The Ignatius Book Battle encourages students to fall in love with reading through stories that inspire, challenge, and delight. This year’s curated book list blends excellent Catholic titles with outstanding secular literature, giving students a rich and well-rounded reading experience. Schools can purchase all competition titles here in one convenient place.

What is the Ignatius Book Battle?

The Ignatius Book Battle is a team-based reading competition for Catholic schools, organized into two divisions: Grades 4–5 and Grades 6–8.

Students work together in teams to read a curated list of high-quality books—featuring a thoughtful mix of faith-based titles and wholesome, well-written literature. Throughout the year, teams prepare by reading closely and discussing plot, characters, setting, and themes.

The experience culminates in a diocesan-level competition held in the spring, where teams participate in friendly battle rounds that test comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. More than a competition, the Ignatius Book Battle is designed to build a culture of reading, foster teamwork and virtue, support academic excellence, and connect students across schools in a joyful shared experience.

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What is the Program Mission?

The purpose of the Ignatius Book Battle program is to encourage students to read books that promote the true, the good, and the beautiful, while also fostering their growth in virtue. Through the fun and excitement of the competition, students improve reading skills, mature in their discernment of reading materials that will ultimately help them grow in wisdom and faith.

Even during the height of the competition, students, coaches and parents should remember that the goal is to READ good books, not necessarily to win.

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What is the History of the Program?

The Ignatius Book Battle is built upon the strong foundation of the St. Jerome Book Battle, created by the Diocese of Charlotte in 2022 under the leadership of Dr. Gregory Monroe and coordination of Normalinda Gonzalez Hammond. What began as a diocesan reading competition for grades 4–5 and Grades 6–8 quickly grew into an annual tradition marked by joyful participation and academic formation.

In 2025, Ignatius Book Fairs partnered with and sponsored the St. Jerome Book Battle. The Diocese of Charlotte's pioneering work and generous collaboration helped inspire and shape the development of the Ignatius Book Battle (IBB), enabling this model to be shared with Catholic schools beyond the diocese.

We gratefully acknowledge the Diocese of Charlotte for laying the groundwork that made this expansion possible.

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