A team of seventh-grade students from Ellinwood Middle School earned third place honors at the first-ever Kansas State Battle of the Books competition, held at Emporia State University.

Sponsored by the Kansas Press Association, the event challenged students from across the state to read and recall details from the 14 winning titles of the 2024–2025 William Allen White Book Awards. Competitors answered questions that required not only identifying the correct title, but also earned bonus points for naming the book’s author.

Representing Ellinwood were students Chloe Vaupel, Anelle Widener, and Kaden Clawson. Fellow seventh grader Brogyn Garrett was also part of the team and prepared for the competition. After placing fifth in the preliminary rounds, the team advanced through two more rounds to finish in third place overall.

The Ellinwood School/Community Library and the Ellinwood Public Education and Library Foundation generously sponsored the team’s participation.

Congratulations to these outstanding young readers on their achievement!

Sheri Holmes is the director of library and media services for the Ellinwood School and Community Libraries. She can be reached by email at sholmes@usd355.org.