Five Acre School’s fourth-graders came out on top in North Olympic Library System’s annual Battle of the Books.

The trivia-style competition on March 24 saw 65 students on 13 teams from 12 schools across the peninsula compete at the Port Angeles Library.

Two hundred-plus fourth-grade students from 15 schools and three homeschool programs received four books to keep, and NOLS youth services librarians visited classrooms monthly, from November 2022 to February 2023, to lead book discussions.

Trivia questions covered characters, story and concepts from “Stepping Stones” by Lucy Knisley, “Power Forward” by Hena Kahn, “Lena and the Burning of Greenwood” by Nikki Shannon Smith, and “A Wish in the Dark” by Christina Soontornvat.

“Battle of the Books is an experience that kids remember,” said Jennifer Lu’Becke, a NOLS youth services librarian.

“The fourth graders, schoolmates in other grades — and sometimes entire schools — catch the excitement and join in reading the books. It builds a community of readers.”

Heidi Pedersen Five Acre School’s Explorer Class teacher (fourth-sixth grade), said the school’s Team Kiwi — Spencer Armstrong, Cassy Cammett, Norah Madjdi-Pickett, Miles Taylor and Emma Tran — had a great time.

“For me, the joy of this program was watching our students work together, both in the mock battle at school and in the final battle last night at the library,” Pedersen said.

“It was a bonus that we won by 0.5 points, but honestly, feeling the support the students had for each other and having some of their classmates there to cheer them on was incredibly heart-warming.”

Schools that participated in the final trivia competition, included: from Sequim, Five Acre School, Greywolf Elementary, Helen Haller Elementary, Olympic Peninsula Academy; from Port Angeles/Joyce, Crescent Elementary, Dry Creek Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Pacific Northwest Discovery Academy (Pac West), Queen of Angels and Roosevelt Elementary; and one alternate team with students from various schools.

Friends groups from Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay sponsor the event and help fund books for area children.

Pedersen said she thanks Charlotte McGrew, Sequim’s youth services librarian, for coming to fourth grade classrooms to encourage readers.

“I applaud and thank the parents for engaging with their children at home with the books they read and prioritizing reading, and for providing (photos),” Pedersen said.

For more information about this program, visit nols.org/BoB.

Photo courtesy of North Olympic Library System/ Greywolf Elementary students, from left, Jordan Huber, Chloe Piceno, Abigail Poirier, Sitka Thompson, and Makai Wilhelm compete in the Battle of the Books reading and quiz competition. Team members, not pictured, include Myah Neal, Lily Sanford, and Angelica Lott.

Photo courtesy of North Olympic Library System/ About 175 people attended the Battle of the Books in Port Angeles Library on March 24.