A local, long-running reading competition returned to École Lac des Bois Elementary School on Wednesday, April 16.
The event saw 29 teams of three students from 15 schools across the district answer questions from 12 nominated Red Cedar Books, testing their reading comprehension and memory.
All Red Cedar books are by Canadian authors and aim to provide students with a variety of topics at different reading levels.
Winners of the Battle of the Books received gift certificates to Books and Co. Door prizes were also handed out.
The event was organized by a group of Prince George-area teacher-librarians, educators, and volunteers, who read the 12 books, created questions for the students and hosted the battle.
One of those volunteers was Tina Cousins, president of the Prince George District Teacher-Librarian Association, who has been involved since the event’s inception.
“In 1999, a group of librarians wanted to create a book contest,” said Cousins. “Red Cedar was a Canadian contest. Originally, public librarians started it, and we jumped on board because of the promotion of Canadian authors. We started with kids reading the books and voting on what they thought was the best. From there, it evolved into this game for the Battle of the Books. It’s been growing every year since 1999.”
In an interview with The Citizen, Cousins discussed why she believes the event is important for students across the school district.
“Not everybody’s good at sports, and readers have an outlet here,” Cousins said. “Kids who like to read usually have access to high-quality books, and it’s curricular. Teachers also get involved by reading to their classes. I think it’s a win-win for everyone. It’s a good-news story because kids are still reading and learning in class, and this is a celebration of that.”
Cousins also emphasized the importance of the books in supporting students' education.
“Many of these books address issues that may have been overlooked in the past, like Japanese internment. Some are more advanced, and teachers may select them to spark discussion on relevant topics. One book this year features an Indigenous girl who’s a boxer and a maker. It’s important for kids to engage with characters they can relate to.”
Winners of this year’s Battle of the Books are:
- First place: Vanway 1
- Second place: Malaspina 2
- Third place: Tie between Lac des Bois 1 and Morfee 1
