Battle of the Books and More: Reading Activities for Middle School Students (Paperback)

by Sybilla Avery Cook (Author), Frances Corcoran (Author), Beverley Fonnesbeck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
An excellent resource for ideas on contests and competitions designed to motivate students to read more and enjoy what they read. While the emphasis is on the "Battle of the Books" competition, there are plenty of suggestions for other activities to use with an individual or small group, a classroom, or for a school-wide event. Helpful suggestions for organizing a competition are included, from planning the event to choosing the books and writing questions to setting up the tournaments and playoffs. However, the bulk of this resource is an impressive list of some 250 recommended titles with genre, awards (if applicable), an indication of whether study guides are available, and five questions that can be used in competitions. In addition to a list of great Web sites for librarians and students, there are reproducible bookmarks and badges. This volume was written by school library media specialists, and it is obvious that they know what makes a successful reading program succeed.
Linda Wadleigh, Oconee County Middle School, Watkinsville, GA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"An excellent resource for ideas on contests/competitions designed to motivate students to read more and enjoy what they read." -- School Library Journal

"The authors' choice of books is superb." -- OEMA Interchange (Oregon Educational Media Assn.)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Upstart Books (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579500471
• ISBN-13: 978-1579500474
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #661,229 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaching reading, September 17, 2001

By	"jmcowan" (Texas) - See all my reviews

As a reading specialist and veteran junior high teacher I highly recommend Sybilla Cook's book to both teachers in conventional classrooms and those as simple as the teacher on one end of a log and the student on the other. One of the most difficult problems in teaching reading, especially for home schoolers, is finding appropriate material that will interest students of this age level. Ms. Cook has made that easy. But she has gone way beyond that by including questions and activities to teach critical, analytical, and interpretative reading and thinking, not to mention the most basic of reading skills, comprehension. This book belongs in every teacher's professional library.

5.0 out of 5 stars For parochial school and home-teaching support groups, May 20, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Educators and library media specialists Sybilla Cook, Frances Corcoran, and Beverly Fonnesbeck effectively collaborate in Battle Of The Books And More: Reading Activities For Middle School Students to create a comprehensive guide to planning and implementing successful reading competitions for the purpose of motivating children in grades 5 to 8 to read a variety of books, both popular and classic. Also included are compilations of useful websites offering supplementary information about the books and authors; techniques for increasing participation in the competitions; suggestions on how to correlate the contests with music and art; advice on student recognition; cooperative programming between school and public libraries; publicizing the contests; and the effective use of volunteers and parents. Battle Of The Books And More is also a very highly recommended reference and guide for parochial school and home-teaching support groups.