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We've made it to the Sweet 16! All sixteen of the remaining books still have a shot at the winning the championship title and will be automatically entered into the 2020 competition. Plus, this Sweet 16 features the most highly-anticipated rematch from last year's competition. We're on the edge of our favorite reading spots waiting to see which books will survive! But, first, here's a quick recap of the four most exciting moments from Round 2:
* After an overtime save in Round 1, Rick Riordan's popular fantasy series Heroes Of Olympus had to face off against... Rick Riordan's other popular series Percy Jackson And The Olympians. Rick versus Rick? How do you even pick a favorite there? It's like having to choose your favorite child (assuming, of course, that your favorite child was actually descended from the gods). And, if you're a fan of these kinds of face-offs, you're in luck for this next round: Becky Albertalli will be facing a similarly impossible situation.
* Heroes Of Olympus wasn't the only overtime winner eliminated this round. After a record-breaking three overtime competitions in Round 1, all of those books went on to face tough match-ups in Round 2. Christopher Paolini's The Fork, The Witch, And The Worm was eliminated by Nicola Yoon's bestselling novel The Sun Is Also A Star, and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was beaten by last year's runner-up The Hate U Give.
* Speaking of THUG, this Sweet 16 is sure to be an unforgettable one because it features the most highly-anticipated rematch of the tournament. In a throwback to last year's championship round, Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give is squaring off against last year's champion, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. This continues an incredibly difficult streak of matches for The Hate U Give, which in these first three rounds has faced off against every other team in last year's Final Four.
* You all came through in terms of voting. After a hugely successful Round 1, we had even more people voting for Round 2 in just the first 24 hours alone! This is on pace to be our BIGGEST #BOOKMADNESS EVER! Keep spreading the word to your bookish friends. It's only going to get more intense from here!
Alright, it's time for tip-off. This Sweet 16 round will close at midnight on Monday so that we can announce the Elite 8 this Tuesday, March 26th. And just as a reminder, we're teaming up with Kobe Bryant and Wesley King to give away three copies of their new novel Training Camp. You'll gain an extra entry every round that you vote. But that's not the only book we're giving away this month! This Sunday, March 24th, as part of our regularly scheduled #BeyondTheBio interview series, we're also giving away a signed copy of David Elliott's new book Voices. And we'll give you an extra entry just for telling us which book you think will win it all.
Readers ready? Let's do this! Click the picture below to vote on the #BookMadness Sweet 16, and be sure to share the excitement with your friends on social media.
May the best book win!
