The atmosphere was intense and competitive on Aug. 31 as five teams of local readers, aged 7 to 17, gathered at the inaugural Headwaters Battle of the Books: Classics in Orangeville.
Over the past four months participants from both the homeschooled and publicly schooled communities committed to reading a list of 20 classic novels, including old favourites like Little Men by L.M. Alcott, The Secret Garden by F.H. Burnett and Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller.
The event kicked off with a round robin, in which each team worked to answer the most trivia questions correctly.
In the second portion of the event, teams were knocked out in a jeopardy-style competition.
The championship game featured the top three teams, which included four Wellington County readers.
The Bookworms, including Asher Penny from Hillsburgh, Tristan Yap from Erin and Qu’Shon Hasfal and Colin Thorpe of Orangeville, took home the grand prize.
Businesses throughout Wellington County, such as Jesters Fun Factory in Fergus, Debora’s Chocolate Shop and Brighten Up Toy Shop in Erin, and Hillsburgh Foodland donated to make the event a success.
All participants went home happy, with souvenirs and a free book. It was a wonderful day, and the children and families who took part all agreed that the greatest take-home prize was in being introduced to such a fantastic array of timeless stories, organizers state.
