Woodlawn Senior Wins High School Battle of the Books

A deep connection between basketball and the person you become while playing the sport earned a Woodlawn High School senior the title of Battle of the Books high school champion. Kendall Williams moved the judges with her poem based on her interpretation of “Rez Ball,” the Black-Eyed Susan Award-nominated novel by Byron Graves. Williams received a $100 Visa gift card and a set of all 10 high school book titles for winning the countywide library competition. 

Artist Statement 

“Rez Ball” follows a high school sophomore as he navigates grief, family expectations and the pressure to lead his Red Lake Reservation basketball team to a state championship. Williams says the book inspired her to reimagine the symbolism of a basketball player standing between light and shadow. “Through imagery of contrast, brightness pressing against shadow, I highlight the theme of identity versus legacy,” said the senior. “The poem suggests that growth does not happen by escaping the shadow, but by standing in your own light despite it.” 

You can hear her poem, “Between the Line and the Light,” on our YouTube channel.

Honorable Mentions 

Destiny Gabriels, a Western School of Technology sophomore, and Olivia Pearson, a Loch Raven High School junior, received honorable mentions. They each won their local branch battles, Catonsville and Loch Raven, respectively. They were awarded $50 Visa gift cards for winning the branch battles and received second $50 gift cards for being our countywide honorable mentions. 

The Reading Competition 

Battle of the Books is a library-sponsored, reading-incentive, book-based competition for elementary, middle and high school students featuring Black-Eyed Susan Award-nominated books. The high school competition requires individual, expressive art submissions from students. These works of art may be written works, images, audio or video, and can be based upon any of the high school Battle of the Books titles. Each work of art must be submitted with an artist’s statement, which details their creative process and intended message.  

Black-Eyed Susan Award Books  

If you’re interested in reading one of the books our participants had to choose from, select the cover of the book to place a hold.

Acknowledgements 

Thank you to all 128 students who participated in this year’s competition! In addition, thank you to the many Baltimore County Public School library media specialists, teachers and staff, as well as caregivers who supported these participants throughout months of reading, discussion and project development. Look for more information about the 2026 to 2027 Battle of the Books competition in October 2026.