(Courtesy/ Ms. Nzimiro)

Middle School librarian, Ms. Nzimiro, has turned literary preferences into a spirited competition through “Genre Madness,” a creative twist on March Madness where book genres compete instead of basketball teams. For each round, students vote for their favorite genres in head-to-head matchups, narrowing the bracket until a single winner is crowned.

More than just a fun event, Genre Madness also encourages middle schoolers to reflect on their reading tastes, explore new genres, and engage with literature as a community. Whether it is the intensity of a mystery or the thrill of survival stories, each vote brings students closer to discovering what they love to read.

With each round, anticipation builds, and finally, on April 29, at 10:30 a.m., the winner of Genre Madness 2025 was named. Mystery and Mythology were head-to-head in a tie-breaking final, but Mystery was named victorious, with Mystery books getting a special feature in the stacks. 

In a recent round, WWII vs. Survival, Nzimiro brought humor to her email updates, which have become a highlight of the competition. She said, “It was drenched in gothic drama as I watched students passionately puzzle over Romance or Mystery, forced to choose between two genres that are often clasped together like hand in glove.”  Her engaging updates energized students about reading by embedding cultural references and clever analogies to be deciphered.

Genre Madness will be back in 2026.

Will Mystery defend its crown, or will a new genre rise to claim the title?