Rockwood Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students Face Off in District’s Seventh Annual Battle of the Books

Rockwood held its seventh annual Battle of the Books event at the Administrative Annex on April 10, as 152 students from all 19 Rockwood elementary schools competed.

Each school was represented by eight fourth- and fifth-grade students. The librarians at each school gave a preliminary test to see which students made the team.

“This year went great,” said Chesterfield Elementary librarian Steve Brim, who facilitated the event. “It's always great to see the excitement in the room. The kids were all engaged.”

The trivia-style contest pairs teams of students up against each other to test their knowledge about books designated as Mark Twain Award nominees. In eight rounds of 10 questions, students responded to questions created by Westridge Elementary librarian Anne Reed about the books to test their reading comprehension.

Brim said the goal is to get students more interested in reading literature and develop a love of reading.

“We always hope the students learn that their hard work pays off, even if they don't win,” he shared. “It’s important to work as a team and collaborate. Sometimes things are hard, and that's OK.” 

After eight rounds, the team from Ellisville Elementary accumulated the most points and was declared the winner. The team claimed the coveted Battle of the Books wrestling belt for the first time. Last year, the team from Chesterfield Elementary scored the most points.

“It was great to have a new winner, and it was super close between the top teams,” Brim said. “I look forward to an even more competitive 2026 book battle.”

(Below: The team from Pond Elementary received a celebratory parade down the hallway after returning from the competition.)