For all those people who aren’t into winter sports and would rather sit in their bed and read a good book, you’re in luck.

The Learning Commons is holding a March-Madness-like competition with popular books. Instead of having team pitted against each other, books will be challenged. The “winning” books will move up the brackets until one book prevails.

“It wasn’t my original idea; it came from a library conference,” said Erica Drumm, English teacher turned librarian. “A library up in Park Ridge did the same thing.”

The books were selected in order to provide a variety, so everyone would be able to find something they would find enjoyable to read.

“Our purpose is, really, to increase the notion of leisure reading,” said Drumm. “So I asked student recommendations and looked to reputable library organizations, and tried to pick a variety of books to meet all kinds of readers. You know, the kind that meet teen readers and readers who like things that would never happen but want to explore it. Some historical, some nonfiction.”

To participate, students can do two things. They can either make a bracket of what they predict will be the outcomes, or they can volunteer to be readers and give their feedback on which books are better than others.

“Sometimes students don’t always take teachers’ or adults’ recommendations for books, but if they hear it from another student their own age, students are more likely to pick up a new book and read,” said Elizabeth Newman, an English teacher.

The first round of brackets are due Jan. 25, and any interested readers can see Drumm about getting books and giving feedback before then.

For those who are interested in brackets, there is a prize for people whose brackets correctly represent the outcomes.

“I was thinking a restaurant certificate or something, but I haven’t heard back yet. But, it will be something, something for the top three brackets,” said Drumm.

For those interested in reading, the only requirement is that you read one of the pairs of books, so you can give your opinion on how the two compare. These pairs are designed so the two books are in the same or a similar genre to one another, so you can pick a pair in your preferable genre. There is no obligation to read all of the books or any more than you would be comfortable reading.

For people who wish to participate in either way, a website is being designed specifically for this event.

“Mrs. Diebold and I have been helping Mrs. Drumm design the Book Madness website,” said Jill Heaton, the Instructional Tech Coach in TSI. “The website contains pictures and descriptions of each book that is in the competition and a Google Form where people can submit their predictions about which book they think will win each round.”

This is the first time York has done something similar to this, and the idea seems to be well received so far.

“I think anything that encourages students to read outside of their assigned class reading is fantastic,” said Newman. “It really helps students develop a love for reading, and the part I think is the best is that they can recommend books to their friends and classmates.”

However, teachers aren’t the only ones who see the benefit. The students have equally positive feelings as well.

“I think it would be an interesting way to see other people’s opinions on books that we might overlook,” said sophomore Emmett Hannigan, who is in English 10H.