Battle of the Books 2017

Congratulations to: 
Fantastic Books & Where To Read Them, the wining team for the 2017 Middle School Battle of the Books.

Coming in second place was The Feathered Goats

Third place went to The Titans of Text

On behalf of the Oxford Public Library Teen Department and Oxford Middle School, a BIG round of applause goes out to all the teens who participated in this year's Battle of the Books. We would also like to thank the parents, the team advisors, the educators, and everyone who encouraged and helped these teens.

Battle of the Books is a collaborative efford, and it takes a huge amount of teamwork and dedication to make it so successful year after year.

Great job, everyone! Thank you for another amazing Battle year. I hope you had fun (we sure did!).

Geekerella, by Ashley Poston

Nerd Girl Danielle "Elle" Wittemer doesn't fit in with the rest of the girls in Charleston, where everyone is either a Debutante, a Daugher of the Confederacy, a politician's kid, or a combination of the three. And she most definitely doesn't fit in with her materalistic stepmother and stuck-up twin stepsisters. While everyone else is obsessed with brand names and celeb culture and the like, Elle is is geeking over Starfield and especially with the hottie of an actor who plays Federation Prince Carmindor on the show. 

Meanwhile...

Darien Freeman used to live for Cons. But lately he's been getting burnt out on the fans, the photos, and the meet and greets. Plus, he's having his doubts about his role on Starfield, wanting to be seen as a serious actor rather than just another pretty face.

So when Elle hears about a cosplay contest where the first prize is a ticket to the uber-exclusive ExcelsiCon Ball and a meet-and-greet with her celeb crush, she'll do anything to win.  

Told in the alternating viewpoints of Elle and Darien, Geekerella by Ashley Poston is a modern day Cinderella romance that's magically adorkable and all the good things you'd expect from a fairy tale! Sure, it's predictable. But it's so cute that doesn't matter. Because everyone loves a happy ending! Readers who loved Fan Girl and Geek's Guide to Unrequitted Love and All The Feels will be charmed. --AJB

Under Rose-Tainted Skies, by Louise Gornall

I never came across the word, agoraphobia until I read Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall. I ended up googling the word agoraphobia and it basically means fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment. It's an anxiety disorder where you think the places you go to are unsafe and unable to get away and most people experience panic attack.

I can imagine that someone with agoraphobia doesn't have lots of friends. Maybe online, they may have friends. Social media, for example, might connect them to the outside world, because it's pretty much impossible for them to meet up with friends or invite them over.

In this story, it revolves around Norah's struggles to live her life with agoraphobia, anxiety, and OCD. I thought these mental health issues were all portrayed really well and weren't simply "cured" overnight because she met a cute guy. The guy is more of what leads her to work on everything more instead of what makes it all magically go away. Nothing felt too cheap and unrealistic in this story.

There were a few relationships Norah had, were done really nicely. I loved that moment when Norah realized that she'd become best friends with her mother, which is something that definitely sounds familiar. Her friendship with her neighbor, Luke also develops naturally.

My favorite part was that, even though there was a love interest and a romantic plot, love did not cure all. Luke is an incredible love interest and is so supportive but he doesn't attempt to cure her. I can't even tell you how much I dislike books that deal with mental health being easily solved by love. Love does not cure mental illnesses. Sure, they can definitely help but they do not cure it. *JK*