The 2017 UW Book Madness champion is Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” -Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird took the UW Book Madness crown over Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham in the final round – taking nearly 65% of the votes – after knocking out other favorites such as Charlotte’s Web, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights. Joy Luck Club and Hidden Figures rounded out this year’s UW Book Madness Final Four. To Kill a Mockingbird began its tournament run in the Second Chances bracket, having been a previous Book Madness competitor that wasn’t a title winner.
Bracket Winner
This year’s bracket contest winner is Katie McKenna, whose total score of 159 propelled her into first place. Katie, a SLIS student, said that she participated in Book Madness because she is a book lover and a big fan of the Libraries.
“I love seeing libraries thinking outside the box providing amazing and unique activities. Pairing NCAA March Madness with a book competition is a brilliant way for libraries to increase enthusiasm around reading and encourage the spread of knowledge through enjoyable and, some might say, novel, ideas.”
Although there were a number of well-loved books in the bracket this year, Katie said she felt good about To Kill a Mockingbird from the beginning.
“I felt like I had a pretty good idea how the match ups would go because I pay a lot of attention to what is popular at libraries, on book lists, and what my friends are reading on GoodReads. I had to give the win to To Kill a Mockingbird for its timeless lessons which still speaks to today’s world.”
This year’s Library Staff award winner was Barb Sisolak at Steenbock Library, with a score of 137.
All final bracket scores can be viewed at go.wisc.edu/uwbookmadness.
#UWBookMadness Number Crunching
- Closest Vote: The Mosquito Coast! and The Naked and the Dead in Round 1 with The Mosquito Coast winning by 3 votes.
- Biggest thumping: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings destroyed This Boy’s Life in Round 1, winning 91% of the votes.
- Total votes cast: 1,485
- Total brackets submitted: 200
- Number of brackets that picked To Kill a Mockingbird to win it all: 39 (20%)
- Number of brackets that picked Green Eggs and Ham to win: 18 (9%)
- Number of brackets that had Green Eggs and Ham and To Kill a Mockingbird in the final: 10 (5%)
- Number of brackets that had all Final Four correct: 1.
- Number of brackets that had the Elite 8 correct: 1.
- 2016 results: Matilda over Emma 57%-43%
- 2015 results: The Hobbit over 1984 61%-39%
- 2014 results:, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban over Game of Thrones 67-33%.
Can’t get enough?
And keep an eye on those reading lists this summer – there are only 10 months to prepare for UW Book Madness 2018.