The Hydes and Seeks: The Final Chapter won the District 202 High School Battle of the Books for the second year.
The team, made up of Plainfield South High School seniors, won the second annual tournament involving teams from all four high schools hosted at the Plainfield Area Public Library on March 20, 2026.
Lisa Marcum, media center specialist at Plainfield High School-Central Campus, created the battle with teams from PHS-CC in spring 2024.
Teams of students and staff members read five books beginning in the fall. Each school hosts internal battles in which teams must answer detailed questions about the books to determine a building champion.
Gwen Kuhns, PSHS media center specialist, said she is proud of The Hydes and Seeks: The Final Chapter’s win in the members’ senior year.
“It helps that the building is so supportive of the program, and supportive of creating a positive reading culture as well,” she added.
This year, the top two teams from each high school advanced to the District Battle of the Books contest, and each team got a second chance to win in a double-elimination bracket.
The second-place team at the district battle was the Dead Tree Dissectors from PHS-CC.
Other teams that competed:
Six-Seveners from PSHS
Book Besties and Paperbachs from Plainfield North High School
Creative Writers from PHS-CC
Clever Crows and The Bookworms from Plainfield East High School
Elementary and middle schools host their own Battles of the Books events, and the middle schools host a districtwide championship each year.