Prepare Your Team

When teams are well-prepared, there’s always plenty of edge-of-your-seat excitement!

While the students do most of the preparation—reading books and learning authors—the coach helps direct and encourage the students. Coaches can be teachers, parent volunteers, or even older students.

Reading Preparation

All authors on the author lists will be used for Battle of the Books 2024. All Junior Battle questions are based on books, including series, written by the authors on the Junior Author List. Similarly, all Senior Battle questions are based on books written by the authors on the Senior Author List. The questions are organized into eight categories: Award Winner, Canadian, Character, Popular, New, Genre, Graphic Novels, Series (Junior), and Myth/Legend (Senior). 

The questions in most categories could be based on any books written by the authors, though most questions may be based on their newer titles published within the past 3-4 years. 

TIP! Some teams have "specialist" members who focus on books from one or two of the question categories. 'Divide and conquer' may be a strategy for your team to try.

In the Award Winner category, questions are based on books written by the authors on the Junior and Senior Author Lists whose works won or were honoured for various literary awards in the past ten years. Please refer to each list for the specific awards.

TIP! We suggest your team review the Author Lists for their division and the award websites to determine which books may be included in the tournament questions. 

On Tournament Day

Here’s what teams can expect during the competition rounds.

Questions

Each team is asked an equal number of questions. The questions are asked to the teams alternately regardless of which team gave the last correct answer. Questions are asked in each of the eight categories, in each round.

Answers

A team has 30 seconds to give the title and/or the book's author. You do not need to know the title to try for author points or vice versa. Character questions only require the character's name. The same applies to series and myths/legends.

TIP! Memorizing and listing the authors' names is a strategy many teams use to help get Author points. We only need the author's last name when an author is required as part of the answer. In the case of joint authorship, either surname is accepted.

The question is asked once, and then the timing will start. During this time, the team can ask to have the question repeated and may guess as much as they want through the Spokesperson.

If, after 30 seconds, the team cannot answer correctly, the opposing team has a chance to answer—but they must give their answer immediately. The question will not be repeated for the opposing team, and they will not have any time allowance. If Team A has correctly given the title, then Team B may give the author (or vice versa). 

If an answer is questionable, the Moderator’s decision is final.

Scoring

• Five points are given to the team that correctly identifies the title.
• Three points are given to the team correctly identifying the author’s surname.
• Five points are given for correct answers for a character, series, or myth/legend.
• Two points are given when the opposing team correctly answers the title, or a character, series, or myth/legend.
• One point is given when the opposing team correctly answers the author’s surname.

There is no penalty for guessing. When a Round ends in a tied score, the teams are asked tie-breaker questions.

Sample Questions & Scoring