Battle of the Books is a fantastic program organized by NJASL. Each year, 15 books are selected by the NJASL committee and participating students are required to read a minimum of 6 of the selected books. In Saddle Brook, Language Arts teachers give extra credit for those students that fully participate.  Also, the school will engrave onto a plaque the names of students who read 10 books (this year 4 students met the criteria). Planning the program begins in the summer, as the teams must form as soon as the school year begins to ensure there is enough time to read the required number of books and then practice for the battles.  

This year, two BELS schools brought their teams to battle each other in an epic Interscholastic Battle of The Books on March 21st. Both the Park Ridge Jr/Sr HS and Saddle Brook MS/HS had two competing teams of seventh and eighth graders who had each won their spot by competing against their fellow classmates in earlier in-school battles. For the Interscholastic Battle, Park Ridge students visited the Saddle Brook media center. The battle consisted of two rounds with all four teams participating. As the first round came to a close the competition was tight but Saddle Book came out as the winners after an impressive second round. When the battle was over the students ate pizza and got to spend time with each other.

Next year, Katie and Ann would love to invite other schools to participate in the Interscholastic Battle followed by a student lunch excursion where students could get to know one another. If you’d like to learn more about the program, get in touch with Katie and Ann for insider tips and helpful info.