Here are the 2011-2012 Books!

• Home of the Brave (Applegate)
• Shakespeare's Secret (Broach)
• Lemonade War (Davies)
• Shredderman; Secret Identity (van Draanen)
• The Gollywhopper Games (Feldman)
• Escaping the Giant Wave (Kehret)
• The View from Saturday (Konigsburg)
• How to Steal a Dog (O'Conner)
• Thin Wood Walls (Patneaude)
• Dealing with Dragibs (Wrede)

"The Global Reading Challenge is a cooperative effort between King County Library System and local public school districts. This is a Battle of the Books style program that allows 4th and 5th graders across the county to work together as a team and challenge other schools to correctly answer questions about the selected books. Each year, King County Library System Children's Librarians select 10 titles in a wide range of reading levels especially suited to the interests of young readers. Our goal is to encourage students at all reading levels to engage in teamwork while reading some of the best in children's literature. Each team must include some students with lower-level reading skills. Challenge questions are based on specific and factual information within the books. All challenges are conducted by King County Library System staff. Initially, a challenge is held at the individual school level. The top team from each school proceeds on to their School District Challenge, with that winner moving on to the Regional Challenges. Regional winners will compete in the Grand Challenge, to be held in March, which will determine which school will hold the trophy for the following year. schools may need to arrange transportation to these Challenges. Please check with your school librarian for more information. This year we expect to host 9 school districts, 58 schools, and 1300 students. Objectives of the Global Reading Challenge are adapted with permission from Seattle Public Library.

• To promote the love of reading and to have fun
• To foster teamwork among students with diverse reading skills
• To promote the use of public libraries as neighborhood and community resource centers
• To introduce children to a wide variety of literature and multicultural reading materials and to have fun
• To provide a recreational outlet for readers
• To encourage children to read for retention
• To provide positive experiences between children, librarians, teachers, and parents
• To form partnerships with local schools and to strengthen community ties
• To build confidence and integrity in young readers and to have fun
• To participate in a public library activity that promotes reading as a pleasurable lifelong experience"