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What is the Battle of the Books?

Each school year, from November to March, the Battle of the Books (BOB) brings excitement and energy to our Middle School. This engaging reading competition, offered as part of the ICS Extra-Curricular Activities programme, involves students in Grades 6 to 8. Teams of two to four students commit to reading a carefully curated selection of seven books. Team members often divide the reading according to their interests, strengths, and reading preferences, creating a collaborative and supportive experience.

BOB participants meet weekly at lunchtime for a variety of fun and interactive activities designed to prepare them for the elimination rounds and the Finals. They also enjoy the privilege of sharing lunch in our Secondary library, strengthening team spirit and friendships along the way.
Traditionally, BOB has fostered cross-cultural connections among international schools across Switzerland. This year, however, the competition was organised entirely in-house for logistical reasons — and it proved to be a tremendous success. BOB has also been expanding to our Primary school since last year!

“I loved meeting up with my reading group and doing lunchtime Kahoots and Blokets!”
- Fosca Belloto, Grade 6

“I like the challenge of reading so many books. I enjoyed the lunchtime activities. Through Bob, I learned new English vocabulary and improved my grammar.”
- Maxim Ardibili, Grade 6

Reading for Pleasure

BOB is a wonderful initiative that nurtures a love of reading among middle school students and encourages them to become lifelong readers and learners. Reading for Pleasure is closely linked to academic success, personal growth, and overall well-being.
Through BOB, students discover a wide variety of genres, including fantasy, realistic fiction, graphic novels, mystery, science fiction, and non-fiction. In today’s digital world, programmes such as Battle of the Books play an important role in promoting the value and joy of reading. Participants demonstrate impressive reading comprehension, teamwork, and memory skills as they recall details from all seven books throughout the competition.

“What I loved about BOB (other than winning it!) was that all of Secondary school found that they had a common passion for reading and that we used that passion to look at each other not just as peers, teachers and students but friends and teammates as we competed through what was by far the best experience of middle school. I believe I speak on behalf of all of us when I say, Ms Anne, Ms Tara, thank you so much for giving us an experience none of us will forget anytime soon.”
- Liana Mohtasham & Olivia Cetinic, Grade 6 and BOB champions

Living the ICS Values

BOB strongly reflects the core values of ICS, particularly caring and belonging. The programme fosters a warm and inclusive community atmosphere while encouraging camaraderie, collaboration, and healthy competition among students. It also provides a meaningful platform for passionate readers to shine and be celebrated.

The library staff works hard to ensure that every student feels comfortable, valued, and included within their team. Respect, encouragement, and enthusiasm are at the heart of the programme’s success. The exceptional commitment of the Grade 6 Level Leader, Mr Bradley, affectionately known as our BOB Master of Ceremonies, together with the support of the teaching staff, greatly contributes to the group's motivation and cohesion throughout the season.

Since 2024, teachers have also joined the fun with their own team, “The Dog Ears,” challenging students’ reading stamina and knowledge during the much-anticipated Students vs Teachers quiz.

“ Participating in the Battle of the Books was a joyful reminder that belonging can be built when we meet one another in different spaces. One student, surprised to see me there, asked, “Mrs Hashmi, you read?” — a humbling and insightful moment that reminded me how students can sometimes see us only through one lens. Although the teacher team did not come close to winning, it allowed us to model team spirit, celebrate student success, and connect through shared laughter beyond our usual roles.”
- Yasmine Hashmi - Maths teacher and Head of the Belonging Committee

This year also marked the introduction of the BOB Task Force, led by Yifei and Jolie, Grade 8 students, who were last year’s champions. Their leadership and support in organising activities and assisting during the Finals brought additional energy and student ownership to the programme.

Multilingualism and Inclusion

BOB celebrates multilingualism and encourages active participation from students of diverse linguistic backgrounds. Many of our participants do not speak English as their first language, yet they enthusiastically engage with the reading programme and competition. BOB creates an inclusive environment where all students can develop confidence, improve language skills, and share a common passion for books and storytelling.

“From a Language and Literature teacher’s perspective, it is delightful to see so many students voraciously reading for the BOB competition. Ms Anne keeps the competition highly engaging with activities such as making t-shirts with team logos and a very motivating teacher vs student Kahoot. Ms Anne brings joy into reading.”
- Viviane Van Aesh - Language & Literature, EAL teacher

Go BOB-ers and see you next year!

Anne Labussière - Secondary Librarian