MOUNT VERNON — From cave drawings to papyrus and from paper to the Kindle e-Reader, the written word has come a long way while one thing has remained constant: Reading, in any medium, is not only good for the brain but for the spirit.
Books face stiff competition these days from the world of satellite television, 3D movies, texting and tweeting. Thursday night, however, high technology took a back seat and books were front and center for fifth-grade students from seven area elementary schools. The occasion was the 20th Annual Mount Vernon Schools Battle of the Books, hosted by Mount Vernon High School.
Emerging as champions for 2012 were the six students representing Wiggin Street Elementary. Led by team captain Solvi Gunderson and coached by library aide Pat Callam, the Wiggin Street readers came out on top over the runners-up from Dan Emmett Elementary after a rapid-paced and challenging round-robin competition. Also well represented by their teams were Columbia Elementary, East Elementary, Pleasant Street Elementary, St. Vincent de Paul School and Twin Oak Elementary.

