What a week it’s been for the library’s Literary Character March Madness! With votes rolling in both online and on our physical bracket by the circulation desk, we’ve finally entered the round of sweet 16. While each of these 8 battles will prove interesting in their own right, this week we’d like to offer four predictions in the signature match-ups of the round.

Curious George vs. Winnie the Pooh

I’m not sure anyone could have predicted that these two pants-less anthropomorphic goofballs would take down such heavy hitters as Anna Karenina and Alice in the round of 64, but here we are. In any case, despite the recent doping allegations and that very public falling out with the man in the Yellow Hat, the smart money is on Mr. George in this one. I mean, just look at his wittle face!

Hamlet v. Harry Potter

In last year’s tournament Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling made it all the way to the championship match-up, taking down major contenders such as Herman Melville along the way. For that reason it seems like The Boy Who Lived … has the odds in this one. Sorry, Hamlet my man, but it looks like this one’s “not to be.”

James Bond vs. Tom Sawyer

It’s high-tech gadgetry versus home-spun foolery in this Midwest match-up, but Mr. Bond-James-Bond won’t seem so suave after Tommy-Boy tricks him into whitewashing a fence, now will he? Then again I heard Bond’s been moving in on Becky Thatcher, so he may already be in Sawyer’s head. Seems like a coin-toss, but I’m going to take Sawyer in this one.

Gandalf vs. Dante

Wow. These storylines just write themselves: the 5-3 battle in the East is between two Catholic wizards. Wait, I’m being told Gandalf isn’t Catholic. And Dante wasn’t a wizard?! What’s with the hat and spell book, then? Somebody else should really be writing this.

That’s all for now, book fans! Be sure to vote for your favorite characters here, and stick to the Library News blog for more analysis next week. Remember, you can follow Falvey Memorial Library (FalveyLibrary) on twitter (#novabookbracket) and Facebook for more action.