Battle of the Books

Every year at the AKLA conference librarians meet to determine what next year's Battle of the Books will be.  I have helped out every year I've been at the conference for the last six years.  This is a great way to give input into what my students will be reading next year for Battle of the Books, and to help shape what students all over the state will be reading since I care that they are exposed to the best, most interesting books possible.  There were 27 books that we could choose from, that had been preselected for suitability and being in print.  There were five of us there this year, all middle school librarians.  One from Sitka, one from Unalaska, two from Mat-Su, and I'm from Anchorage.  We discussed which books the students would like best, and made sure it was a balanced list appealing to both girls and boys.  There are mysteries, humor, an Alaska story, fantasy, multicultural fiction, non-fiction, and classics!  The other great thing about being on the selection committee was that I was able to tell my students right away what next year's books would be.  I updated my school's website that night!  Students told me Monday morning that they checked the website over the weekend to find what the new books were.  What are they?  Check them out on our library website!