By Megan McCrery, Lower Grades Librarian
Books are an opportunity for students to dream, explore and discover. As a librarian, nothing gives me greater joy than seeing a young learner find joy in books and reading. Events like the Big Bang of the Books (BBB) battle help that joy flourish, creating a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.
One of the most anticipated events for younger Hillers is the annual BBB battle. The event welcomes all students in fourth and fifth grades to join in a voluntary reading competition that brings together student readers from Wilmington area independent schools, including Tower Hill, The Tatnall School and Wilmington Friends School.
The excitement begins in early October, with the introduction of the books that will comprise the year’s BBB. After screening hundreds of possibilities, books are selected collaboratively by the Lower and/or Middle School librarians from each participating school. The titles chosen represent a mix of fiction and nonfiction, as well as different formats and genres, offering varying length, text density and literary merit. Graphic novels are perennially popular and, more recently, novels in verse–a story told through poems instead of traditional prose–have also captured the attention of Hiller readers.
This year’s BBB featured 16 books in total: five graphic novels, two novels in verse and nine narrative fiction. In a new twist, students were able to select the final book for the BBB after some very enthusiastic voting. As has been the case in past years, several of the titles went on to earn formal recognition and were awarded major book medals at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards in January. This year’s highlights included the John Newbery Medal for Delaware author Erin Entrada Kelly’s, First State of Being, and a Newbery Honor Medal for, The Wrong Way Home.
Tower Hill first joined the BBB in the 2019-2020 school year with just a handful of students participating. The appeal of the BBB continued to grow, with rising fourth and fifth graders eagerly awaiting their opportunity to participate, and teachers including selections in curricular literature circles. By 2024-2025, the competition featured 112 Tower Hill readers, the most ever! For their efforts, students receive certificates of achievement and medals based on the number of books they complete. Tower Hill students collectively read 1,116 books for this year’s BBB! Twenty-six especially dedicated THS readers went the distance to read all 16 of the titles on top of their regular coursework. They were rewarded with a special celebration—guided by their own suggestions—called a Read Out, where they enjoyed a full class period of relaxed outdoor reading and lawn games.
The BBB culminates at the end of each school year with a special field trip for participating students. This year, our Hillers joined more than 100 readers from other schools for an epic showdown on May 20 at The Tatnall School. Festivities included a visit from author Gennifer Choldenko, a picnic and popsicle party, and the hotly anticipated Mega Kahoot Showdown featuring dozens of questions based on trivia from the BBB books.
While the BBB began as a way to help students flex their reading muscles, it has grown to be so much more. The sense of accomplishment and pride shown by our Hiller readers is evident, as is the joy. As one jubilant fourth grade participant exclaimed, “This has been the best day of school in my entire life!”
