OBOB

The Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries in conjunction with a Library Services and Technology Act grant.  Students in 3^rd-12^th grade, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints.

OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. Learn more at the OBOB website.

OBOB is a great opportunity for 3-5 graders to participate in some friendly competition and to have fun reading. Students can create a team and read the 16 OBOB books assigned for this year and then in February the battles begin!

What you need to do now:

1. Form a team!  Teams can be minimum two kids (not ideal) and as many as five (four "players" and one alternate).  The team will need a name and an adult coach!

2. Once your team is formed, you will need to:

    -Complete the 2025-2026 OBOB Signup Team Contract by clicking here and selecting "Sign Up Here."

    -Each individual player will need a permission form completed and turned into the school office.  Permission forms can be found in the school library or at the OBOB bulletin board (in the 3rd/4th grade lower hallway by the side exit to the parking lot).  We will need all team signups and permission forms by the end of October!  

3. We will then host a zoom meeting for all team coaches where we will discuss logistics and answer all questions.

Volunteers Needed!  More to come on exact needs but based on historical information, we are envisioning needing:

Three (3) volunteers are needed from 8:15am-10:30am each day: Classroom Runners, Moderator, Score Keeper/Timer.

• Classroom Runners (2) will be in charge of collecting students/teams from their classrooms and placing them in a "waiting area" and directing them into the room when it is their time to battle.
• Moderators will be in charge of reading the battle questions.
• Score Keeper/Timer will be in charge of keeping the running time on answering questions and scoring the battle chart after each question.

We will have a volunteer sign up available soon.

For more information or to help volunteer contact volunteer@capitolhillelementary.com.

Timeline for Oregon Battle of the Books

The books for the 2025-2026 Tournament ARE:

3^rd to 5^th Grade Division

• Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek – ISBN 9781338662214
• The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau – ISBN 9780375822742 – Please note this is the original novel, not the adapted graphic novel by the same name!
• Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson – ISBN 9781536235166
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein  – ISBN 9780307931474 — *Please note this is the original novel, not the adapted graphic novel by the same name!
  
• Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome – ISBN 9780823445820
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen – ISBN 9781416936473 — *The questions for this specific title will be taken from the original text, not supplemental material. Any American edition of this book will prepare OBOBers for a battle, although page numbers may differ.
• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lại – ISBN 9780061962790
• Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb – ISBN 9781646034390
• The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass – ISBN 9781250838834
• The Million Dollar Race by Matthew Ross Smith – ISBN 9781534420281
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry – ISBN 9780547577098 — *The questions for this specific title will be taken from the original text, not supplemental material. Any American edition of this book will prepare OBOBers for a battle, although page numbers may differ.
• Odder by Katherine Applegate – ISBN 9781250147424 — *Please note this is the novel, not the author’s picture book by the same name! We are using the hardback edition as the paperback has only been published in the UK.
• The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos – ISBN 9781623545857
• The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla – ISBN 9780316459709
• Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter – ISBN 9781338568936
• The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler – ISBN 9780763660208 — *Be sure you are purchasing a US version of this, as the UK version differs in some ways.