George Heriot's School: The Kids' Lit Quiz Experience
Margaret Cruickshank, School Librarian, George Heriot's School, Edinburgh
As soon as I read about the Kids' Lit Quiz (KLQ) in the TES newspaper back in 2003 I knew it was a winner. Wayne Mills, a quiz guru from New Zealand, has an amazing knowledge of children's literature and is a wonderful advocate of the written word. He is, in fact, a Senior Lecturer at Auckland College of Education and has done school librarians a huge favour by bringing the KLQ to the UK.
This quiz is remarkable because it gives avid readers the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and is unique because it enables young readers to test their knowledge gained from their pastime of reading.
Preparation for the quiz
The KLQ has been an annual event on the Senior School Library's calendar at George Heriot's for three years. In October last year I advertised the competition throughout the school and the response from the pupils who were keen to take part was fantastic (perhaps the 1st prize of a trip to New Zealand may have had something to do with it!). Whatever their motivation the pupils in S1 and S2 certainly rose to the challenge.
Our preparation for the quiz began by holding lunchtime practices using sample questions sent by the organisers. Pupils also discussed their favourite books, compared their latest reads, memorised Ancient Greek and Roman myths and legends and made certain they knew the winners of the latest book awards.
The dedication and focus shown by these pupils justified my decision to enter two teams into the competition (the maximum allowed from one school) and it delighted the pupils as they had become good friends.
The teams took part in the East of Scotland heat of the competition, held in Edinburgh on 29 November 2005, and we made quite an impact; one team came first and the other a credible third. Their achievement was recognised back at school where all the pupils involved received their certificates and the winning team was presented with their trophy at morning assembly in front of the whole senior school. In addition, pupils and teachers could keep track of our team's progress on the school's website and I displayed posters in the library.
The UK Finals
As East of Scotland heat winners, we were now eligible to enter the KLQ UK Finals held in Newcastle on 5 December 2005. The pupils were allowed a day off school and I made the necessary arrangements to travel south by train. Fifteen teams assembled at the Newcastle Arts Centre along with an assortment of teachers, librarians and supporters. It was a tense time before the competition got under way with nervous contestants chatting excitedly - each hopeful that they would do well.
Finally, Wayne Mills took control, checking that the buzzers were working and cracking jokes to put everyone at their ease. The questions were later described by one team member as, 'OK, but you have to press a buzzer and that means you are under pressure to think really fast!' Our team did marvellously well, achieving second place. This was a great accomplishment considering that the initial number of teams who entered the competition was over 300.
Although naturally disappointed at missing out on a trip to New Zealand for the World Finals of the KLQ, the team conceded that Bancroft School (from Essex) were deserved winners. We wish them the very best of luck in the Finals later this year.
I would certainly recommend the Kids' Lit Quiz to all school librarians. Although the preparation for the competition is time-consuming (for the pupils and the librarian), it can provide that extra incentive for pupils to broaden their reading habits. It is also a wonderful way to promote the library usage within a school.
Following the success of our teams in the KLQ, and the interest generated by the competition, I now run a book club for S1 and S2. I have no doubt that, following the thrill of last year's competition I will endeavour to repeat the experience again this year with another team.