PELHAM LIBRARY – *Buzz!* The answer Rules by Cynthia Lord is what got “The Pelham Page Turners” into the semi-finals of Battle of the Books last year. The Pelham Page Turners have been practicing for the Westchester Battle of the Books on October 21.

The younger team “The Page Turners” are made up of seven people, a mix of fifth and sixth graders.

With the help of coach Augusta Turner (Adult Services Librarian), Pelham competes in a book competition  in late October. Team Members have to read five books across the summer and the fall. Titles include: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia, Out of My Mind by Sharon. M Draper, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson, Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar, and Witches by Roald Dahl.

Many of our players are returning members who know how stressful it is to be in that room when the pressure’s on, hoping you have the right answer. In addition, there is the pressure of buzzing in fast and getting more points for your team.

“Buzzing is suspenseful, if you get a question right you feel good, but if you get a question wrong you feel a little bad!” says Matthew Doka.

A general idea on how the game works is that there is a question about one of the five books you read. If you know the answer, you have to buzz in, and if you get the right answer, you get a point for you team – like in Jeopardy. In the end, all of the team’s points are tallied up and the few teams with the most points move on to the next round.

Last year, “The Page Turners” made it to the semi-finals and we hope to do so again. Hopefully, all of are practices paid off, and on the big day, Pelham can take home a win!