Oregon Battle of the Books

Unlock the World of Reading & Join the Oregon Battle of the Books!

Key Dates

  • Welches School Battles:

    • 3rd & 5th Grade Battle: Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 8:00-8:45AM (students will battle round robin style, highest cumulative score wins, no steals)

    • 5th Grade Battle: Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 8:00-8:45AM (steals allowed). One winning team from Welches will advance to the Regional Tournament!

  • Welches OBOB End of Season Party: Thursday, February 13th, 4:00-5:00PM

  • Regional Battles: March 15, 2025 at Tumwata Middle School, Oregon City, OR.

  • State Battles: April 12, 2025 at Chemeketa Community College,
    Salem, OR.

Welches Elementary OBOB

Welcome Welches Students & Families to the Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB), a fun and engaging statewide reading program sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries in conjunction with a Library Services and Technology Act grant.

Our Welches OBOB program is sponsored by the Welches Parent Teacher Community Organization (WPTCO) this year! Our Welches OBOB program invites 3rd to 5th-grade students of all reading abilities to dive into high-quality literature, exploring a diverse range of styles and perspectives.

OBOB’s Mission is to:

  • Encourage a love of reading

  • Broaden students’ literary interests

  • Boost reading comprehension

  • Promote academic excellence

  • Foster teamwork and cooperative learning among students

3rd Grade Teams

Exciting News for Our 3rd Graders: OBOB Introduction! This year, we’re thrilled to welcome 3rd graders to participate in OBOB through a specially tailored division. To ease them into the program, they’ll work with 8 selected titles from the full 16-book list. This introductory experience is designed to help them become familiar with OBOB guidelines and competition style.

3rd Grade Division Guidelines:

  • Teams will follow the same guidelines as the 4th and 5th-grade teams, with the only difference being their assigned reading list.

  • Each 3rd-grade team is responsible for reading all 8 assigned books, with each student encouraged to read at least 2 titles.

  • In the February battles, 3rd-grade teams will compete against one another to determine the division winner.

Please note, however, that 3rd-grade teams will not be eligible to advance to regionals this year.

We look forward to an exciting season and to seeing our 3rd graders gain confidence and skills in this supportive environment!

3rd Grade Book Titles

  • Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley 

  • Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra
    J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard

  • Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak

  • Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau 

  • Sam Makes a Splash by Nicole Melleby 

  • Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright

  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Information for OBOB Coaches

Thank You for Volunteering as a Welches OBOB Coach! We’re thrilled to have you join us in supporting our students through the Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) program. Coaching is a fantastic way to engage with your child and their peers, and it’s rewarding to see their growth in teamwork and critical reading skills. Below you’ll find a few essentials for a successful coaching experience. Thank you again for encouraging our students to fall in love with reading!

OBOB COACHING ESSENTIALS

  • Reading vs. Studying: While it’s not required for you to read all the books, doing so can make the experience even more engaging! Students, however, should not just read, but study the books closely, as battle questions are detailed and specific.

  • Study Focus Areas: Encourage students to pay attention to details such as:

    • Character names (including animals)

    • Specific locations (schools, restaurants, places)

    • Specific details (foods, colors, etc)

    • Times & dates

    • Monetary details (specific amounts)

  • Title and Author Memorization: Students must memorize both the title and author of each book. In battles, knowing the exact author name is essential—partial answers or mistakes in the name mean points won’t be awarded.

  • Practice Questions: Reviewing practice questions helps students prepare effectively. We’ll add links to additional resources on the Resources section below as they become available.

  • Create Your Own Questions: A fun and interactive way for students to learn is by writing their own questions. This method encourages deeper engagement with the material.

Thank you for your time and enthusiasm—let’s make this OBOB season a memorable one!

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Teams are formed by students and parents/guardians. Parents/guardians of each team member need to submit a registration form to the office. Please make sure to communicate with the WPTCO and parents/guardians of all team members before registering a team.

  • We ask that you try to find a team for your child by reaching out to classmates and parents/guardians, but please reach out to Ally Hornor at info@welchesptco.org if you are not able to find or form a team and we will try our best to find a place for your student.

  • It is most common that teams are made up of students in the same grade, however, teams can include students in any of the grades in a division (3rd-5th). Note: If a 3rd grader joins a 4th or 5th grade team they will be required to meet the 16 book requirement as a team.

  • Teams are typically made up of four or five students, but can participate with as few as three students.

  • In a given battle, a maximum of four students may participate. If a team has five members, the members can rotate between battles or the 5th member can act as an alternate.

  • A battle is a trivia game in which student teams compete against each other and  earn points by answering 16 detailed questions about the books on the list. There are 2 types of questions in each battle, 8 of each.  

    “In Which Book” questions as the team to name the book and author in which the questions pertains to.  Example: In which book does someone call their bike a Magic Broom?  Answer: Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson 

    Content questions are more straightforward trivia questions.  Example: In Leonard (My Life as a Cat), what is Leonard’s home planet made out of?  Answer: Helium 

    There are a few different ways battles are run.  Some battles allow “steals” meaning, if a team answers their question wrong the other team has the chance to “steal” the points if they can answer it correctly.  Welches battles will only allow steals in the final battle between the top 2 teams competing for the spot at regionals.

  • The best way to prepare is for students to read! 

    Preparation beyond that varies, but some ideas: reread books for detail; take notes on specific, concrete details; meet regularly as a team to learn how to work together; answer practice questions found online; have students write questions.

    Check the resources section above for free online practice questions. Unofficial practice questions are also available for purchase online. Please be sure when using questions found online that they are for the current books, not books from previous years.

  • No, and most students do not necessarily read all the books! Books may be divided among the team members, but it is advisable to have at least one (and ideally two or more) students read each book.

    Of course, please use your best judgment if you do not feel a book is appropriate for your student for any reason.

  • It is so important for OBOB students to have the support of their parents/guardians. Both to help encourage them to read and to practice. Parents also need to communicate with their team’s coach. 

    Welches will need a few parent volunteers when it comes to School Battles. Please reach out to Tanya, our WPTCO Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@welchesptco.org if you are interested.