be a mix of title and author questions, as well as comprehension questions based on the characters, plots, and setting of the books.
  • NEW – Teams can make three attempts to answer the question within 30 seconds. If the team does not respond or provides an incorrect or partial answer, the opposing team has a chance to answer immediately and earn “bonus” points. The question will not be repeated for the opposing team, and they will not have any time allowance. If Team A has correctly given the title, then Team B may give the author (or vice versa)..

Scorekeeping

  • Five points are given for correct answers to comprehension questions.
  • Three points are given to the team that correctly identifies the title.
  • Two points are given to the team for correctly identifying the author’s surname.
  • Four points are given when the opposing team correctly answers the comprehension question.
  • Two points are given when the opposing team correctly answers the title.
  • One point is given when the opposing team correctly answers the author’s surname.
  • Author surname is sufficient, and in the case of joint authorship, only one surname is required.
  • The moderator’s decision is final in the case of any team answers which may be questionable.
  • In the event of a tie, teams will be asked alternate sets of questions until the tie is broken

Categories in random order

  • Books are organized into six genre categories: Contemporary, Action/Adventure, Humour, Fantasy, Non-Fiction, and Historical.
  • All books on the book lists will be used for Battle of the Books round robins in 2026.

When does it happen?

Round Robin Battles

  • Monday. March 30, 2026- Juniors
  • Monday April 13, 2026 – Seniors

Grand Battle

  • Monday April 20, 2025, 7-8:30 pm

Regional Battle

  • Thursday May 075, 2026- Milton Public Library

Where does it take place?

  • Beaty Branch, 945 Fourth Line.
  • Up to three three battles happen at once, in different areas of the library.

Regional Partners

Author Lists