Battle Books 2021

One exciting change for 2021 is that the booklist has been chosen by the community.  Library staff selected 25 favorite titles from the past 12 years of Battle of the Books, and readers voted for their top choices in December 2020.  The 2021 booklist features the top five favorites.

All books are available to borrow from DTDL and GLADL in multiple formats, including ebooks, audio, and print.  

If you enjoy reading the 2021 Battle books and are looking for more great reads, we've posted a series of book talk videos featuring Battle book read-alikes.

If you missed our 2021 Battle Trivia programs, you can still play Battle Trivia for fun on your own!  Play the Best of Battle game, which includes trivia about all of the books, or try the individual book trivia games listed below.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
An exciting, puzzle-filled adventure
Emily loves playing Book Scavenger, a game where puzzling clues lead you to books hidden all around the country. After moving to San Francisco, she teams up with new friend James to follow the secrets of an odd book, hoping to save her hero, publisher Garrison Griswold, and themselves, from danger.
Book Activities: Activity Book | Discussion Questions
Play Battle Trivia for Book Scavenger

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
A mysterious, post-apocalyptic fantasy
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina finds part of an ancient message that she is sure holds a secret to save her underground city from ruin, but Lina and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever.
Play Battle Trivia for The City of Ember

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
A suspenseful, action-packed thriller
In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, a devious nobleman devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince.  Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage.
Play Battle Trivia for The False Prince

Greenglass House by Kate Milford
A secretive, twisty mystery
On the first night of Milo’s winter vacation, the guest bell rings at Greenglass House, a creaky smuggler’s inn. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. Milo must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth.
Book Activities: Odd Trails RPG Game | Character Worksheet | Character Sheet Answers
Play Battle Trivia for Greenglass House

Holes by Louis Sachar
A clever, captivating tale
Stanley Yelnats is sent away to a boys’ detention center where the warden instructs the boys to “build character” by digging holes every day, but it doesn’t take long for Stanley to figure out that the warden is up to something, and he decides to figure out what it is.
Play Battle Trivia for Holes