It was with great pleasure and excitement that our school hosted the second and penultimate round of the 2023 Battle of the Books (BOB) on the 22nd of February. Lower Secondary students (Year 7 to 9) from six different schools gathered in our school auditorium to go head-to-head on book trivia. To prepare, students were provided a list of twelve books covering historical fiction, an allegorical fable, adventure and mystery novels, science fiction, a coming-of-age diary and verse novels. Awakening the joy of reading and building teamwork skills is at the forefront of BOB, but we were also thrilled that out of 14 teams, our 3 YCIS Beijing teams performed exceptionally well, receiving 2nd, 3rd and 4th place! 

Inspired by these recent results, our eager students are already looking forward to the third and final BOB round to compete again with their peers in showcasing their literary knowledge. 

From our teachers: 

“When I joined YCIS in 2021, I was excited to see that our school was already a long-time participant in the Battle of the Books with other international schools in Beijing. BOB has a long history around the world. It is a fun and interactive way for book-loving students to experience competition beyond the familiar sports matches. I am incredibly proud of our three strong teams!”  -Heather Wright, Whole School Librarian

“Fostering a love of reading, language, and collaboration is an integral part of our English programme in our YCIS Secondary school. It is wonderful to gather students from diverse backgrounds and a wide range of schools, to advance literacy and a competitive spirit. It’s always a heartwarming experience to see the students light up as they talk not only about their favourite parts of the books, but also how they want to win!”  -Edward Pay, Head of Secondary English

Whether hilarious or heart-wrenching, comical or cultural, sad or satirical, you may enjoy checking out the books on the BOB Round 2 list! 

• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 
• Animal Farm by George Orwell 
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
• The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr 
• The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros 
• Starfish by Lisa Fipps 
• Chinglish by Sue Cheung 
• The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis 
• TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow 
• Climbers by M. John Harrison 
• Wink by Rob Harrell 
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead