Originating in New Zealand fifteen years ago, the Kids Lit Quiz was formulated by Quizmaster Wayne Mills. In the past year the Kids' Lit Quiz attracted 408 school teams from within New Zealand and 420 school teams from within the UK - having spread to the UK just over 3 years ago.
Mills calls it the sport of reading and feels that besides energy needing to be channelled into raising reading standards for children of all reading levels, good readers need to be rewarded too, just as good sportsmen and women are rewarded.
Kids Lit Quiz was introduced to South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town last year. This year the quiz, sponsored in SA by kalahari.net will also include schools around Durban. Grade six and seven learners are able to enter.
Teams consist of four students who work together to answer wide-ranging literary questions. The teams are asked 100 questions in 10 categories, which vary from year to year. Contestants ponder questions from almost any genre including comics, poetry, nursery rhymes, classics and contemporary fiction.
Because the quiz is based on general knowledge, it encourages readers to read widely, including contemporary literature, classics, poetry, learn a bit about their favourite authors and refresh their memories about folk tales, nursery rhymes and fables that they might have listened to or read, long ago.
Book prizes are handed out to the team who scores highest in a category and there are cash prizes of R400, R200 and R80 in the regional heats for the top three teams. Winning regional teams are assisted with a travel allowance to the final in Cape Town. Adults similarly receive prizes for their book knowledge.
The winning SA team, besides receiving a cash prize of R1 000, will be invited to New Zealand to take part in the International Kids Lit Quiz final, sponsored by Paper Plus, in June of the following year.
Schools can receive an info pack by contacting the SA coordinator, Marj Brown at or calling 011-782-3971. Cape regional coordinator Mary Lister can be contacted at .
