SA team wins world quiz finals

Canada’s University of Toronto came in third place with one point behind.

The Kids’ Lit Quiz, known as the Olympic Games of Reading saw the national teams from South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand compete in a literary quiz based on anything written for children in the past two thousand years.

The quiz was aimed at pupils aged 10 to 13 (Grades 5,6 and 7). Founded by Wayne Mills, senior lecturer in children’s education at the University of Auckland, and member of the Order of Merit in New Zealand.

The teams were quizzed on seventy questions divided into categories which included authors, titles, opening lines, dystopian literature, one and only, settings, folk tales, mythology, enemies and music.

Mills said the event was the tightest finish in the twenty-two-year history of the quiz. “The audience especially were amazed at the teams’ astute and swift responses to the extremely challenging questions thrown at them.”

He said all the teams showed their strengths in different categories, which made it impossible to predict at half time which one would win. “In the end the South African team claimed victory and later celebrated with a host of South African authors, parents and dignitaries at a gala dinner.”

Marj Brown, convener of the Kids Lit Quiz in South Africa, said the presence of large crowds drawn to the quiz was an indication of the importance placed on literacy, especially in times where electronic media dominates. “In the context of low literacy levels in South Africa it is astounding to see what our children can achieve when provided with the necessary resources. These include libraries, inspirational parents, teachers and librarians who read,” she said.