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EVENTS

The Titles

	In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord	In 1947, a Chinese child comes to Brooklyn where she becomes Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for baseball.
	The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood	A young orphan boy is ordered by his master  to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.
	Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli	In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
	A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine  L’Engle	Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
	The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson	Odge Gribble, a young hag, accompanies an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on their mission through a magical tunnel from their Island to London to rescue their King and Queen's son who had been stolen as an infant.
	The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence	Shipwrecked after a vicious storm, fourteen-year-old John Spencer attempts to save his father and himself while also dealing with an evil secret about the English coastal town where they are stranded.

The Teams

Teams have assembled from 30 libraries! Below is a list of which libraries will have Battle of the Books teams in 2003:

• Akron
• Angola
• Blasdell
• Boston
• Clarence
• Concord
• Crane
• Depew
• East Aurora
• East Clinton
• Eden
• Elma
• Fairfield
• Grand Island
• Hamburg
• Julia Boyer Reinstein
• Kenmore
• Lackawanna
• Lake Shore
• Lancaster
• Marilla
• Mead
• North Cheektowaga
• North Collins
• North Park
• Orchard Park
• Reinstein Memorial
• Riverside
• South Cheektowaga
• Tonawanda City

Rules of Play

Teams

• Each team will consist of at least 5 players, but not more than 9 players. Six alternates will be accepted and listed on the official registration form. Alternates will be used at the discretion of the coach.
• If on the day of the event, a registered team does not have the minimum number of players (5), they may still participate.
• Team members must be entering grades 6-9.
• All team members will participate in each round.

Game/Set-up

• There will be 6 rounds in which each team will participate.
• Each round will last approximately 10 minutes, with a 5-minute break between each round.
• In each round, 2 teams "battle" against each other. Multiple "battles" will be taking place during each round.
• In case of an odd number of teams, 1 team may not have an opposing team during one particular round. That team will vary from round to round.

Questions

• 26 alternating questions will be posed to the teams during each round. 13 questions per team.
• The questions asked during the individual rounds will always be the same no matter what room your group is located in.
• In case of an odd number of teams, 1 team will be asked only 13 questions.
• The questions will be based on the 6 titles that the participants have read.
• Questions will not be ambiguous. Answers will be straightforward and specific as they relate to characters, setting, plot, detail or quote identification.
• Questions will be read in their entirety unless interrupted by the team.
• Interrupted questions will not be finished and the play begins at the end of the interruption.
• Questions will be posed to the individual teams and then given 20 seconds to complete the answer; 1 point for correct answer, 0 points for incorrect or incomplete answers.
• Clock starts at the end of the question. If a team requests a rereading of the question the clock continues to run.
• The opposing team does not have an opportunity to answer a question that was incorrectly answered.
• Any prompting from the audience will disqualify the question.
• There will be no challenge to questions by coaches, player or parents.

Playoff Round

• Should more than 2 teams qualify for the championship round playoff rounds will occur simultaneously.
• Teams will answer as many questions as possible during the 3-minute playoff round.
• An interrupted question will not be repeated; response must be given within 10 seconds.
• Questions can be passed.
• 1 point will be awarded for correct responses, a 1 point deduction will be taken for incorrect responses, and 0 points for passed or unanswered responses.
• If additional playoff rounds are necessary each successive round will be reduced by 1 minute.

Championship Round

• Two top scoring teams!
• This will be a 10-minute "thunder" round.
• Opposing teams will try to answer as many questions as possible during the specified time period.
• Quickest individual to "buzz in" using the "Quizzer" will answer the question.
• Response must be given immediately following recognition of 1st individual to "buzz in."
• 1 point will be awarded for correct responses and a 1 point deduction will be taken for incorrect response or no response.
• If after 5 seconds no team is recognized to answer the given question, the next question will be read