About

About Us

Westchester Library System Battle of the Books (WLS BoB) is a reading motivation program for those entering Grades 4 – 12 in Westchester County, New York.

The goal of the program is to promote a love of reading in kids and teens, to expose them to titles and authors that they might not encounter otherwise, to encourage them to think of their local public library as a resource for entertainment and to inspire teamwork and good sportsmanship in an atmosphere of friendly competition. WLS BoB was started by Liz Anastasi in 2013. From 2014 to 2019, an annual in-person competition was held bringing together hundreds of students and volunteers. The program transitioned to virtual as a result of the pandemic, then returned to in-person for the 2023 WLS BoB which took place at Ossining High School.

Interested in the program? Email the WLS BoB Planning Committee at bob.westchester@gmail.com. We will answer you quickly!

Testimonials

“The kids were truly amazing as they demonstrated their ability to remember detail from the books that they had read — much more than I will ever be able to do with anything I read!” –Volunteer

“I loved how engaged and excited all the kids were. Some of these kids don’t participate in sports and may not typically have the opportunity to be part of the kind of fun yet competitive team activities like BOB.” –Parent

“I see these kids every day and had no idea what to expect from them. I wasn’t sure how well they’d behave, I wasn’t sure of how much knowledge they actually retained from the books. But seeing how well they worked together, how much they knew. I couldn’t have been prouder of them. ” –Coach

“The kids were very grateful for the presence of the volunteers. As a judge, I had several students approach me and our emcee after the match to thank us for the experience. ” –Volunteer

“This was team work at it’s finest plus such an event helps build the confidence of the quiet book reader individual who normally has not much to show for his/her zeal for the books.” –Parent

“The level of teamwork and sportsmanship, for a group of fourth & fifth graders, seeing that was my favorite thing about being a coach.” –Coach