Chesterfield Elementary's eight-student team read its way back to the top on April 9, winning Rockwood's eighth annual Battle of the Books and claiming the competition's coveted wrestling belt trophy for the third time.

The team outscored squads from all 19 Rockwood elementary schools across eight rounds of trivia based on Mark Twain Award nominee books. In all, 152 fourth- and fifth-graders competed at the district's Administrative Annex.

"The event went very smoothly. There was a lot of buzz in the room as the kids are always excited," said Steve Brim, the Chesterfield Elementary librarian who facilitated this year's competition.

Librarians at each school selected their eight-member teams through a preliminary test. Once at the competition, students faced 10 questions per round — 80 total — written by Westridge Elementary librarian Anne Reed to test reading comprehension. Brim said Reed "always keeps the students and librarians on their toes by changing some of the categories for a few of the rounds."

Beyond the bracket competition, students heard from children's author Taryn Souders during a 30-minute conference call. Souders, who wrote The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle, fielded questions about the writing process, and every competitor went home with a copy of her newest book, Secrets of the Broken House.

Chesterfield Elementary's win takes the belt back from Ellisville Elementary, which claimed it in 2025. Chesterfield also won in 2023 and 2024, making it the event's most decorated school.

"We always hope the students learn to work well as a team and always to enjoy the Mark Twain nominees," Brim said. "This couldn't happen without the help of all 19 elementary librarians and the support of our coordinator, Margaret Sullivan."

Sullivan, Rockwood's district lead librarian, coordinates the annual event across the district's elementary schools in Chesterfield, Ellisville, Ballwin, Wildwood, and Eureka.