VA Peninsula Battle of the Books Grades 6-8

Battle of the Books is a book-based, Jeopardy-style trivia competition played by local and regional school teams. Librarians select 12 great books each for grades 4–5 and ­6–8. Public and private schools and homeschool groups form teams in the fall or winter to practice for competitions; the winners from each region then compete at WRL for the glory of the regional championship trophy.

The participating regions are Williamsburg/James City County, York County, Newport News, Hampton, and Poquoson.

Updated January 8, 2025
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Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...
Miss Quinces A Graphic Novel
Fajardo, Kat.
Paper Book
Rising star Kat Fajardo's debut middle-grade graphic novel about a girl who would rather do anything other than celebrate her quinceañera! A funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about navigating the expectations of family and cultural tradition. Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and...
Starfish
Fipps, Lisa
Paper Book
A PRINTZ HONOR BOOK . Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant novel-in-verse. "In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which...
When stars are scattered
Jamieson, Victoria
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab,...
The body under the piano
Jocelyn, Marthe
Paper Book
Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn't got much to do since the death of her beloved father... until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead...
Freewater
Luqman-Dawson, Amina
Paper Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award  An Indiebound Bestseller A New York Times Bestseller Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical,...
Homerooms & hall passes
O'Donnell, Tom
Paper Book
"You can't help falling in love with this hilarious upside-down take on Dungeons & Dragons. I read; I cheered; I laughed out loud."--Gordon Korman In the mystical realm of Bríandalör, every day the brave and the bold delve into hidden temples or forgotten dungeons, battling...
Holes
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
This groundbreaking classic is now available in a special anniversary edition with bonus content. Winner of the Newbery Medal as well as the National Book Award, HOLES is a New York Times bestseller and one of the strongest-selling middle-grade books to ever hit shelves!
Children of the fox
Sands, Kevin
Paper Book
NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH "This stunning tale of betrayal, trickery, and friendship takes the reader on a wild ride." --School Library Journal Ocean's Eleven meets The False Prince in this thrilling heist story for...
The Screaming Staircase
Stroud, Jonathan.
Paper Book
*NOW A NETFLIX SERIES* Dive into the first book of this frightfully fun series and join the ghost-hunting gang as they defend our world from the most fearsome phantoms! A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts,...
Stargazing
Wang, Jen
Paper Book
Stargazing is a heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel in the spirit of Frizzy and Mexikid, from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Jen Wang. Moon is everything Christine isn't. She's confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they...

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