Butterfield Bookmarks Take First Place in Local Battles

The Butterfield Bookmarks pose with their two First Place Trophies. From left to right: Sonya Kuzminski, Claire Carroll, Clare Shanahan, and Elizabeth Casparian. Not pictured: Kiefer Thorpe, Michelle McEwen and Albert Bajsicki. The Butterfield Bookmarks, The Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library's Battle of the Books team, has won two out of three "battles" with local libraries as part of this national reading program for middle school-age children.

The 2007 Battle of the Books team includes Haldane students Albert Bajsicki, Claire Carroll, Elizabeth Casparian, Sonya Kuzminski, Michelle McEwen, Clare Shananhan, and Kiefer Thorpe. Clare and Kiefer had also participated in 2006.

The program requires that the participants read 10 novels and then participate in trivia battles based on the books against other teams. This year's titles include Tangerine by Edward Bloor; Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams; Uglies by Scott Westerfeld; Lily's Ghosts by Laura Ruby; Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones; The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle; Sweetgrass by Jan Hudson; A Mangoshaped Space: A Novel by Wendy Mass; Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay; and The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. Participants learn teamwork and a healthy sense of competition as well as a chance to hone their reading and comprehension skills.

The Bookmarks competed with three area libraries during the summer. They received First Place trophies in battles against Arlington Branch Library of Poughkeepsie and Howland Public Library of Beacon. The team lost to Grinnell Library of Wappingers Falls.

The Bookmarks go on to the Regional Battle to be held at Millbrook High School on Saturday, September 15 at 1pm. They will compete against 13 other libraries in the Mid- Hudson Library System. All are welcome to attend and cheer the team to victory!

For more information on the Battle of the Books program or the Regional Battle, please contact the Library at 265-3040 or email the program coordinator at mcgrathm@bestweb.net