by Danielle Ziegler

A few weeks ago, on the last Thursday in March and the first Thursday in April, you could feel the tension and excitement in the air. The Ames Public Library was filled with fifth or sixth graders and their families, as well as their teachers or librarians. It was our annual Battle of the Books! 

Ames Public Library’s Battle of the Books is a huge trivia competition for teams of up to four fifth or sixth grades. They read and talk about the year’s chosen books. Then, they come to the main event at the Library for two rounds of trivia competition.  The top scoring teams compete in the third and final round for a chance for their team and school name to go on the plaque. In 2025 we had over thirty teams each for the fifth and sixth grade battles. 

It is always a wonderful experience to share a love of books and reading with kids.  We want to encourage their reading and inspire them to pick up books that maybe they wouldn’t have chosen on their own. 

Kids can learn other valuable lessons during the Battle of the Books as well. For some students, this may be their first experience with competition. Battle of the Books is a chance for these students to learn how to deal with the nerves and experiences that come with contests. 

Sportsmanship is another thing that kids get a chance to practice at the Ames Public Library. This year, we had some wonderful examples. One sixth grade team was told that they made it to the final round, due to a mathematical error. Instead of just going along with it, they reached out to us and let us know about the mistake, even though they knew this meant they wouldn’t be able to compete in the final round. We were so impressed with their integrity, especially at their young ages.

The other example I want to share is from after the final round of the sixth-grade battle. This particular round ended with a tie and some very difficult tiebreaker questions. As soon as it was finished the two teams shook hands without any prompting from the adults in the room.  It was wonderful to see the competition, but also the great behavior.

Battle is a wonderful program that has benefits beyond what we ever dreamed of. It’s definitely something to check out in 2026!