Maplewood Oregon Battle of the Books
Oregon Battle of the Books
The Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries in conjunction with a Library Services and Technology Act grant. Students in 3rd -12th grade, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints. OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. Maplewood OBOB is run by a volunteer team of parents with copious help from our librarian Elin Kordahl. Our goals are participation and equity! We hold all battle during the school day allowing any student that wants to participate to do so. Please reach out with questions and happy reading.
OBOB Book Titles for 2026/2027:
3rd-5th Grade Division (3rd grade titles in bold)
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Frindle by Andrew Clements
The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat
It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King
Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
The Witch Boy by Lee Knox Ostertag (formerly known as Molly Knox Ostertag)
Student Vote Selection (to be selected by students at the State Championship, April 11)
- The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett
- The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
- Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
Official OBOB website: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org
Maplewood OBOB contact: maplewoodobob@gmail.com
Current OBOB Parent Team: Heather J (lead), Christy W, Katie U, Patty L, Linda A
Bracket and Competition Details:
Congratulations to our 2025-26 winners!!
3rd Grade: KPop Koalas (Mae, Sebastian, Paige, Addy, Jude)
4th Grade: Fire Breathing Donut Duckies (Lily, Mimi, Heidi, Bonnie, Esmae)
5th Grade: A Man Eating Egyptian Corndogs With Too Much Mustard and Not Enough Ketchup With Tootsie Rolls on Top (Finn, AJ, Sabina, Felix, Eyad)
Our 5th grade winning team will represent Maplewood at the regional competition on March 14th!
Congratulations to ALL our participants this year! We had a total of 24 teams made up of 106 students and have battled in 39 battles so far! Thank you to our teachers for their support of this awesome program! And thank you to all the parents on our OBOB Coordination team and all those who volunteered to moderate battles this year!
Author/Title Pronunciation Guide:
See the 2025-2026 author/title pronunciation guide HERE!
Additional OBOB Information:
WCCLS has additional resources you may find helpful on their OBOB page
Bethany & Cedar Mill Community Libraries OBOB Page
Practice battling with this new resource created by Glenco Elementary. You can practice solo or with your team!
https://obob.dog/
Volunteering:
Thank you to all the volunteer moderators this season, we were able to run a very successful season because of your support!
If you are interested in learning more about our OBOB program please reach out,
We are always looking for new OBOB Coordination Team members and will help answer all your burning questions about what OBOB is and how it works at Maplewood!