Top left: Nola Graf, Sammara Santiago, Tylyn Bowles, Jennalyn Kruger, and Kiera Apher make up the middle school OBOB team, Whapowin Green Llamas. Aliya Hall/The Chronicle
Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) season has started with the regional championship kick off on Feb. 29 for Lane County middle schools. The high and elementary school regionals will take place on March 7 and March 14, respectively, and the Creswell School District will be represented.
OBOB is a statewide reading motivation and comprehension program, sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries, according to the OBOB website.
Teams of up to five students in divisions elementary through high school are assigned to read 12 books – 16 if high schoolers – and compete by answering questions based on the reading.
”These books pull from all over the genre and diversity spectrum. There are contemporary realistic fiction books, fantasy books, and nonfiction as well,” Nick Caum, youth and community services librarian and coach of the middle school team, said.
”Some novels are written in verse or use the graphic novel medium. OBOB participants step outside of their reading comfort zone to try new books.”
Each Creswell grade level has an OBOB team. The Creslane team is the ”PB&JS,” which is made up of Paige Cranmer, Brock Cranmer, Jordyn Lee and Sophie Bonn. Their team tame is taken from the first letter of each of their names.
The Creswell Middle School team is called Whapowin Green Llamas., and is made up of Nola Graf, Sammara Santiago, Tylyn Bowles, Jennalyn Kruger, and Kiera Apher.
In Springfield, the elementary school teams are:
• Centennial Elementary – Reading Wizards: Thomas Fuller, Henry Hulings, Zowie Sanderson, Sammy Schull and Jacob Toensing;
• Douglas Gardens Elementary – Smart Ones 2.0: Bayleigh Harshbarger, Kennedi Cofey, Soriah Johnson and Ethan Olds;
• Guy Lee Elementary – Reading Wizards: Amaya, Liliana, Pennie, Maya and Olivia;
• Page Elementary – Shooting Stars: Jeweliawna Panko, Katelynn Robbins, Koah Thomson, Lillian Wobbe, and alternate- Emma Lekoff;
• Riverbend Elementary – Sibling Rivalry: Annabelle Robison, Jacob Robison, Leo Filipe, and Nuari Filipe
• Thurston Elementary – Madelenaliesery: Maddie McCan, Elena Coupens, Ellery Pierce and Annaliese Stone
• Walterville Elementary – The Mega Magma Readers: Kamdyn Wardlaw, James Thomas, Gabriel Snyder, James Attebury, and Malachi Wages
• Yolanda Elementary – The Comeback Cucumbers: Sailor Hall, Jalen Smith and Lachlan Vaught;
At the middle-school level, Springfield teams are:
• Agnes Stewart Middle School Eighth Grade Team – Book Worms: Ayden Way, Kiana Volkl, Zane Kennedy, Lydia Shellenberg, Aurora Cramer
• Briggs Middle School Eighth Grade Team – We Have No Soul: Izaac Oregon, Kai Oregon, Alex Bakker, Thomas Cleary, and Karlee Ogan
• Hamlin Middle School – BookWorms: Rachel Brewer, Britney Hernandez, Obadiah Powell and Angelica Rios
At the high-school level, Springfield teams are:
• Thurston High – Team name TBD: Sherell Campbell and Kimberly Hart
• Springfield High School – Weirdmageddon: Jacie Brewer, AJ Sosa, Terra Andrews and Tyler Pangle.
Several Creswell students said they like the team aspect and having the opportunity to compete in a sport that’s more mental than physical.
”These are some of the greatest books,” Kruger said. ”They’re so funny and fun. Full of adventure and everyone can find something they like.”
The team’s favorite read was ”Girl Who Drank the Moon” by Kelly Barnhill, but Kruger also really enjoyed ”The Blackthorn Key” by Kevin Sands because it had adventure and surprises. Santiago said her favorite was ”It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel” by Firoozeh Dumas because it focused on immigrants and different culture themes.
Caum said the team is ”resilient” because almost half of the original team members weren’t able to participate in the regional battle due to conflicting schedules and they had to add two team members.
”Despite these setbacks, they are in great shape,” she said. ”Normally, teams plan who will read what books at the beginning of the OBOB season; however, all of that planning went out the window when they added to new team members. I worry that this could be an issue but they are reading quickly to cover and weak points in the reading list.”
The high school team, Scatterbrains, is made up of Noelle Holst, Emma Kersgaard, Raina Davis, Emma Kersgaard and Brielle Brick. Last year the team won the State competition, and the team said the pressure is on to keep that streak up.
The team uses packets and each member specializes in three books. Their favorite books were ”Six of Crows,” ”Strange the Dreamer,” ”Long Way Down,” ”The Sun Is Also a Star,” and ”This Mortal Coil.”
Cottage Grove schools participating are Bohemia Elementary School, Cottage Grove High School, Lincoln Middle School and London School.
Pleasant Hill Elementary and Middle School also have teams that will represent the schools: the fourth grade team, Mighty Cucumbers, made up of Nellie Smith, Kyson Smith, Wyatt Krauss and Stella Carlton; and a middle school team.
Springfield has 13 schools across the grade levels participating in OBOB as well.
