Students in four fifth grade classes at Mars Area Centennial School tested their knowledge of various fantasy novels as part of an annual “Battle of the Books” reading competition, earlier this month.

Classroom winners are the “Jupiter Dragons” team of Kaitlyn Abel, Ryan Kuremsky, Sage Mahan and Brody Spencer; the “Nutella Knights” team of Reanna Kolarcik-Schmitt, Makenzie Forsythe, Beckett Front, Levi Mandel and Aliana Spagnolo; the “Monsters” team of Jack Ericksen, Katie Hunkele, Morgan Powell and Mason Speigle; and, the “Neon Ninjas” team of Seth Zwigart, Mark Filsinger and Jeffrey Irwin.

Several students were also named Book Master Winners for correctly answering the most questions for a given book. Fifth-graders are Alexis Riner and Jeffrey Irwin, “City of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau; Emma Guinac and Sage Mahan, “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman; Makayla Thornton and Jack Williams for “Gregor the Overlander” by Suzanne Collins; Beckett Front and Elise Wadas, “Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynne Reid Banks; Kole Funovits and Seth Zwigart, “Kingdom Keepers” by Ridley Peterson; and, Jack Ericksen and Samuel Ussack, “Witch and Wizard” by James Peterson.

The annual competition challenges students to read several books and to answer a series of questions about each. For more information, call (724) 625-2601.