Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB)

The Oregon Battle of the Books is an exciting reading competition.  Students in grades 3rd-5th will form teams and compete against peers by answering questions about the sixteen books selected for the year.

• The mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, to promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students.
• There are sixteen books and each student is encouraged to read as many books as possible to be prepared for the battles.
• There will be monthly meetings in November, December, and January.  Battles will take place in February.
• Students will form their own teams of four players and one adult leader.
• One team from Terra Linda will advance to the regional competition.

Please complete THIS FORM to sign up for OBOB. If transportation is a barrier to your student participating in OBOB, please contact Jennifer Collett at jenn.collett@gmail.com in help setting up a carpool.

Email all questions to:  jenn.collett@gmail.com

Meeting Dates:

2025-2026 OBOB Books

The list of books is determined at the state level, not the school level.

• Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek – ISBN 9781338662214
• The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau – ISBN 9780375822742 – Please note this is the original novel, not the adapted graphic novel by the same name!
• Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson – ISBN 9781536235166
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein  – ISBN 9780307931474 — *Please note this is the original novel, not the adapted graphic novel by the same name!
  
• Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome – ISBN 9780823445820
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen – ISBN 9781416936473 — *The questions for this specific title will be taken from the original text, not supplemental material. Any American edition of this book will prepare OBOBers for a battle, although page numbers may differ.
• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lại – ISBN 9780061962790
• Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb – ISBN 9781646034390
• The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass – ISBN 9781250838834
• The Million Dollar Race by Matthew Ross Smith – ISBN 9781534420281
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry – ISBN 9780547577098 — *The questions for this specific title will be taken from the original text, not supplemental material. Any American edition of this book will prepare OBOBers for a battle, although page numbers may differ.
• Odder by Katherine Applegate – ISBN 9781250147424 — *Please note this is the novel, not the author’s picture book by the same name! We are using the hardback edition as the paperback has only been published in the UK.
• The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos – ISBN 9781623545857
• The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla – ISBN 9780316459709
• Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter – ISBN 9781338568936
• The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler – ISBN 9780763660208 — *Be sure you are purchasing a US version of this, as the UK version differs in some ways.

The Terra Linda Library will have several copies of each of these books.  The Cedar Mill Library is another resource for borrowing OBOB books.

Other Resources