Battle of the Books is a reading competition designed to improve reading comprehension while building stamina and enthusiasm through a fun and unique format. Teams of up to six elementary students (grades 4–5) and four middle and high school students were comprised from campuses across our district, all reading a curated list of 10 books and preparing together to answer questions during competition. Titles are typically selected from the current year’s South Carolina Book Award nominees for Children’s and Junior Books and are unique to the reading level and age of teams.
During competition, teams face a 20-question round; correct answers include the appropriate response as well as the title of the book and its author. Points are awarded for each correct component of the answer.
The program began at Chukker Creek Elementary in 2016, initiated by then-school librarian Cheryl Curtis. Her vision to bring this engaging literacy initiative to Aiken County students has grown into a district-wide tradition that now includes three competitions – elementary, middle, and high school – with participation from 36 of the district’s public schools. Now in its ninth year for elementary, eighth year for middle school, and third year for high school, Battle of the Books has grown to involve nearly 1,100 students. At several schools, even faculty and staff form teams to compete against as students prepare for the competitive event and model a lifelong love of reading.
This year’s district competitions were held on March 24, 26, and 27. Participating schools included: Aiken Elementary, Aiken High, Aiken Intermediate, Aiken Scholars Academy, A.L. Corbett Middle, Belvedere Elementary, Busbee Elementary, Byrd Elementary, Chukker Creek Elementary, Clearwater Elementary, East Aiken School of the Arts, Gloverville Elementary, Graniteville Elementary, Greendale Elementary, Hammond Hill Elementary, Highland Springs Middle, Jackson STEM Magnet Middle, J.D. Lever Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Kennedy Middle, LBC Middle, Leavelle McCampbell, Millbrook Elementary, Mossy Creek Elementary, New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet, North Aiken Elementary, North Augusta Elementary, North Augusta High, North Augusta Middle, Oakwood-Windsor Elementary, Paul Knox Middle, Redcliffe Elementary, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary, Schofield Middle, South Aiken High, Wagener-Salley High, and Warrenville Elementary. Additionally, Strom Thurmond High School from Edgefield County joined the high school competition this year.
“Battle of the Books has increased the reading of quality and contemporary literature by the students in our school,” shared Faith Barber, School Librarian at Millbrook Elementary. “Millbrook’s Battle of the Books Team members are enthusiastic readers who voluntarily book-talk to their peers. In five years of participating in this program, the number of students participating from Millbrook has increased from 36 to 98!”
Congratulations to our 2025 Battle of the Books champions:
Elementary – East Aiken School of the Arts: Walker DeLoach, Devin Felder, Everett Bradford, Tom Poterala, Colton Truitt, James McMichael (The Book Kings)
Middle – Kennedy Middle School: Anna Cate Rogers, Caroline Feinauer, Zoey Bird, Lily Hancock (The Book Babes)
High – Aiken Scholars Academy: McKenna Davis, Aanya Acharekar, Colton Payne
Anna Cate Rogers, an 8th-grade student and member of Kennedy Middle School’s The Book Babes middle school winning team has participated every year since 4th grade. “I got started in Battle of the Books because I love to read, and I love competitions. It’s a reading competition, so it makes it even better,” she said. “The greatest benefit of Battle of the Books is that it’s shown me that even books I didn’t think I’d like – like horror or ones about natural disasters – can be really interesting.”
Librarians from each school not only encourage students to form teams, read the list of books, practice, and coach students ahead of competition day, they also go above and beyond to make these events successful and memorable– organizing food, activities, and “swag” with the help of generous community support.
Aiken County Public Schools extends a special thank you to the following partners, whose contributions helped make this year’s events possible:
Follett Content Solutions, which sponsored lunch for elementary and middle school student teams
McDonald’s of Aiken, which provided breakfast for elementary and middle school student teams
Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant (North Augusta), which provided lunch for the high school student teams
Millbrook Baptist Church, which hosted the elementary and middle school events
Bridgestone, which provided a generous donation to support gifts and supplies
We are also incredibly grateful to the many additional sponsors who helped make this year’s Battle of the Books events a success. Thank you to: ABBE Regional Library System, Aiken County Media Educators, Chartwells, Chick-fil-A of Aiken, Chick-fil-A of North Augusta, Follett, Hankinson Boxing Gym, Junior Library Guild, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pelican's Snoballs of North Augusta, Perma Bound, Quality Printing, Rauton Fencing, Sonic of Aiken, South Carolina State Library, Stars and Strikes, and Ann and Kristy Yaun.
From our sponsors and dedicated school staff to every student who participated, thank you for making this year’s Battle of the Books a meaningful experience.
