Ready, set, read! Lake Wylie students team up for a championship of reading.

They read. They came. They battled.

Fourth- and fifth-graders from all seven Clover School District elementary schools gathered Friday morning to test wits and recall from books they’ve read earlier in the year. Only the top three teams from school level competitions made the district event at Crowders Creek Elementary School.

The contest featured 84 students in teams of four.

Battle of the Books is a head-to-head event with questions based on plots and characters from the novels they read. Students have to be ready to name the work and author to score points.

“It fits a love of reading in a game-like atmosphere and teaches our students that reading can be a team sport,” said Anne Witte, English and Language Arts instructional supervisor.

Oakridge Middle School had a similar event, and parent Julie List liked seeing her child compete so much she brought it to Bethel Elementary. She ran the event Friday in its second year going district-wide for elementary students. Another already is planned for next year at Oakridge Elementary.

Students had seven weeks to read a list of 10 books kept secret in advance. District reading staff and administrators were on hand Friday morning to witness an event that’s as much sport as it is academics. But it’s plenty of both.

“It’s about teamwork,” List said. “This is not just about reading. The teams that win work well (together).”

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Ready, set, read! Lake Wylie students team up for a championship of reading.."