Clancy Elementary School prevailed in a fiercely contested Battle of the Books Wednesday night that went into sudden death when the team tied with Broadwater Elementary School.

When the contest began, the students were so excited they just ran into the room to start the battle, said youth services librarian Candice Morris, of the Lewis and Clark Library.

“The tension in the room was palpable,” she said. “And their relatives were just there cheering them on.”

They’d been preparing since October. Some had read all 10 of the books that were selected for this year’s battle.

The books come from a list of Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominees or were nominated by local school librarians, said Morris.

The Lewis and Clark Library organized the event.

School librarians from the participating schools prepared practice questions for the teams.

For the competition, each team is asked 20 questions. They have 30 seconds for their spokesperson to respond to each question by naming the correct book title and author, said Morris.

On Thursday, the Clancy team was giddy with excitement about their win and already planning next year’s competition.

Team members Ally Peccia, fourth grade; Kierra Horne, fourth grade; Austin Fisher, fifth grade; and alternate, Gus Herzog, fourth grade, talked about how they prepared and the new favorite books they discovered as part of the contest. Team member Caitlin Chilinski was absent.

Peccia and Horne said their favorite was “A Dog’s Life” by Ann Martin.

“It was a really, really sad life from a dog’s point of view,” said Peccia. “She goes through a bunch of owners and different names.”

But the book has a happy ending, when the dog finally meets Susan and finds a good home.

Herzog liked “The Scarecrow and His Servant” by Philip Pullman.

“I like the kind of books where things that can’t come alive in the real world, do in books,” he said.

For Fisher, the book “Frindle,” by Andrew Clements, captured his imagination. It’s about a boy who creates a novel word, “frindle,” for the term “ball point pen” and his teacher is not happy.

“I think the biggest thing is how hard they worked, the recesses they gave up,” said Clancy School librarian Nancy Scusa. “They worked since October. They really put in a lot of effort.”

Now in its fifth year at the Lewis and Clark Library, the Battle of the Books has been held in various communities across the country for at least 20 years, said Morris.

The event’s intent is to promote love of reading.

This year a record 16 schools participated. Each participating school will receive a cash prize to buy books.

Soon the Clancy team will receive the Janice Hollow Memorial Traveling Trophy with their names engraved on it.

And the school library will receive a $230 check to purchase books.

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com