Our Winning Book!

 It was hard to pick a winner this year, with so many terrific choices!

Battle of the Books Champion is crowned!

 On February 26, the Battle of the Books school championship took place in the Barn

In a close contest, the Wildcard team of Maisie, Ade,  Avo, and Starbuck held on to be crowned the winner.

The 6th grade team grabbed second place

4th grade came in third place 

and 5th grade placed fourth

Congratulations to all of our Battle of the Books teams!

Wildcard Winners

 Eight teams from grades 4-6 participated in the Wildcard round this morning, for a chance to compete in the School Tournament on February 23.

Congratulations to Ade, Avo, Maisie, and Starbuck on their excellent performance, which has secured

them a seat in the final. 

The Teacher's Turn

 A big part of the success of our MCBA program is the number of adults who participate each year. By reading and discussing these terrific books with students, they build a true community of readers. 

And they take their trivia seriously!

Congratulations to Ms. Ahern, Ms. MacCallum, and Ms. Wetherby, who held onto their crown for another year in the teacher-parent tournament!

Sixth Grade's Turn

 The sixth grade Battle of the Books tournament brought out some familiar faces, and former grade-level winners, along with first timers.

Congratulations to Charley, Lucas, Mio, and Jakey, for a well-played win! They move on to the school championship, while the other teams get a second chance in Thursday's Wildcard Round.

Grade 5 Winner!

 In an action-packed round, the grade 5 winning team of Noelle, Luna, Michelle, and Adee rose up victorious! 

Congratulations to all of our competitors!

Battle of the Books has begun

 Thursday saw the first round of the Battle of the Books play out in the library. Four fourth-grade teams squared off in an exciting competition, displaying their knowledge of the 25 nominated books. 

Congratulations to our Fourth Grade Champs: Lisle, Sage, Thomas, and Solomon! They move on to the School Tournament on February 23. Our other teams will have a second chance in the Wild Card round. 

Champs!

Exciting News for the New Year!

 

Here we go!

 Cheers to 105 days of reading mayhem!
MCBA 2026 starts now!

Click to view the presentation

The Kick-off is coming!

 This year's 2026 MCBA program at Bement will officially Kick-off on Wednesday, November 12 at 8:10 a.m. in the Grace Bement Reading Room. 

Students in grades 4-6 will learn about this year's 25 nominees and some of the fun events we have planned. 

Get ready! The countdown is on!

The 2026 List is Here!

 Just in time for summer reading, the Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2025-2026 list of nominees has been released. 

Summer is a great time to launch your MCBA journey!

Be sure to check out the extensive collection available on Sora. 

*Asterisks indicate audiobooks

The State Winner is Announced!

            A Message from the winning author, Matt Tavares                                                             

                                        Congratulations!

And our 2025 MCBA winner is....

 

Our votes will be submitted to the state, and the official winner will be announced in April.

The Selection Committee

 Again this year, Bement students had the honor of selecting a book that will appear on next year's MCBA list. 

We had two stellar titles to choose from, Simon Sort of Says,  by Erin Bow and The Attack of the Black Rectagles by Amy Sarig King. Both winners!

After hearing summaries of the books, students selected Simon Sort of Says! A Newbery and Schneider Family Book Award Honoree in 2024, this is a quirky read that combines a profound tragedy with lots of humor. It was one of my favorite middle grade novels of the past year. 

Stories in Action 2025

 We had a blast celebrating reading and great books at this year's Stories in Action on February 27.

From creating superheroes to surviving in the wild, our readers enjoyed activities and snacks themed to the nominated books. 

Frenchie's Blueberry Pies

Foley Art from Nikhil Out Loud

Voting for our favorite book

Helping Lety write pet profiles

Adding sound effects to Tom & Jerry

Creating a superhero

Pets up for adoption

The Best of Iggy-- desk racing

Enjoying a cheese snack in the mouse nest

Hoops!

The School BOTB Tournament

 On Monday, we welcomed the top four teams to the Barn for the School Battlel of the Books Tournament. It was a fast-paced, tight contest as all of our readers displayed their knowledge. The lower school was a rapt audience, taking in the action.

And the winner is.....

The Grade 6 team of Astrid, Anna, Matthew, August, and Henry!

This marks a repeat win for this elite group of book trivia experts!

Congratulations to all of our participants in this year's Battle of the Books Tournaments.

The Wildcard and Teacher Tournaments

 We had 10 teams competing in the Wildcard round for a second chance to make it into the school tournament. The Grade 6 team of Eva, Kacey, Karis, Sophia prevailed!

In the Teacher/Parent tournament, we three highly qualified teams going head to head. 

For a second year in a row, the team of Ms. Ahern, Ms. Demerath, Ms. MacCallum, and  Ms Wetherby came out on top! Congratulations!

Grade-level Champs

 Grade Four: Lane, Gus, Philip, and Stef

Grade Five: Mio, Charley, David, Jakey

Grade Six: Henry, August, Astrid, Anna