A strong reading culture is built by giving students access to a wide range of genres, perspectives, and authors, including those they may not encounter on their own. When students are encouraged to explore beyond familiar titles, their curiosity grows, their confidence strengthens, and reading becomes a source of genuine excitement. Creating these opportunities is key to sustaining engagement, especially as students develop into more advanced and independent readers.
Over the years, the Canadian Academy Elementary School Library has run the Sakura Medal to foster a lifelong love of reading. From the end of Fall to the end of March, students are encouraged to read selected books (nominated by schools) that feature a diverse range of genres, authors, characters, countries and underrepresented groups. By doing so, students are exposed to and encouraged to try a book that they may not have given a second glance. While programs like the Sakura Reading Challenge have introduced students to diverse and lesser-known picture books, it became clear that upper elementary students were ready for a new kind of challenge. There was an opportunity to further expand their reading experiences and ignite a deeper level of enthusiasm for literature.
This year, that opportunity took shape through participation in the Book Bowl. Designed to challenge students through both breadth and depth of reading, the Book Bowl encouraged a group of 10 Elementary students to commit to reading up to 18 books of the Sakura Medal chapter book nominees over several months. Their dedication extended beyond the classroom, with many choosing to read in the mornings, during recess, and after school.
Each week, the team met to prepare, with each student becoming an expert in one of 10 of the selected books. This structure not only built individual accountability but also fostered collaboration, as students relied on one another’s knowledge to strengthen the team as a whole.
For some, the experience began simply as an after-school club. It soon became something more, as students discovered they would be competing against 11 other schools across Japan. This added a sense of purpose and excitement, transforming reading into a shared goal.
The competition took place in Tokyo, where students traveled by Shinkansen for a day that combined challenge and teamwork. The event had 6 team rounds, where students answered quiz questions under time pressure using a single device. With only 20 seconds to respond, success depended on communication, quick decision-making, and the ability to listen and agree as a group.
In the expert round that followed, each student answered detailed questions about their chosen book. The range of questions required a deep understanding of the text, reinforcing the importance of careful and thoughtful reading.
A particularly proud moment for the team was recognizing that they were a group of Grade 4 students competing against older students from Grades 5. They rose to the challenge with confidence, demonstrating perseverance, teamwork, and a strong sense of commitment.
The experience also had a lasting impact on students’ reading habits. One student reflected on how the Book Bowl encouraged her to move beyond a single genre and explore books she might not have chosen before. What once felt unfamiliar or challenging became an opportunity for discovery, reinforcing the idea that keeping an open mind can lead to new interests and enjoyment.
Students recommend the experience to others, with the understanding that commitment and teamwork are essential. They encourage future participants to practice together, ask questions, and support one another. Their advice is simple. Be confident, stay curious, and trust the team.
A sincere thank you goes to our parent community for their support, and to Ms. Graff and Ms. Greene for making this opportunity possible. Their dedication continues to create meaningful learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom.
As the love of reading has been growing in our Elementary School, we encourage parents to explore the Sakura Medal page with their children, discover new titles together, and make the most of our library collection of over 40,000 books, which is open to students and parents in our community. Students are also encouraged to speak with this year’s Book Bowl participants for recommendations and to consider taking part in the next Book Bowl, building both their reading confidence and their love of literature.
This experience with the Book Bowl really showed students that you shouldn’t just judge a book by its cover!
