After a flawless April 24 performance, Brier Elementary School’s Battle of the Books team, the Tree-Huggers, took home the first-place trophy.

Spruce Elementary’s Fantastic Fifth Graders took second place after winning a tiebreaker against Brier’s second team, the Readalotyls.

Two teams from each of the  Edmonds School District’s 20 elementary schools, totaling 160 students, gathered at Mountlake Terrace Elementary School for a scholastic throwdown to determine who was the master of reading and retention.

The students read as many of the 12 books as they could and then showed their memory by answering questions based on the books on the list. The team with the highest score wins the competition.

“It’s the fourth round and they haven’t missed a single question,” Mountlake Terrace Elementary Librarian and master of ceremonies David Winkeljohn said of the Tree-Huggers.

Winkeljohn said that district librarians organize the program with their personal time and resources.

The Edmonds School District, Winkeljohn said, could not provide funding this year. He explained that the books cost about $10 per child, roughly $1,600 for all the contestants.

“All the money for the books and the shirts and stuff is all raised by the Foundation [for Edmonds School District] and by librarians’ personal cash,” Winkeljohn said.

This year’s book list was:

Odder by Katherine Applegate

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Tea Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arms by Julie C. Dao

Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand by Leslie Gentile

A Duet for Home by Karina Van Glaser

This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko,

Honestly, Elliott by Gillian McDunn

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega

Tumble by Celia C. Perez,

The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan Long Shang

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga