Over 900 children participated in the summer Battle of the Books.

Photo by The Children's Trust

900 Children Compete to be Great Book Warrior

Competition helped children keep reading skills in summer

For children struggling with their literacy in the midst of the pandemic, what better way to spend the summer than reading to compete in a fun, engaging and literary challenging event than the Battle of the Books 2021. 900 kids spent a big part of their summer

Presented by the Miami-Dade Grade Level Reading Campaign in conjunction with The Children’s Trust, the Battle of the Books kept students' brains active during the summer and helped avoid the vaunted "summer slide." Along the more than month-long competition, readers were encouraged by special guests, entertainment, demonstrations, prizes and, of course, the main attraction, the grand finale of the Book Battle that took place virtually on July 22.

Utilizing the Kahoot learning software application, the competition was broken into two sessions – a morning competition with summer campers and an evening challenge for the rest of the community. The competition was geared toward 2nd-3rd graders and 4th-5th graders. Here are the winners:

Evening Community Battle of the Books Winners

2nd -3rd Grade Winners: First place, Zaliyiah Johnson; second, Natalia Rosabal; and third, Tamia Bright. 4-5th Grade Winners: First place, Isabela Bonnette; Second, Samyra Regulus; and third Hillary Argueta.

Summer Camp Battle of the Books Winning Camps and Teams

2nd-3rd Grade Winners: First place, Community Coalition Wise Kidz (3rd graders: Anthony Perez, Nazaret Morales, Regi Pierre, Alex Mejias); second, Goulds Park Champions (2nd/3rd graders: Kylye Ferguson, Ralph Ferguson, Harvey Bodie, Elijah Garcia, Savannah Richardson); third, Arc Team Brains (Joyce Jimenez, Thiago Andino, Celeste Olivero, Abby Olivero, Sophie Dominguez). 4th-5th Grade Winners: First place, Gang Alternative Shalom Community Center (4th/5th graders Sammuel Thelusme, Breyonna Louis, Riyanna Tassy, Metshaida Lesperance, Winaeyah Clesidor); second, Arc Team Camouflage (Antionette, Maria, Jaylynn, Jazier, Maxine, Wesley, Jon, Emmanuel, Petrona, Ruby); third, Community Coalition Wise Kidz (4th graders: Keyla Acanda, Briana Carmona, Eduardo Exposito, Raizel Pierre, Ryan Salgado).