The Rooster Games are a trivia contest related to the Rhode Island Children's Book Award. Every year, a committee of teachers and librarians nominate 20 books. Kids across the state have the chance to read them and vote on their favorite so long as they have read at least three of the titles. 

“The Rooster Games test the students' knowledge of these books,” said Susan Rose, library program supervisor for Cranston Public Schools, in an email. “Emily Brown, coordinator of Youth Services at CPL and the Cranston Public School librarians were inspired to bring the Games to Cranston. Promotion and planning has been ongoing since the beginning of the school year. Students who read at least five books from the list were eligible to join their school’s team, and 90 students from 11 schools qualified and committed to competing. This year’s competing schools included: Barrows; Eden Park; Garden City (2 teams); Glen Hills; Oak Lawn; Orchard Farms (2 teams); Peters; Stadium; Stone Hill; Waterman; and Woodridge.”

“I actually received a Spark Grant in the fall to buy extra copies of many of the books on the list, and shared them with other schools so that more kids would have the chance to qualify,” said Meredith Moore, library teacher at Garden City and Oaklawn elementary schools. “It should be fun. Some kids are trying to read all 20 books on the list, and we're going to give them special certificates.”

Moore said both of her schools picked Wild Robot as their favorites, but Wish won the overall state voting.

On Wednesday, April 11, the Rooster Games commenced at Central Library.

“The Rooster Games is more of a Battle of the Books than the Hunger Games,” said Rose. “Teams rotated through several stations, and the winning team will display the Rooster Games trophy in their school library for the year. In future years of competing, the trophy will move from school to school.”

Stations covered a wide range of educational tools, starting with a high tech trivia station with questions flashed on a screen and limited time to answer. There was also the picture station, where teams needed to match the illustrations to the book titles. There was also the object station, where teams needed to guess which objects related to which books. There was also the character station, matching characters’ names to the correct book title, and the setting station, where places and settings were aligned to the corresponding book.  

A massive projected digital timer kept teams tightly on task as they traveled through the stations.

 Students from Chester Barrows School took home the gold. Special certificates were awarded to any student who read all 20 books. Sue Rose presented that award to fourth grader Kara Bush from Chester Barrows.

Participants and adults were impressed and grateful for the program.

Julia Rego, a third grader from Garden City, said: “It was an amazing experience to be in the Rooster Games with my friends. The library had so many things to do, it was great."

Lynne Michaelson, a Barrows parent, commented,  “Thanks to all that made it happen and to our wonderful librarians”.

John Fang from Garden City, said: "Books are like wings, and they let you fly to freedom."

 The 20 nominated books were:

Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, Backyard Witch: Sadie’s Story, Brave, Like my Brother, Cinnamon Moon, The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, Fortune Falls, FRAMED! A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, A Long Pitch Home, Mo’ne Davis, Remember My Name: my Story from First Pitch to Game Changer, Ollie’s Odyssey, The Prize Winners of Piedmont Place, Secrets of the Seven: The Eureka Key, Towers Falling, Weekend with Max and His Dad, Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems, Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, Wild Robot and Wish.

For more information about RICBA visit www.olis.ri.gov/services/children/ricba. For more information on programs, activities and events at all Cranston Public Libraries, visit www.cranstonlibrary.org.