How each program scores a battle
Two teams face a moderator. Odd questions go to one team, even questions to the other, and the spokesperson gives one answer. Most questions ask "In which book" something happens, so the answer is a title and author. The programs differ in points, steals and tie-breaks:
| Program | In which book | Steals | A battle | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBOB (Oregon) | 5: 3 for the first right part, 2 for the second. Content questions 5. | Knock-out battles and grades 9-12 only | 16 questions, 8 of each kind | One In Which Book and one Content question each, no steals |
| America's Battle of the Books | Title 5, then author 2 | Title 5, author 2 or both, each scored on its own | 24 questions, half-time after 12 | Every battle has a winner, but the rules give no tie-break; we use one In Which Book question each until one team is ahead |
| NCSLMA (North Carolina) | Title 2, author 1 bonus with the title | Rebound for the title only, 2 points | 12 questions (6 or 8 locally) | 12-question rounds scored from zero |
| Heiman Elementary (Colorado) | Title 5, author 3: 8, 5, 3 or 0 | None | 8 questions for each team | Not in the published rules; we use one In Which Book question each |
| Kent District Library (Michigan) | Written answers, 1 point each. Too many answers to a multi-part question scores 0 for the round | None | 5 rounds of 10-12 questions | Not in the published rules |
OBOB runs pool play first: three teams to a room, A v B, B v C, A v C, and two such rounds give every team four battles. Seeds for the knock-out come from total pool points, not wins. NCSLMA has every team play every other team and the highest total wins. America's Battle of the Books publishes no ranking rule, so the tool plays 3 rounds, ranks by wins, then points, and sends the top two to a final. Where a program's rules are silent, the tool says what it assumed, and every setting can be changed.
Questions librarians ask
How does Battle of the Books scoring work?
It depends on the program. OBOB gives 5 points a question; on In Which Book questions, 3 go to the first right part (title or author) and 2 to the second. America's Battle of the Books gives 5 for the title and 2 more for the author. NCSLMA gives 2 for the title and 1 bonus for the author. Pick your program and the tool scores it that way.
What is a steal in Battle of the Books?
When a team misses a question or gets only part of it, the other team hears it again and can win what is left. In OBOB, steals happen in every 9-12 battle and every knock-out battle, but not in 3-5 or 6-8 pool play. A question never goes back to the first team.
How do you break a tie?
OBOB plays tie-breaker rounds in knock-out battles and for the last bracket spot: one In Which Book and one Content question per tied team, no steals, until one team is ahead. A tied OBOB pool battle stands. NCSLMA plays 12-question tiebreaker rounds scored from zero. America's Battle of the Books declares a winner in every battle, so the tool plays a tie-breaker there too.
How do you set up pool play when the teams don't divide by three?
OBOB puts three teams in a room for three battles. With one team left over, two rooms share four teams; with two left over, two rooms share five. Everyone still battles twice a round. The schedule does this for you and keeps teams from the same school apart when it can.
How are teams seeded for the knock-out bracket?
In OBOB, by total points from the four pool battles, not by wins. A tie for the last spot is settled with a tie-breaker; other ties are drawn. With 16 or more teams the top 16 go through, with 8 to 15 the top 8, and a smaller field gives the top seeds a bye.
Can each moderator score on their own phone?
Yes. Send the setup link to each moderator and they score their room's battles on their phone. Scores stay on the phone that entered them, so each moderator sends a scores link back to the head scorer, or the head scorer types the final totals from the paper score sheet.
Where do the questions come from?
From your program or your own question writers. The tool never shows questions; it only needs to know which team got each one right. Keep official question sets private, as the programs ask.
Rules from the OBOB Official Handbook 2025-26 and Regional Manager Manual 2026-27, America's Battle of the Books Rules and Regulations, the NCSLMA Battle of the Books Manual (2019 edition; a 2026-27 copy shared online has the same rules, but we could not confirm that NCSLMA published it), Heiman Elementary's Battle of the Books page and Kent District Library's 2023 rules. Book Battle is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these programs. Your program's handbook and your moderators have the final word.