Aiken County students face off in reading competition

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - You probably heard about Battle of the Bands, but have you heard about Battle of the Books?

Nearly 100 students from across the district are competing in the Battle of the Books championship.

“They’ve worked really really hard. I always tell the kids it’s a 10 or 20-minute battle that they’ve worked for, most of them since September, some of them since last May when they started reading these 10 books,” said Melanie Starks, media specialist, East Aiken School of the Arts.

Starks helped organize this event. She also has a team competing.

“My school has built a culture where the kids know about Battle of the Books. We have kids coming up to fourth and fifth who are looking forward to participation,” she said.

Each school held a competition to see which team would qualify for the finals. To win, the team has to know ten books inside and out.

“These questions are so so detailed, that sometimes I have to sit and rack my brain. What book is it? And I’ve read all the books, I’ve read all the books more than once, most of these kids have read and re-read to prepare,” said Starks.

And this is where all that preparation pays off. Starks says no matter who takes home the trophy, everyone here is already a winner.

“It’s an achievement just to be here today,” she said.

Teams from 18 different elementary schools competed which is a record. Middle school teams will compete on Friday.

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