We are planning for and looking forward to the 2026 Battle!
Below are the books chosen for the list. They will all be available at the Canton Free Library. Let us know if there’s not a copy available of a particular title you need, and we’ll place a hold on one for you!
2026 North Country Battle of the Books
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold
The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose
Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz
Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King
Odder: the Novel by Katherine Applegate
Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds
The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
Valentina Salazar Is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Wonderful Wishes of B. by Katherin Noltee
Important dates for the 2026 Canton Free Library Battle of the Books
● Deadline to register teams with Ms. Val at the Canton Free Library is Saturday, April 4, 2026.
●The competition in Canton will be on Saturday, May 2, 2026 starting at 10am at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton.
●Winning team competes at the Regional competition in Gouverneur on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
The Battle of the Books is a reading competition for students in grades 4 through 6. Students form teams of up to 4 members and choose an adult as a coach. Teams may be of mixed grades (as long as they are in 4th, 5th or 6th grades) and may be made up of students who attend different Canton area schools or are home schooled. The teams divide up and read a chosen list of 16 books, which is released in September. During the Battle of the Books in the spring at Canton Free Library (CFL), the teams are asked questions about the books on the list, and those responding give the book’s title and author as their answer. The winning team from CFL goes on to a regional competition to face winning teams from other North Country Library System libraries.
Team Rules
Role of the Coach