NZ Crowned World Children’s Literature Champion

NZ Crowned World Children’s Literature Champion

NZ Kids' Lit Quiz Team Win World Final

It’s official - the New Zealand Kids’ Lit Quiz team has the best literature knowledge and the fastest reflexes in the world.

The team won the title of World Champions at the World Kids’ Lit Quiz final in Connecticut, USA, today. Hailing from Southwell School, Hamilton, they fought off stiff competition from a stellar line-up of international competitors, including teams from the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Singapore and South Africa.

Wayne Mills, the Kids’ Lit Quiz Master, said the New Zealand team were quick to press the buzzer on a wide range of topics.

"They displayed great literary knowledge in a very diverse range of categories. They were tested on subjects such as; Books made into Disney Movies, Dr Seuss, Mythology, Anthropomorphised Animals and Book Series."

Mills says they stayed calm throughout, building on one another's strengths.

"They believed in themselves. It wasn't one child that won this - it was the entire team."

Mills says the win proves that NZ kids are avid readers with phenomenal literary knowledge across a broad range of literature.

The NZ team was the clear leader in the end with 37 points, leaving the remaining teams tightly bunched from 28-22.

Team members Gabriel Mikkelson 11, Harriet Stephanie 11, Amelia Le Comte 11 and Finlay Buckell 12, are elated with their result.

They are the first Waikato school group to win the national Kids Lit Quiz final held in Wellington earlier in June.

During the world final, teams were quizzed on all types of children’s literature, including books, poetry and historical literature. The students also had to learn the opening lines of nearly 300 books.

The children fundraised to attend the world final, held in the University of Connecticut. After their win, the Southwell students are scheduled to meet prominent US children's author and illustrator Brian Selznick in New York, whose works include The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and The Invention of Hugo Cabret Wonderstruck.

The coaches were Julie Huggins and Gerri Judkins.

Kids’ Lit Quiz was launched 24 years ago by Wayne Mills. Mills was inspired to create the quiz after reading a study that showed students’ reading drops off at intermediate age.

"I wanted to create something that would encourage and enthuse children through this time, and support a life-long-love of reading," says Mills.

Kids Lit Quiz has become hugely popular in New Zealand, spreading to eleven countries around the world. There is current interest in expanding the competition to Malaysia and Botswana. More than 4000 children around the world participated in the 2015 quiz. The Kids’ Lit Quiz is a not-for-profit organisation run solely by volunteers and supported by a family of sponsors including the Wright Family Foundation.

ENDS

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