Laurier Macdonald Wins “Ultimate Battle of the Books”

Organized by the EMSB’s Education and Technology Services (ETS), “Battle of the Books” tests the teams’ detailed knowledge of 10 pre-selected young adult books that the students have read prior to the competition. Some of this year’s titles include Marco Polo Murders by Neil Flambé, Learning the Ropes by Monique Polak, and Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins.

The “Ultimate Battle” brought winning teams together from the EMSB, the LBPSB, and the Quebec Association of Independent Day Schools. The competition consisted of two rounds of four questions per team and two “lightning rounds”, where teams gain points for each correct answer. Congratulations to the MacDonald High team, and in particular their spokesperson Kathryn Patterson, who fired answers off with impressive speed and accuracy during the lightning rounds, earning a remarkable final total of 134 points.

Special “Ultimate Battle” guest judges included Elias Makos, host and producer of Breakfast Television; Trudie Mason, CJAD newscaster and radio host; Katherine Hanz, librarian at McGill University; and Monique Polak, teacher, journalist and author of books for young adults. Master of Ceremonies Nicolas Doyon of the EMSB’s ETS Department kept the event on track and entertained the full house of cheering parents and school administrators with his humour and quick wit.

The EMSB’s ETS Department thanks CBC Canada Reads, Drawn & Quarterly, Livres Babar and Librairie Paragraphe for supporting this event.