The Bladen County Schools 2026 Elementary School Battle of the Books competition was held Monday, March 9 at Bladen Community College, drawing students from six schools ready to put their reading knowledge to the test: Bladen Lakes Primary, Bladenboro Primary, Dublin Primary, East Arcadia School, Elizabethtown Primary, and Tar Heel School.
After several rounds of spirited competition, Dublin Primary School emerged as the county champion earning a total of 60 points. Members of the winning team were Adelind Brisson, Nicole Zuniga-Labra, Rebeca Velasco Garcia, Chloe Cox, and Dylan Reyes-Garcia. The team was coached by Whitney Kinlaw.
The Dublin Primary team advances to regional competition, hosted by Bladen County Schools, on March 31 at Bladen Community College.
Tar Heel School earned second place and Bladen Lakes Primary took third.
Preparing for Battle of the Books is no small feat. The N.C. School Library Media Association’s official book list includes 16 titles spanning a wide range of genres and topics. To tackle such an ambitious reading load, teams typically divide and conquer — each student takes ownership of specific books, then the whole team comes together throughout the year to review and sharpen their skills with practice questions.
This year’s full book list was:
Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
Ferris Kate by DiCamillo
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan
The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Stuck by Jennifer Swender
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee
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