Santa Barbara County Education Office wraps up Battle of the Books

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More than 250 fourth- through eighth-grade students participated in the 24th annual Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Battle of the Books. 

Participating elementary and junior high school students prepare for the year-round event by reading and often re-reading books from a designated list, according to the Education Office. They then battle against other teams to test their knowledge with trivia questions about plot, characters, and theme. 

This year, students were quizzed on 26 different titles, including Nic Stone’s Fast Pitch; Dawn Quigley’s Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-To-Be-Best Friend; and Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant. First place went to The Aluminum Pie Comets in Santa Maria’s battle. Students on the winning team were from Bill Libbon, Rice, and Tunnell elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District; Manzanita Charter School in the Lompoc Unified School District; and Oak Valley Elementary in the Buellton Union School District.

“Congratulations to the winning teams and all the participants in this year’s Battle of the Books! It’s such an inspiration to see the level of preparation and teamwork these students bring to the event,” county Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido said in a press release. “It is a joy seeing the students’ love of reading on full display during this cross-county friendly battle.” 

The county is hosting a Spanish language Battle of the Books on May 6. The reading lists for next year’s battles will be released in late May at sbceo.org/battle. 

This article appears in May 1-11, 2025.