Battle of the Books proves love of reading

In which book does a couple in a play commit suicide because it is the honorable thing to do?

One Onslow County middle school student knew the answer: "The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn" by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.

More than 75 Onslow County middle school students gathered at Southwest Middle Friday to compete in the 2008-09 Battle of the Books, where eight teams of up to 12 students from Onslow middle schools competed in trivia on 27 books.

"The annual Battle of the Books fosters the love of reading," Battle of the Books coordinator Nicole Gray said. "They could be doing so many other activities, but they have so many hours they have to read and practice with their team. ... It encourages them to be lifelong readers."

Katie Yingling, 14, an eighth grade student at Swansboro Middle, joined Battle of the Books in sixth grade after hearing about it from her sister.

"It's really interesting to see how other people can come together and read different ways, and have fun together because we enjoy the same thing," Katie said.

Reading, she said, is fun even without the competition.

"It's kind of like another life you don't really know about, even if it's fiction," Katie said.

Katie's teammate Megan Edward, a 13-year-old seventh grade student, joined the team solely because of her love for reading.

"I like reading and I like to get the details out of reading, and I was excited to know there was something I could do competitively," said Megan, who joined Battle of the Books last year.

The competition, she said, gives team members "more experience than you'd get normally."

"I think it's really cool to see what other people get out of reading the same book you did," Megan said.

When Jonathan Nowlin, 14, leaves Hunters Creek Middle at the end of this school year, he will miss his time with Battle of the Books, he said.

Jonathan, a three-year team member, is still battling a bit of nerves when he goes on stage for the competition.

"I don't exactly like having everyone stare at me if I mess up, but I do enjoy being able to show everyone I remembered," he said.

Derek Wilson, 12, a seventh grade student at Hunters Creek Middle, joined Battle of the Books because he "needed to get out more and do some extracurricular activities."

His love for reading, he said, made his choice of activities easy.

"I make it so it unfolds like a movie," Derek said, explaining that while he reads he gives the characters faces and voices, allowing them to become more realistic. "It's pretty much like a movie theater; I just don't pay for it."

Hunters Creek Middle School came in first place with 117 points, with Swansboro Middle coming in second with 106 points. Northwoods Park Middle held third place with 90 points.

Now, Hunters Creek Middle School will begin preparing for the Southeast Regional Competition April 2 in Pamlico County.

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow County reporter Amanda Hickey at 910-219-8461 or ahickey@freedomenc.com.