Young readers from across New Braunfels ISD gathered on March 17th at the New Braunfels High School Auditorium for the annual NB Reads Battle of the Books competition, an event that celebrates a love of reading, teamwork, and literary knowledge.

After an exciting and closely contested competition, Lamar Elementary emerged as this year’s champion with 82 total points. Carl Schurz Elementary and Veramendi Elementary followed closely behind, each finishing the day with 79 points.

Each campus team is composed of five students in grades three through five, with the school’s librarian serving as the team’s coach. In the weeks leading up to the district competition, students dedicate significant time to reading and preparing for the event, studying a list of 20 selected books and practicing for the fast-paced question rounds in front of a live audience.

To earn a spot on their campus team, students must read more than five books from the list and achieve the highest scores on a voluntary test measuring their knowledge of the titles.

The competition itself challenges students’ reading comprehension and recall. Teams compete in four rounds, with 25 questions read aloud in each round. Students have 20 seconds to answer each question, testing both their memory and their teamwork under pressure. The questions are written by NBISD elementary librarians, and each team is given two opportunities to challenge an answer if they believe a response has been marked incorrectly.

Nearly 20 years ago, NBISD librarians launched the first Battle of the Bluebonnet Books. In 2019, the program was renamed the Unicorns Read Battle of the Books, followed by NB Reads Battle of the Books, in which librarians began selecting their own list of 20 books for the reading program and competition.

The winning campus receives a trophy to display at their school until the next year’s competition, while all participating students are celebrated for their hard work and dedication. Following the competition, the teams gathered to enjoy lunch together, wrapping up a day that highlighted the joy of reading and friendly academic competition.

The annual event continues to inspire young readers across NBISD, encouraging students to discover new books while building confidence, knowledge, and a lifelong love of reading.