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Ko‘olauloa Battle of the Books
Congratulations to all the readers who participated in the 7th Annual Koʻolauloa Battle of the Books on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Battle of the Books is a reading competition for elementary students throughout O‘ahu’s North Shore area. Readers study and strategize all school year long for a chance at bookish glory.
We extend our sincerest mahalo to the generous sponsors and volunteers who make this program possible.
Hoʻomaikaʻi loa to our winners!
Division 1
1st Place: Lāʻie Surfing Geckos – Camilla Reece, Harold Draper, and Mo Mozo
2nd Place: Kahuku Return of the Word Wizards – Grey Olson, Kua Southard, and Keliʻi Southard
3rd Place: Sunset Beach ʻIwa Birds – Iwa Soliai, Lani Glesson, Marina Ventim, and Mia Qureshi
Good Sportsmanship: Kahuku Fiction Fairies – Annabel Qureshi, Moira Naeata, and Sutton Katzoff
Division 2
1st Place: Hauʻula BOB 2025 – Tess Faustino, Kauka Spalding, Kekai Wu, and Lulana Luangsiyotha
2nd Place: Sunset Beach Page Surfers – Lorenzo Bernstein, Ember Mozo, and Caetano Figueira-Cabral
3rd Place: Lāʻie Sweet Candy School – Talei Peters, Summer Del Cid, Adeline Packer, and Eliana Draper
Good Sportsmanship: Hauʻula Honus – Finley Stiles, Kaia Martinson, Teuila Niutupuivaha, and Mana Tataipu
Division 3
1st Place: Hauʻula Monkey Madness – Charlie Faustino, Kupaʻa Keo, Maverick Stiles, and Brooke Thomas
1st Place: Lāʻie Four Chocolate Frogs – Sakura Maneha, Christiana Draper, Jonathan Hardman, and Ava Cowley
3rd Place: Lāʻie Kite Fliers – Lucy Dennis, Gabriel Gho, Maddy Mozo, and Landon Reece
Good Sportsmanship: Sunset Beach Rizzlers of Oz – Christine Porter, Tyde Desroches, Piper Taylor, and Taj Desroches
Learn more about the Ko‘olauloa Battle of the Books program by clicking on the following links:
- What is Battle of the Books?
- Who can participate?
- How does Battle of the Books work?
- When did Battle of the Books start?
- Does it cost anything to participate?
- How were the books selected for the Battle of the Books?
- Do students need to read all the Battle of the Books titles for their division?
- What if my child finishes reading all the books on the list before the school competitions in February?
- How can I volunteer or get more information about the Battle of the Books?
- Battle of the Books 2025-2026 – PARTIAL Reading List
What is Battle of the Books?
The Ko‘olauloa Battle of the Books is an afterschool program for O‘ahu’s North Shore area elementary students that makes reading social. It’s similar to a child’s version of a game show where teams compete for prizes by answering the most questions correctly about books from pre-selected reading lists. It is organized by the Kahuku Public and School Library, implemented by parent volunteers and supported by participating school’s staff.
| Previous Battle of the Books Competitions | |||
| Year | Schools | Location | Date |
| 2015-2016 | Hauʻula, Homeschool, Lāʻie, Kahuku | Turtle Bay Resort | March 11, 2016 |
| 2016-2017 | Hauʻula, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Turtle Bay Resort | April 1, 2017 |
| 2017-2018 | Hauʻula, Homeschool, Ka’a’awa, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Turtle Bay Resort | April 6, 2018 |
| 2018-2019 | Asia Pacific International School, Hauʻula, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Turtle Bay Resort | April 5, 2019 |
| 2019-2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2020-2021 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2021-2022 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2022-2023 | Asia Pacific International School, Hauʻula, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Turtle Bay Resort | April 29, 2023 |
| 2023-2024 | Asia Pacific International School, Hauʻula, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Turtle Bay Resort | April 6, 2024 |
| 2024-2025 | Asia Pacific International School, Hauʻula, Lāʻie, Kahuku, Sunset Beach | Kahuku High/Intermediate School | April 12, 2025 |
Who can participate?
Students in the 1st through 6th grades living in the Ko’olauloa area can compete in this program, as long as they have parent or teacher coach(es) who can represent their team(s) at program meetings, lead team activities, and act as a liaison between the school administration, students, and the public library.
How does Battle of the Books work?
Public Librarian compiles the reading list, sets up public library display, recruits volunteers, participates in school outreach events, holds coaches meetings, and organizes the final district competition. Adult volunteer coach(es) coordinate with elementary school administrators to promote, recruit, and organize teams. Each coach is responsible for creating a schedule that best fits their school. Since there are 3 divisions (Division I – 1st and 2nd grades; Division II – 3rd and 4th grades; Division III – 5th and 6th grades) a minimum of 3 coaches per school is advised. School librarians may put together a display of the books featured on this year’s list. Multiple copies can also be found at the Kahuku Public and School Library, the Hawaii State Public Library System’s (HSPLS) 51 other branches and/or HSPLS’ digital book vendor Libby. Also, participating schools may borrow book bundles from Kahuku Public and School Library.
Meeting Times: Students and coaches may meet once a month for the first couple months of the program and then once a week leading up to the school and district competitions.
When did Battle of the Books start?
Ko‘olauloa Battle of the Books has been around for decades on the mainland. In Hawaii, it started in 2015. The reading list is released during the month of May for the following school year. The final competition will be held in the spring (March or April). Students from the participating schools will need to win at their school level competitions to qualify for district competition.
Does it cost anything to participate?
This competition is completely free for students! School librarians, administrators, and parents may consider purchasing extra copies of the Ko‘olauloa Battle of the Books titles to accommodate more teams, but the titles can also be requested for free using the Hawaii State Public Library System and/or found in the school library.
How were the books selected for the Battle of the Books?
The Kahuku Public and School Library modeled its program on America’s Battle of the Books; therefore some of the titles came from this national program. We customized the program to include Hawaiian/Pacific Islander books and to expand the program to 1st and 2nd graders, as well. The books were selected on the following criteria:
- input from existing Battle of the Books supporters, such as parent coaches and teachers;
- award-winning literature for children;
- book about Hawaiian/Pacific Islander cultures; and a
- balance of genres (Historical Fiction/Graphic Novel/Classic/Science Fiction).
Do students need to read all the Battle of the Books titles for their division?
No, students can read the titles that are suited for their reading level. Collectively, the team should have read all the books on their division list for the best chance at the school and district competition.
What if my child finishes reading all the books on the list before the school competitions in February?
That’s a good problem! Students who read all the books can still enjoy attending the team meetings where a variety of extension activities will be organized by team coaches AND quiz their team members to make their team stronger competitors AND reread their books to make sure they have a solid foundation of their book’s settings, characters, plots, etc. until the school and district competitions.
How can I volunteer or get more information about the Battle of the Books?
Please contact Tamara King, Librarian – Kahuku Public and School Library at (808) 293-8935 or send an email to Tamara King.
