Atchison County Mark Twain Battle of the Books March 22

The annual Atchison County Mark Twain Battle of the Books competition is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Tarkio Resource Center (11th and Walnut streets). Registration begins at 3:00 p.m. This fun event is for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in Atchison County who attend one of the area schools or are home-schooled. Seven teams have signed up so far.

The event is based on the Missouri School Librarians’ 12 Mark Twain book selections of 2024. The teams are composed of three or four students each, either from the same school or different schools. The students pick their teammates and decide on a team name. Most students read at least four of the books although many read all 12. Extra copies of the Mark Twain book selections are in the school libraries and the three branches of the Atchison County Library in Rock Port, Tarkio, and Fairfax.

Pizza is served to the students at the event before the competition begins. There will be 12 rounds of questions for all participants in the first round. Then the top three teams will answer more questions to determine the winner. Prizes and awards are handed out at the end of the event. Parents and grandparents are invited to attend. For more information, contact your school library.

This year’s books are: The Hidden Knife, Linked, The Lion on Mars, The Night Ride, Nightingale, Once Upon a Camel, One Kid’s Trash, A Place to Hang the Moon, Pony, Six Feet Below Zero, Tangled Up in Luck, and Worst-Case Collin.