(Photograph) - Child actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson are not often cited alongside Romeo and Juliet, but the Olsons, who have “written” a series of girls’
books, were among the famous literary couples mentioned during the Kids’
Lit Quiz final this year.
The 16 regional school teams were competing in the fourth national Kids’
Lit Quiz, supported by ‘The TES’. Teams of Year 7 and 8 pupils competed in regional heats, in order to secure a place in the national final, held this week at Newcastle’s Seven Stories centre for the children’s book.
Along with questions on famous literary couples, finalists were quizzed about authors, from Aesop to Geraldine McCaughrean. And in the “Chapter One, Page One” round, contestants were required to name children’s books when quizmaster Wayne Mills, a lecturer at Auckland university’s school of education, read the opening lines.
Anthony Horowitz’s Stormbreaker was spotted after just four words (“When the doorbell rings”). Eventually, pupils from Aylesbury high (above) beat Wellington college, Belfast, to pick up ‘The TES’winners’ trophy, plus Pounds 20 book tokens each.
Stephanie Wallace-Mast, an English teacher at Aylesbury, said: “The quiz is very popular in school. We hold our own quiz with elimination heats to choose the team. We’re delighted to have won.” Around 200 secondary schools entered the UK heats this year, with two heats each in Scotland and Wales and one in Northern Ireland. See Wayne Mills’ reports on the regional heats in the Kids’ Lit Quiz blog on www.tes.co.uk.
Photograph:Craig Connor
