Battle of the Kids Books

The brackets are cast and the sixteen contenders have been chosen.  The judges will be revealed on February 22nd, and then.....and then....SLJ's 3rd Annual Battle of the Kids Books will commence.

It is always fun to see what books make this honored cut of 16 out of the thousands of fiction and non-fiction written for middle grade readers and teens.  Then the challenge for Mrs. Chaply and myself is to actually read or have read all the books or enough of them to make an educated guess about which book will move on to the next round.


In the first round, for instance, Lynne Rae Perkins' As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth goes up against Louis Sachar's The Cardturner.  In one book (Falling), a boy is stranded in the middle of nowhere just because he wants to make a cell phone call.  In the other, a boy is recruited to turn cards for his blind uncle as the uncle plays tournament bridge.  I haven't read either of them!!  But that will change in the next couple of days.  I haven't read A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner OR Countdown by Deborah Wiles either.  But I will!

Take a look at the brackets.  Next week the fun begins.  And even if I am retired before the end of the Battle, I will find a way to share my insights and reading triumphs with all of you through the whole exciting contest!