Feedback from Teachers
“I think one fo the neatest things about the OBOB program is that it makes all the schools equal. There is no school size divisions like there is for sports. A small school like ours, Amity, is able to go up against some of the bigger schools and be successful. The students on my team were so excited to qualify for state competition at regional. Everyone has an equal and fair chance to go which makes the kids feel so good! We are all very excited about the opportunity to compete at state.”
Feedback from Parents
“Thank you so much for doing Battle of the Books. It was just the thing we needed to motivate him to read. He has always been a bright student but only read when he had to and was very narrow in his choices. With the Battle Books he was avidly reading all kinds of books that he wouldn’t normally have touched.”
“I can’t begin to express what a positive experience obob has been for my child. As a third grader, it was like pulling teeth to get him to read a book. His experience with obob really turned him on to reading and as you know, now we have to pull books out of his hands.
“Now he is excited about starting on next year’s books and is already almost done with his first one. That is the true success of the program, getting kids to read. The competition aspect of it is terrific also.
“The regional event on Saturday was so fun and exciting. Obviously, more so since the team won, but it would have been anyway, even had they not made it past the first round. The organizers and volunteers all did a first rate job, I couldn’t have been more impressed.
“My mom, who was visiting from California, wants to start a program in California if one doesn’t already exist! The positive feelings and confidence my child has gained from his obob experience are priceless (I sound like a visa commercial). Anyway, kudos to all involved.”
“My son developed a passion for reading through OBOB that I had not previously seen. He was driven to read the OBOB books, and we spent many nights together reading the books. At times he couldn’t stand to wait for me, so he read ahead. We are still working on the list from this year as I was late in getting started and therefore in obtaining the books so they weren’t to be found at the Eugene Public Library during the peak of the season. Someone on his team thankfully loaned him some books. We are still reading this year’s books and will then start reading next years.”
“Just wanted to share that OBOB put the excitement bug into reading for my daughter. Seems she had always been so darn busy with her rather complicated life to sit down and read very often – despite encouragement….but then “enter OBOB!” She was excited about the chance to participate with her friends and compete on such a friendly level. Each year she has been more and more encouraged to read outside the classroom through the OBOB program and has said “next year I want to read all the OBOB books.” What a great incentive to gently nudge budding readers. Thank you so much for making this event such a success at our school and for our children!”
Feedback from Students
Feedback from Administrators
“This competition motivates students to read, and motivates some classroom teachers to read aloud books that are at a slightly higher level than students’ reading level.The games foster collaborative learning and social development, as children learn to support each other and be gracious whether they win or lose.”
“Oregon Battle of the Books provides all of our student participants with reading experiences outside the classroom. Stong readers generally become stronger; those who sit on the cusp of becoming good readers find reason to improve. Our TAG students have a natural way of finding success grouped with like readers. Not everyone wins the trophy, but everone is a better reader at the end – definitely a winning combination.”
“I’ve had many parents comments about what a wonderful program OBOB is. Some comment on how it was a challenge to get their son or daughter to read at home until he or she participated in OBOB. Others have said that their child’s reading skills and comprehension have improved. A few have commented that their child would only read a certain kind of book and after OBOB would choose to read a variety of genres. OBOB has been a very successful and much anticipated program at our school.”
“This is a great program. It encourages not only reading, but the idea of being a community of readers. OBOB creates such a buzz around Alameda. Kids are talking about books, parents are talking about books and families are talking about books. We had a mom’s night out and the big topic of conversation was ‘City of Ember,’ there is so much more to the book that kids don’t even pick up on. If one child is participating in OBOB it becomes a family affair. The parents are reading the books and talking to kids about them, and younger siblings are being read the books. The other benefit, is that kids read books and genres of books they would not normally have read.”
“Our first year in Battle of the Books brought students of all walks of life, skill level, and class year together. Our final team had seniors and freshmen, all excited to compete in an arena covering their favorite thing: books. News of the books, titles, an interest level spread quickly from our original group of 30 students and soon many Cottage Grove High School students were awaiting the release of the battle books into library circulation. It is a movement to behold.”
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