Battle of the Books!

I was at Oakville Public Library yesterday as the guest speaker for Battle of the Books.

I had no idea what to expect. It had been on my calendar for over a year. A couple weeks ago I googled Battle of the Books and found out that it’s sort of like Jeopardy or a spelling bee. There were about 20 schools represented — each with a team of half a dozen or so students. I had a brief moment of fear, thinking maybe I was supposed to ask the questions??!!!!

But no, I was to give a talk. Yesterday was Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, and since many of my books are centred around the Armenian Genocide, they asked me to speak on that.

I arrived early so I could sit in and watch the students do their book battling. Very interesting! They all had to be familair with so many books. A number of times I had to restrain myself from waving my hand and saying, “Me, me! I know the answer!”

Doing a talk to a group of bookaholics is about the most pleasant way to spend an afternoon. These kids were keen. And they asked such good questions. After my talk, many of the students crowded around and we continued to talk books and reading. It was great.

I must say that the librarians at Oakville Public Library are fantastic organizers.

Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war. View all posts by Marsha