SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The South Bend Community School Corporation will host its 19th Annual Battle of the Books, a reading incentive competition, on Friday, May 12 at Brown Community Learning Center.

The Battle of the Books challenges middle school students to read 20 titles during the school year, focusing on books with diverse characters and authors.

Students gather to answer trivia questions about the books over five rounds.

The competition is being moderated by John David Anderson, author of Riley's Ghost, one of the titles among the students’ selected books.

This year’s event has 24 teams competing, along with a team comprised of the School Board of Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Cummings.

Teams are coached by librarians and other faculty from their home schools.

Three teams will be named as winners and are awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals.

The winning team will receive a banner and plaque for their school.