Battle of the Books 2026
Join the excitement as Oakville students showcase their reading skills!
What is Battle of the Books?
Battle of the Books is an annual literacy event hosted by Oakville Public Library among Oakville elementary schools. Through book trivia, children in grades 3-8 challenge each other’s knowledge of reading knowledge for the title of champion. Oakville Public Library has been hosting this event for over 30 years, engaging students, teachers, and parent volunteers in the love of reading.
How does it work?
Tournament Structure
Teams of elementary-grade students in each community pit their reading knowledge against each other in a round-robin tournament.
Several days of competition could occur depending on the number of teams participating. Each team participates in 4 out of 5 rounds of play. Junior and Senior Teams only compete against their counterpart teams.
At the end of the tournament, the judges total the scores for the rounds played by each team. The two highest-scoring teams in each grade division compete against each other at the Grand Battle to determine the Oakville Champions.
Updated Elements
Book Lists: Teams will be given the titles of the books being used in the Battles to help them prepare! There will be a total of 30 books on the Junior list and 30 books on the Senior list. Books will be chosen from the genres, Adventure, Contemporary, Fantasy, Historical, Humour, and Non-Fiction.
Comprehension Questions: By providing our teams with the titles of the books we’ll be using to create Battle questions, our aim is to inspire a deeper exploration of the books by adding some comprehension questions to the Battle rounds.
Thoughtful Responses: Teams can make three attempts to answer the question within 30 seconds. If the team fails to respond, or provides incorrect or a part answer, the opposing team has a chance to answer and take those points.
Team Composition
Schools can register one Junior Team and one Senior Team. We will strictly enforce the team composition to ensure fairness among the players.
- Every team has six players and up to three substitutes, to a maximum of nine students.
- Teams have two members from each grade within their division. The three substitutes come from each grade.
- If you do not have enough players from a certain grade, only players from lower grades may substitute. For example: If you have no Grade 7 players, you can have more players from Grade 6, but not from Grade 8.
- Six team members play at one time. One player is the designated Spokesperson.
- All team members may discuss the possible answers, but only the Spokesperson answers for the team.
- If team coaches/managers are students, they cannot participate in the actual competition.
How do I register?
Principals, teachers, and school librarians from Oakville Catholic, public, and independent schools can register a team through the online form once available.
Each school can register a maximum of two teams, one from each age category: Junior (grades 3-5) and Senior (grades 6-8).
How do teams prepare?
Read. Read. Read.
Team leaders, watch out for the Book Lists posted to this site in early 2026. All battle round questions will be derived from books on these lists. Titles will primarily come from the last five years.
When does Battle of the Books happen?
Battle of the Books will run in April 2026, with specific dates confirmed with registered teams. The Round Robin Battles will occur in early April, with the Grand Battle occurring in late April.
The Regional Battle will be hosted at Milton Public Library in May.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am a parent; can I register a team?
No, registrations from parents or volunteers will not be accepted.
Do other library systems offer Battle of the Books?
Yes! Milton, Burlington, and Halton Hills Public Libraries all offer Battle of the Books. Check your local library for more details.
Where can I get more information?
If you are a teacher, librarian, or principal in Halton Region, a Welcome Letter & FAQ document has been sent to your school-board library manager. Please reach out to your school-board library manager if you did not receive these documents.
Junior (Grades 3-5) Author Lists
Check back in early 2026.