Kids' Lit Quiz

UK NATIONAL FINAL 2 DEC

2011-12-02T21:48:00.002Z

Hi Folks

We witnessed a wonderful culminatory final at Warwick University this afternoon of the 2011 Kids' Lit Quiz. The teams from 16 heats assembled for the grand final and what a beauty it was. The winner was George Watson's from Edinburgh followed by the City of London School for Girls, in third place was the City of Norwich School and Windsor High School came fourth. All teams displayed dazzling literary brains and the afternoon just flowed.

Many thanks to our wonderful sponsors: Serco, Peters Books, SLA, MLS and Scholastic Books (UK). and to OUP for supplying all the goodie bags. A special thank you must also go to the Coventry Council for supporting today's event. Thank you Joy and your staff you were all so efficient and helpful.

If you missed today's sport of reading then you missed a real cracker. To all those who assisted in any way thank you so much it was brilliant and I'm sure Rebecca, Beth Rosie and Katherine will do you proud in New Zealand.

Merry Christmas
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTH LONDON 29 NOV

2011-11-29T20:46:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
Today was the final UK heat and what an exciting one it was. Two teams tied for first and the third placed team was only half a point behind. Our authors (Ian Beck, Damian Bibben and Lindsey Barraclough) presented the prizes after a very tense sudden death question. Tonight's winning team (Josiah, Joseph, Cole and Dylan) were from Dulwich College. They narrowly won from the hosting school Kings College Junior. Right close behind was James Allen Girls' School who came third.
Harriet from, tonight's sponsor, Random House contributed her knowledge on the authors' team.
This was a new venue, added just this year, and it was well-attended and organised. Thank you Ann, Helen and Claire.
Good luck to all the teams going to the National Final this coming Friday. I wish you well.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORTH LONDON 28 NOV

2011-11-28T22:40:00.003Z

Hi Folks
There was a lively feeling tonight at the Broxbourne heat as authors and kids answered the questions put to them. We had two teams of authors, a team of authors marking and a team of authors scoring. See below for our fabulous author turnout. All the authors' books were available for purchase and the contestants were spoilt for choice with so may authors attending. Many of the authors designed their own questions to ask the kids during spot prizes. The winning school was the City of London School for Girls consisting of Aine, Shan, Emma and Evie. In second place was Arnold House and third was Orley Farm.
A group photograph of all three winning teams, all the authors and the quizmaster was taken by the local news photographer.
Great Night
Wayne
Quizmaster
OUR AUTHORS
Sophia Bennett
Sita Brahmachari
Dave Cousins
Katie Dale
Keren David
Fiona Dunbar
Steve Feasey
Pauline Francis
Echo Freer
Candy Gourlay
Sarah Grant
Miriam Halahmy
Savita Kalhan
Josh Lacey
Samira Osman
Mark Robson
Pat Walsh

OXON/BERKS 25 NOV

2011-11-25T22:28:00.003Z

The Heat today was busy and bussling with a record number of schools participating. Two teams of authors competed against the kids. A special thank you to the following: Jo Cottrell, Dave Cryer, Susie Day, Dennis Hamley, MG Harris, SL Powell, Cindy Jeffries, Marie Louise Jensen, Linda Newbery, Sally Nicholls and Mark Robson. The prizes were awarded by Cllr Patrick Greene, the Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council. Todays winning team were Amy, Thomas, Henry and Isobel from St Bartholomews 1.
Second place was Abingdon and third was the host school St Gregory the Great. (with a team of just three) Our sponsors gave their support by attending tonights event. We had representative from Serco, Peters Books, OUP, and members of Oxfordshire County Council. 180 supporters attended todays event.

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND 24 NOV

2011-11-25T00:11:00.002Z

Hi Folks
It was a fabulous, fast-paced night in Cornwall for this thirteenth heat. The teams all had excellent knowledge and the range was narrow. Well done to the two first time teams from Newton Ferrers Primary School.
Philip Reeve, our guest author, was swamped by enthusiastic kids wanting books signed and even the quizmaster queued up for two to be signed. Philip awarded the prizes to Penrice 1 for coming first in tonight's heat. The winners were: Daniel, Ellie, Lewis and Morwenna. Positions for second were tied so a sudden death was required. St Cuthberts Mayne 1 came through as the second-placed team and Torbay 3 was narrowly squeezed into third.
Many thanks to Serco, Peters Books and the SLA for their ongoing sponosrship of this event and a big vote of thenks to the organisers for supplying tonight's book prizes-it was generous and very appreciated.
Keep reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

WALES 23 NOV

2011-11-23T23:50:00.002Z

Hi Folks
At tonight's Cardiff heat we had a feast of authors attend. I'm grateful to the following who came and partcipated:Sue Barrow, Colin Parsons, Paul Manship, Sarah Singleton, Marie-Louise Jensen, Ellen Caldecott, Gwen Cartwright and Mark Robson.
There was a great atmosphere and last year's champion team and fourth-placed international Kids' Lit Quiz Finalists - Bristol Grammar attended and spoke in turn about their experiences at the international final in New Zealand in July.
The winning team tonight from Cardiff High School were: Jacob, Haroon, Laurence and Philippa. In second place was Monmouth School 1 and hosting school Howell's 2 was third,
Thank you to Harper Collins for sponsoring the books and to Keryn and Jane for collaborating in bringing this evening's quiz together.
Cheers
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTH ENGLAND 22 NOV

2011-11-22T20:48:00.002Z

Hi Folks
Several new schools entered the quiz this afternoon and they performed wells given that today was their first experience of a Kids' Lit Quiz. The winning school though was Forres Sandle Manor 2. The team of Poppy, Laurie, Emily and Sophie won by just a half point from Robert Mays School 1 and third was Portsmouth High School 1.
Our authors Ali Sparkes and Craig Simpson awarded the prizes to the teams.
Many thanks to Peters Books, Serco and Faber & Faber for their sponsorship of today's quiz.
Happy reading guys
Quizmaster
Wayne

WEST MIDLANDS 21 NOV

2011-11-21T23:22:00.003Z

Tonight was well attended by supporters, there were 273 in the audience watching as Windsor High won convincingly. The team of Nicole, Molly, Katie and Isabelle won by nine clear points. In second place was Kenilworth 1 and first-timers and Arden came third.
The authors Leila Rashed, Ann Evans, Mark Robson and John Doherty demonstrated their wonderful knowledge of books and they also awarded the prizes to the teams. The books were sponsored by the Coventry S.LS.
Many thanks to Joy Court and her team
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

CENTRAL ENGLAND 17 NOV

2011-11-17T19:29:00.002Z

Hi Everybody
Last year's winning school Aylesbury Grammar Year 7s defended their school's title and the Aylesbury Grammar Y8s were second. Both teams were ahead of our authors' team of Linda Newbery, Julia Jarman and Mark Robson and though the authors gave it their best shot the team consisting of Chris, Gabriel, William and Chris were just too strong. In third place was Comberton School.
It was a high scoring afternoon competition with no team scoring less than 50.
Today's book prizes were sponsored by Frances Lincoln Books and we were kindly hosted in the library by Kimbolton School.
Keep up the reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORFOLK 16 NOV

2011-11-16T19:08:00.003Z

Hi Everybody
New venue (City of Norwich School) and new coordinator (Gail) this afternoon and everything just ran like clockwork. The team from the Norfolk School Library Service did a grand job.
The kids were impressive with their literary knowledge too and the outright winner was the host school City of Norwich B. This team consisted of Leila, James, Tom and Flora. There was a tie for second so this needed to be resolved with a sudden death question. The winner, and thus the second placed team, was Taverham High A and third was Northgate High School.
Best wishes to all the teams who filled out an entry form for the great Peters Books KLQ draw. Many thanks to the publishers Orion for supplying the books for prizes.
Remember to read those titles mentioned tonight and read some more for next year.
Best wishes
Wayne
Quizmaster

EAST ENGLAND 15 NOV

2011-11-15T21:48:00.003Z

Junior King's School arrived just in time for the start of today's kids' lit quiz and won it. This was the first time they'd ever entered the quiz! The team of Isabella, Jack, Roxanne and Felix just sneaked past the second placed team from King Edward VI school and this school's other #2 team King Edward VI was third.
Thurrock Council Librarians hosted us in the Corringham Hall and coordinated the event superbly.
Many thanks to our loyal sponsors SERCO and to Macmillan for donating the Books.

Keep Reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORTH WEST ENGLAND 14 NOV

2011-11-14T21:42:00.003Z

Today's heat was in a new venue and town. Thank you St Gregory's Roman Catholic High School of Warrington for hosting us today. Cockermouth School the defending UK champions won easily today (albeit with a new team). Well done: Frances, Sebastian, Adam and Madeleine In second place was Altrincham Grammar 2 and Kings School 1 was third.
Our author today was Curtis Jobling (creator of Bob the Builder) and of the Wereworld series. He read from his latest book and also awarded the team's their prizes. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for donating the book prizes.
A very successful quiz, thank you Janet for taking on the coordination.
Quizmaster
Wayne.

YORKSHIRE HEAT 11 NOV

2011-11-12T09:47:00.004Z

The Yorkshire heat was gripping! North Halifax B won clearly but then there was a three-way tie for second place. The names of the winners are: Hannah, Megan, Kit & Isobel. Placings for second and third needed to be decided by sudden death questions. The outcome saw Harrogate Grammar placed second and Scissett Middle School B claimed third spot. Author Martyn Bedford awarded the prizes.
One of the remarkable individual achievements was accomplished by Hannah from the North Halifax B team who was asked to enter as a last minute ring-in when another member was indisposed.
Thirty-six teams entered today. The wonderful team from Kirklees Customer and Exchequer Service and Booksplus Schools' Resource Service coordinated the event with smooth professionalism. My thanks also go to Schoolhouse Books for their sponsorship and to the Kirklees Council staff for their help on the day at the Cleackheaton Hall. Also thanks are due to Walker Books for donating the book prizes.
Happy Reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORTHERN IRELAND

2011-11-12T00:39:00.002Z

We were kindly hosted,once again by Wellington College. in Belfast. The names of the winners are: Rebecca, Meghan, Ben & David. Teams from across the province competed. It was a closely fought competition but a new school emerged victorious-Friends School Lisburn 2 followed by Methodist College Belfast School second and Regent House Grammar School 1 was third.
Many thanks to Scholastic Children's Books for sponsoring the event once again.
Special prizes were awarded for best costume, best sea monster poster and top mascot.
Once again authors and librarians went head to head with each other and the kids' lit quiz teams.
It was a fun day.
Thank you everyone it was a great day
Wayne
Quizmaster

WEST SCOTLAND 9 Nov

2011-11-09T21:27:00.003Z

Thank you Kilsyth Academy for hosting the Kids' Lit Quiz once again, it was a brilliant day. Four authors attended (K M Grant, Keith Charters, Victoria Campbell and Matt Cartney) and they signed books for the contestants as well as competing against the kids.
Scotia Books, a stalwart supporter of the quiz for a number of years, ran the bookshop at the event. Today's winner was Dunblane High A (this school travelled to the World Final in NZ in 2004) followed by Auchterarder A and the High School of Glasgow A was third. The names of the winning team are: Dugal, Campbell, Caitlin, & Ellen.
Off to Belfast tomorrow
Book in for it.
Wayne
Quizmaster

C Scotland

2011-11-08T23:24:00.003Z

Hi Everybody

We were at a new venue in Falkirk today- St Mungo's High School and it was lovely and spacious for the 28 teams paticipating and had plenty of room for the placard-waving spectators who had come along to support their teams.
Today's winners were George Watson's College B first. The names of the winners are: Rebecca,Beth, Rosie, & Ktherine. They had an emphatic win. Two teams tied for second place which necessitated a sudden death play off. The result made Stewart's Melville College A second and Cargilfield School was third. George Watson's will now travel to Warwick for the National Final. We all wish them well.
Our authors assisted with the marking. They were Linda Strachan (she had also been in Newcastle last night), Alex Nye and Victoria Campbell. Many thanks to the Publishers Hachette for donating the book prizes.
Thank you Fiona for coordinating a great heat.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

2011-11-08T16:43:00.001Z

NORTH EAST HEAT 7NOV

posted 19 hours ago by Jacky Atkinson

Hi Folks

The 2011/2012 journey has started to find the team with the best literary knowledge on

five continents. The winner tonight was Gosforth Central Middle School 1

Followed by Durham High for Girls. Third place necessitated a sudden death play off

between last year's winner Hexham Middle 1 and Newminster Middle 1.

It was taken out by Hexham. Our authors tonight came from the Midlands, Scotland

and locally. They actually took out the first two places.

They were: Mark Robson, Linda Strachan, Gill Arbuthnott, Emma Barnes, Ann Coburn

and Helen Limon.

We're indebted to Gosforth Central Middle School for their hospitality in hosting us and

to Serco, Scholastic School Books and Seven Stories for their sponsorship.

The evening ran like clockwork. I can't wait for the next heats.

What a change from last year when half the teams couldn't make it because

of dreadful snow conditions.Well done everybody.

Cheers

Wayne

Quizmaster

2011-11-08T16:38:00.002Z

QUIZMASTER ON HIS WAY

posted 1 Nov 2011 13:54 by Jacky Atkinson

Hi quiz teams

My bags are packed and the questions are all written and ready to be asked at this year's heats

of the 2011 Kids' Lit Quiz. I will arrive into Newcastle on Nov 5th.

What a fabulous prize awaits this year's winner of the UK National heat.

The KLQ committee have been busy preparing to host the 2012 International Final in Auckland

in July and one knowledeable winning team will be invited to Auckland, New Zealand

to take part. I always look forward to discovering who that team will be.

Happy reading

Wayne

The Kids Lit Quiz 2011

2011-10-27T18:53:00.002+01:00

The 2011 Heats are nearly upon us with Wayne Mills arriving in the UK on the 5th November -

(Bonfire Night!!!) so we are going to start the Regional Heats off with a BANG,

The first Heat will take place in Newcastle organised by Trevor and Diane Darwin,

on the 7th November.

Although all the numbers are not yet in, it looks as if this year more schools than ever have entered.

More and more of our wonderful authors are going along to support the teams and several heats are being supported by their local VIP's

Do encourage the authors to go along to the National Final, which this year is to be held in The Rootes Building at Warwick University on Friday 2 nd December at 1. 30 p.m. Joy Court and her team are now busy getting ready for it.

So welcome Wayne, we promise that it will be better weather for you this year and Good Luck to everyone. I hope to see some of you in December Jacky Atkinson

UK FINAL

2010-11-30T23:03:00.002Z

Hi Everyone

We had a wonderfully exciting finish to the UK Final. Can you believe it two teams tied for first and two teams tied for second. I couldn't have written a more exciting script had I tried. Both sudden death play-offs went to the wire. The winner was Cockermouth School and in second place was Bristol Grammar. The good news was that the NZ organisers for the 2oth KLQ International Final invited both teams to NZ so although these two teams tied they both qualified for New Zealand. The play-off for third and fourth was between Glasgow High School and Litcham High School. The eventual third-placed team was Litcham. Glasgow High was fourth.

The event was strongly supported by authors, librarians, teachers, students and parents and the whole day was a huge success.Thank you everybody for supporting this year's heats and final.

Bye for now until next year

Wayne

Quizmaster

NORTH EAST ENGLAND

2010-11-26T20:50:00.003Z

Well what a day there was heavy snow and temperatures plummeted to -5 degrees. This meant that we lost 45% of our teams as the conditions were just to treacherous to attempt to drive. Nevertheless we still had a competitive heat and the team from Hexham School 2 won. In second place was Gosforth Middle School 1 and third was Dame Allans 1.
Our authors battled the elements with two railing from Scotland (Gill Arbuthnott and Linda Strachan) one from Leeds (Emma Barnes) while David Williams was local and they managed to give the kids a go for their money. While the authors did beat the Hexham team the surprise of the night was the one-man team (Steve) from Seven Stories who came a praiseworthy third overall. So as well as selling books his literary knowledge was also supberb.
This brings me to the end of the heats and only the UK Final is left to blog about so log onto the site on Tuesday to find out who has claimed the 2010 championship.
Meanwhile to all you finalists enjoy your weekend's reading.
Cheers
Wayne
Quizmaster

LONDON

2010-11-26T00:25:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
Tonight's heat was the largest we'd ever had in London. Broxbourne High School was bursting at the seams with over forty teams including the World Champion school team from City of London.The talent was certainly evident. We had two author teams competing against one another as well as against the school teams. And with authors to spare we had them marking and keeping the scoresheet as well. All the heats were contested and the scores were competitive. I enjoyed seeing all the dedicated readers there tonight reading their prize books between rounds. Tonight's heat was won by Kings College Junior A team for the first time followed by Arnold House B and then the 2010 World Champions- The City of London School for Girls third.
Good stuff
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

2010-11-24T17:38:00.002Z

Hi
We had a great heat in the south tonight it was so very tight. The range was only 16 marks so really the event could have been won by any of the teams. In fact it was won by Portsmouth High B, second-placed was Poole GrammarA and in the sudden death play-off for third their other team, Poole Grammar B, also narrowly grabbed third position from the hosts Warblington School A who had to settle for fourth.
Lovely night had by everyone.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

EAST ENGLAND

2010-11-24T12:44:00.002Z

Bancroft's School has dominated this eastern heat now for a few years and they continued their winning performance again. In second place was Boswells 2 and in third place was Maidstone GrammarSchool for Girls team 2. This heat is always well organised and the team from the Thurrock Council Libraries have the formula down pat. The afternoon whipped around leaving just three more heats.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORFOLK

2010-11-22T21:19:00.003Z

Hi Folks
We had a very knowledgeable audience tonight and very clever teams too. The winner was Litcham High School B followed by Thetford Grammar A and in third position was Wymondham High School B. As the local coordinator, Mr Robin Gregory, is retiring this year he awarded the prizes to the teams and said how well they had performed.
Many thank to Wymondham High School for hosting the quiz as it is well set-up for such an event.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

2010-11-20T00:29:00.002Z

Hi Folks
Very exhuberant and exciting night in Wadebridge at the local high school with a large audience and 39 teams. The heat was won by Richard Lander School 1 followed by Great Torrington 2 and third place was once again decided by a sudden-death. It was between Penrice and Pilton. Pilton narrowly took third position. The prizes were awarded by Cornish author Chris Higgins.
Thank you to all the teams that traveled long distances to compete tonight.
All your high-fives were worth it. This is truly the 'sport of reading'.
Cheers
Wayne
Quizmaster

WALES AND SOUTH

2010-11-19T00:26:00.002Z

Hi Everybody
What an incredibly tight finish tonight. The top two teams tied and the third team was only half a point behind. The winner, after a nail-biting sudden death play-off was Bristol Grammar 1. They just pipped Howell's School 2 who settled for second. Third place went to Howell's School 1.
However, our authors' team gained the top score. They were Mark Robson, Marie-Louise Jenson and John Dougherty.
It was a lovely night at Bishop of Llandaff High School and well attended by parents, teachers and librarians.
Another night of great results.
Wayne
Quizmaster

CENTRAL ENGLAND

2010-11-17T23:45:00.002Z

Today's winners always had a hard act to follow after yesterday's amazing achievements but they scored consistently and managed a competitive total. Our authors (Julia Jarman, Mark Robson and Lucy Coates) out-scored our winners by one point. Each author handed out the prizes to the winners. Mark gave the third place prize to Kimbolton School. Actually both teams from Kimbolton came third equal so a sudden death play-off was required. Lucy awarded the second place prize to Kings School. Julia awarded first prize to Aylesbury Grammar School and they will now compete in the UK Final on 30th November.

I'm off to Wales tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Wayne

Quizmaster

OXFORDSHIRE and BERKSHIRE

2010-11-16T21:29:00.002Z

Hi Everyone

Quite an amazing afternoon at today's heat. Two records were set- one UK and one World. There were 42 teams tonight the largest ever in the UK and to top that off a new world record score was established by Oxford High School when they scored 97.5. (the previous record was 95). Obviously this school went on to win and their number two team was second. Third place was tight and required a sudden death play-off between St Gregory School and The Cherwell School. It was won by St Gregory. It was a very busy exciting afternoon the literary brain-power was awesome. The mayor of Bicester commented as he awarded the trophy to the girls from Oxford High that the competition was of an exceptionally high standard and that he was looking forward to attending the UK in Oxford on November 30th.

Thank you Oxford High School for allowing us to use your brand new auditorium, it was a marvelous venue.

Keep reading

Wayne

Quizmaster

2010-11-16T00:18:00.000Z

COVENTRY HEAT

2010-11-16T00:06:00.002Z

Hi Folks

The UK coordinator and I have just returned home after a late night froggy drive. Tonight's heat was exciting and very lively. The range between top and bottom was only 20 points so all teams were in with a chance. As it turned out two teams tied for first place which necessitated a sudden death play-off. The eventual winner was Blue Coat 2 with Windsor High 2 second. These close finishes are always dramatic. Then in third place was Kenilworth School 1. The authors team and the team from Scholastic performed outstandingly. In fact the authors were the overall winners. They were: David Calcutt, Marie-Louise Jensen, Leila Rashed and Ann Evans- congratulations.

Many thanks to the staff from the SLA Coventry library for a sparkling evening

.Bye for now.

Wayne

Quizmaster.

YORKSHIRE HEAT

2010-11-14T22:01:00.000Z

12th November
The boys from Roundhay School of Technology College were always going to be hard to beat as they had won this heat last year and had staryed together as a unit for today' heat. Having read lots of books in the intervening year it wasn't surprising that they won. Lady Manner's School A gave them a good run and they ended second. St Martin's Ampleforth A came third. The heat was kindly sponsored by The Kirklees School Library Services and Council. The library staff had the day well organised in the grand old Cleakheaton Hall. Parents, librarians and teachers were able to view the events from the surrounding balcony. Schoolhouse Books supported this heat and had set up a small display within the hall.
Well that's the first week over and all the winning teams have looked pretty impressive.
Happy reading
Wayne
The Quizmaster

Northern Ireland

2010-11-12T00:08:00.001Z

NORTHERN IRELAND

Hi Everybody
Today was the fifth anniversary of the Kids' Lit Quiz in Northern Ireland and the Wellington College Hall was decorated with balloons and posters. There were competitions for best mascot, movie tagline grabber and best dress up. We started with a medley of songs from books made into movies and were then welcomed by the principal, Mr Pitts. There was a vibrant, festive atmosphere to the afternoon.
The heat was won by:
1 Coleraine High School
2 Rathmore Grammar
3 Methodist College Belfast.
The winners recived a chocolate bottle of champagne, book vouchers and the Northern Ireland trophy.
Scholastic was fully supportive and ensured that the contestants had a mixed variety of books from which to select. The librarians' team was devastatingly good and the the schools certainly enjoyed the literary challenge. The authors, M G Harris and Alec Williams awarded the prizes and even donated some special one-off prizes.
Happy Reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

NORTH WEST HEAT

2010-11-11T00:07:00.000Z

10th Nov
Hi Everyone
At tonight's heat we had Joseph Delaney the author of the Spook's Apprentice series marking. He had his work cut out marking and signing lots of books for his many fans.
The winner tonight was Cockermouth School. Last year they travelled to the North East heat but switched this year to compete at the North West and they won. Withington School was second and last year's winner Lancaster Grammar came third.
Tonight we had a first as one of the contestants, a girl,who was blind participated and by jove she knew her stuff. When it came to the visual category her team mates described the picture to her and she had listened to many books and read stories written in Braille.
Many thanks to Bolton University for allowing us the us of their cafeteria again because as a venue it is spacious and accommodating. See you soon at a heat near you.
Wayne
Quizmaster

EAST SCOTLAND

2010-11-09T16:48:00.000Z

Hi Everyone
Just finished this Scottish heat at Gerorge Heriot's School and the winners this afternoon were:
1 Stewart's Melville College A
2 The Mary Erskine School
3 George Heriot's School B

Several authors attended today but rather than compete they marked the answers. So thanks to Keith Gray, Linda Strachan, Gill Arbuthnott, and Jan Henderson for their accuracy and dedication.

Today we had the largest turnout ever in the east and reading was certainly the winner.I think the reel of bagpipes at the start stirred the contestants to do well.
I move on now down the west coast of England.
Keep that reading up
Wayne
Quizmaster

WEST SCOTLAND

2010-11-08T16:51:00.003Z

Welcome to my first blog for this new round of the Kids' Lit Quiz. Today was the start of the search for the best team to compete at the International 20th Anniversary Quiz in Hamilton, New Zealand in 2011.

Today's event was held in the Kilsyth Academy and their hall was decorated with black and gold balloons and a large banner proclaimed that it was the 2010 Kids' Lit Quiz.

Two authors (Katie Grant and Cathy McPhail) formed a team with two librarians and came a creditable 5th.

The winners today were:
1 High School of Glasgow A
2 HIgh School of Glasgow B
3 Gryffe School.

The event was once again proudly supported by Scotia Books.

Catch you tomorrow
Wayne
Quizmaster

UK NATIONAL FINAL

2009-11-27T23:19:00.003Z

What a brilliant National Final today in the Oxford Town Hall. The sport of reading was amply demonstrated by the best fifteen teams in Britain. Harry Enfield addressed all the teams and shared a secret page from Charlie Higson's next novel. The Town Hall was beautifully decorated in purple and green and the stage was set for a great literary showdown. At the end of the afternoon the top six teams were separated by only two points (that's only one question). A flurry of sudden death questions was needed to separate the top four teams, however local school Wheatley Park was the clear National winner, but the tenseness came in separating 2nd, 3rd and 4th spots.

Second place went to the City of London School for Girls', third was the Lancaster Royal Grammar School and fourth was Mary Erskine School from Edinburgh.

Our sponsors did us proud and in particular I would like to thank Serco, Scholastic UK, the DCSF, OUP r and the Oxfordshire County Council for their generous support. I would also like to thank Bayard (Discovery Box Magazines) who kindly donated subscriptions to all the winners and packs to all the youngsters who entered the competition. And not to forget the Librarian Coaches with the winning teams, Softlink for presenting them with plaques and the SLA for awarding Training Day vouchers. Over and above all this 30 authors gave their time to be present and generously signed their books throughout the day for all our avid readers.

A huge thank you to all the coaches, librarians, teachers, local dignitaries and family supporters

who attended today, thus ensuring such a memorable final.

And a special thanks should go to the KLQ Oxford Team for Organising the whole event.

The stage is now set for the World Final in Edinburgh on 14th August 2010. Five teams qualified today for this event during the Edinburgh Book Festival. Good luck everybody and thanks for a superb afternoon.

Wayne

Quizmaster

OXFORD HEAT

2009-11-23T23:04:00.003Z

Today's heat finished on a high in Oxford, the last of the regional heats. All teams displayed a tremendous literary knowledge but the top three teams in particular were impressive. We had a new venue in the centre of Oxford and it was well attended by teams and spectators. Six authors supported the event - they were: Lucy Coats, Dennis Hamley, MG Harris, Elizabeth Kay, Mark Robson and Susie Day. They were pushed the whole way by the kids' teams. The prizes were awarded by Cllr Tony Crabbe, the chairman of Oxfordshire County Council. First prize went

to Wheatley Park 1 followed by the Cherwell School 1 and in third place was last year's winner Oxford High School 1. Our sponsors Serco gave us a helping hand tonight with the marking along with the SLA. Happy Reading

Wayne

Quizmaster.

CENTRAL ENGLAND

2009-11-20T22:18:00.002Z

Hi Everyone

Lovely quiz today in Northamptonshire hosted at the Roade School Sports College in their spacious library. The authors' team was devastatingly good and gained a brilliant score. They were: Steve Feasey, Pippa Goodheart, Mary Hoffman and Graham Marks. The authors awarded the prizes to first-time winners Wellingborough Preparatory School. Second was Kimbolton School and third was Skegness Grammar School. A small but literate audience watched the event which was hosted kindly by the Northamptonshire Schools' Library Service.

Only one regional event to go now

Keep reading

Wayne

Quizmaster

MIDLANDS HEAT

2009-11-19T23:15:00.002Z

Dramatic start tonight at Warwick University because the fire alarms went off two minutes before the quiz was due to start. It was a false alarm. After 30 minutes we filed back in and got underway. Because the quiz was held in the evening there was a sizeable audience of over 150 supporters encouraging their teams. The authors' team won the quiz and the sponsors' team from Scholastic were second. However tonight's first-time winner was Oundle School 2 and the trophy was presented by author Ann Evans. Leila Rasheed awarded second place to Kenilworth School and author David Calcutt awarded the third place prize to Bluecoat School 1.

The Coventry School Library Service again organised a successful event at Warwick University and this was our first time there and it worked well.

Happy reading Wayne.

LONDON

2009-11-18T22:05:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
There was another sudden change over after lunch finished at The Broxbourne School and the quiz was up and running. Sudden deaths all over the floor tonight though as eight categories were tied and required questions to separate the winners.
The authors were very generous and donated spot prizes for tonight's contestants. The following authors attended and either marked, scored or participated in the quiz: Pauline Francis, Echo Freer, M G Harris, Amanda Lees, Gareth Mottram, Mark Robson, Matt Whyman and Lee Wilkinson.
Dominique Creasey from Bayard Magazines assisted with the marking as did our friendly book seller Alan Jeffreys.
Our prizes tonight were donated by Walker Books and Books@Hoddesdon
Tonight's first-time winner was City of London School for Girls 2 followed by Herts and Essex High 1 and in third spot was Blackheath High School 1.
Thanks Broxbourne School for hosting us again.
Bye for now
Wayne
Quizmaster

ESSEX

2009-11-17T21:32:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
There was an interesting battle tonight between World Kids' Lit Quiz champions Bancroft's School and first-timers King Edward VI School. After round nine both teams were locked level on the same total but it was Bancroft's School 1 that went on to win tonight by one point from King Edward VI. Bancroft's School 2 was third.
It was apparent that teams had improved significantly from last year and final scores reflected this.
Thurrock Council Libraries kindly hosted the event and their staff awarded the prizes.
The new venue at Corringham Village hall worked well.
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

EAST ENGLAND

2009-11-16T19:02:00.002Z

Hi Folks
Slick organisation tonight by the staff at Wymondham High School as they quickly cleared out the hall and re-set the tables after lunch in readiness for the east England regional heat.
Tonight's first-time winner was Thetford Grammar 1 followed by Wymondham High School 1 and the third placed team was the number 2 team from Thetford Grammar.
The literary knowledge of both the kids and their supporters was terrific and lots of photos was testimony of the satisfaction that teams felt with this afternoon's quiz.
Well done
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

2009-11-12T20:40:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
It may have been a wet afternoon at Warblington School in Hampshire but the heat was bright and cheery.
Three authors attended, Andrew Norriss and he awarded the first prize to Portsmouth High School A, Craig Simpson awarded the second place prize to Robert May's and Ali Sparkes awarded the third prize to Bay House. Today's prizes were kindly donated by Usborne Books.
Thank you to all those who supported the teams and in particular the Hayling Island Book Shop.
Keep reading
Wayne Quizmaster

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

2009-11-12T08:42:00.002Z

Hi Everybody
Another very exciting night in Wadebridge with the largest number of contestants participating to date and as you'd expect the combined literary knowledge of the students was impressive.
Author, Liz Kessler, who moved to Cornwall just last month, handed out the prizes to the winners and awarded a special spot prize of her own books to another team.
The winner was Truro 2 but they were followed closely by South Molton 1 and Penryn. In fact these two teams tied for second. The sudden death decider went to South Molton and so that made Penryn the third-placed team.
The talented Wadebridge seniors provided supper which was eagerly consumed.
A good-sized audience attended last night's quiz and ably answered their adult literary questions.
Many thanks to staff and headmistress who all assisted at last night's heat
Happy reading
Wayne

WALES AND SOUTH

2009-11-11T07:47:00.002Z

Hi Readers

Tonight's quiz was quite often tense as regularly teams tied at the end of each round which meant that sudden death questions were required to separate the winners. Round winners received books generously donated by Scholastic UK.
The overall winner by an impressive sixteen points was Howell's School. Second in another tie-break was last year's winning school- Whitchurch and third was Bristol Grammar.
Tonight's venue was Bishop Llandaff School in Cardiff.
Bye for now
Wayne
Quizmaster.

NORTHERN IRELAND

2009-11-09T22:26:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
Well what a day. Liverpool Airport was fogbound and it didn't look as though I'd make it. I changed airlines and that was the only flight that left for Northern Ireland. I had hassles with weights and times. Finally I was in the air and arrived in Belfast a minute before the quiz was due to start. Author Josh Lacey held the fort by reading from this books. What a grand turnout-many of the audience dressed in character and the prize went to the Chinese Cinderella. Then the finish was complicated as two teams tied for first and two tied for second thus setting up a sudden death final. After a tense decider the winner was Wellington College from Rathmore (they'd never competed before) and third was Friends School over Methodist College who was squeezed into fourth. Scholastic provided all the books for prizes and had a selection of titles for sale. Phew, what a day I don't want too many like that.
Keep turning the pages
Wayne

NORTH WEST ENGLAND

2009-11-06T21:29:00.002Z

Hi Folks
Tonight's winner, Lancaster Royal Grammar ,were able to defend their last year's title by the narrowest of margins-one point. This has been the first time it has happened on this tour. Second was Merchant Taylors and third had to be decided by sudden death between: Canon Slade, Casterton and St Gregory's and the decider was won by Casterton. The prizes, kindly donated by Hachette Children's Books, were awarded by author Philip Caveney who was also in attendance last year.
Tonight's venue was given to us by the University of Bolton.
Wherever I've been to date everyone has been amazed by the literary knowledge shown by the contestants. Reading is taking place everywhere.
Good on you all
Wayne
Quizmaster

YORKSHIRE HEAT

2009-11-05T22:56:00.003Z

Hi Everyone
It may have been a wet old Guy Fawkes night but it was all very enthusiastic at the new Yorkshire venue in the Dewsbury Town Hall. The Kirklees Cultural Services organised this excellent venue and it was run superbly by the Kirklees School Library Service. The staff from both services ensured that the quiz ran smoothly.
Tonight's event was kindly sponsored by Schoolhouse Books and Micro Librarian Systems. The prizes were awarded by popular children's author Helena Pielichaty who remarked that of the three winning teams ten out of the twelve students were boys. Thirty-four teams participated making this event the largest to date
Roundhay Technology and Language College won for the first time ever followed by Lady Manners School A and then Ecclesbourne School A was third.
Thanks to all
Wayne
Quizmaster

WEST SCOTLAND

2009-11-04T15:12:00.003Z

Hi Folks
Gold and black balloons hovered above the tables and a huge banner proclaimed that the venue was set for this year's heat of the Kid's Lit Quiz at the Kilsyth Academy.
It was won in fine fashion by first-time winners The High School of Glasgow 1 and the next two postions were taken by Dunblane High School.
Authors Catherine Macphail and Katie Grant awarded the prizes.
Scotia Books generously donated the prizes and have consistently given their support to the KLQ over the past years.
Happy Reading
Wayne

EAST SCOTLAND

2009-11-04T08:48:00.003Z

Hi Everyone
Today's heat at Stewart's Melville College was well-supported and a number of classes slipped in and out to watch the proceedings thus inspiring them to take part in the future.
The winner was Mary Erskine A team (they were second last year) followed narrowly by Stewart's Melville A and then Edinburgh Academy was third. A great result for the Academy as this was their best performance to date.
The prizes were awarded by author Linda Strachan who had her new book Spider avaiable for purchase.
The quiz was followed by a planning meeting for next year's World Final and I can report that the accommodation looks grand and an exciting programme has been proposed for 2010 during the Edinburgh Book Festival in August.
Many thank to Stewart's Melville for hosting the quiz again.
Wayne
Quizmaster

NE ENGLAND

2009-11-02T22:00:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
Well, that's the first regional heat completed in my busy schedule and what a slick night it was. Everything ran like clockwork and I cannot thank those that marked, entered the scores and collected the papers enough. My thanks to the Borders staff who came along and asssisted with the marking your dedication was appeciated.
Special thanks to tonight's sponsor Macmillan who provided the prizes and Gosforth Central Middle School in Newcastle for providing the excellent venue
The quiz was won convincingly by Cockermouth School followed by last year's winning school Durham Johnston then half a point behing them was Durham High School.
Lovely too having an audience of parents, grandparents and librarian/coaches to lend their support.
Look out for a heat near you.
Wayne
Quizmaster.

QUIZMASTER COMING

2009-10-28T04:24:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
I'm still in Auckland, New Zealand but I'm gathering everything together that I'll need for this year's Kids'Lit Quiz from questions to warm clothes (as remember it is quite warm here at the moment) to books to read on the plane.
I will be flying Emirates again -they are such a good airline and will pick me up from home and deliver me to the front door of the international airport. I always ask for an aisle seat as then I can slip out easily when I wish to stretch.
This year I will be flying directly to Newcastle and moving in an anti-clockwise direction around your country. I've a great bunch of questions lined up so I hope you've been reading widely.
Check out the regional areas I'm covering by going to the UK Quiz on the home page.
All the best I will begin seeing from as from next week
Wayne
Quizmaster

CHINA FINAL

2008-12-05T05:44:00.002Z

This was the biggest and best China Final to date. Teams flew in from Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou and of course the local schools from Shanghai. Concordia International School of Shanghai kindly billeted all of the children. Eight new teams participated this year. The competition was closer and tougher than ever but the International School of Beijing won both first and third place. What was impressive was that the winning team were all year sixes. Concordia International School of Shanghai was second.
Book prizes were sponsored by Scholastic China and Bayard Presse donated subscriptions to their magazine Discovery Box and Shanghai Book Traders kindly supplied the branded T-shirts. Food for all our hungry readers today was supplied by Subway Shanghai Co.
The whole event was very slickly organised.
A great day
Wayne

UK GRAND FINAL

2008-11-29T11:48:00.003Z

Today's final of the Serco KLQ was really dramatic. One team arrived 25 minutes late and the quiz had already started and not only that one of their team members had a blood nose for much of the quiz so what a surprise when it was this team that won the UK final! Congratulations on keeping your poise under such pressure. This team was Bancrofts School from the Essex heat. They now will represent The UK at the World Final of the KLQ in Johannesburg. Second place went to Blue Coat School from the Midlands heat and Lancaster Royal Grammar came third after a sudden death play-off with Arnold House. Our guest author, the hugely popular Eva Ibbotson, awarded the KLQ trophies and books to the first two teams and Harry Enfield awarded the third and fourth placed teams with their prizes.

The UK organiser, Eileen Armstrong, was presented with a bouquet of flowers in recognition of all the energy and time she'd put into organising this year's heats and final.

Today's sponsors were Scholastic UK, Puffin Books and Usborne. Their books were well received by today's avid readers.

The School Library Association , who support the KLQ, kindly awarded vouchers to the

teams librarian coaches for the value of 50% of a training session and a 100% voucher to

the coach with Bancrofts School.

This year's final was the most rigorous ever and all of the teams deserved to win.

Thank you to all my colleagues and friends for their assistance on the day.

Wayne

NORTH EAST ENGLAND

2008-11-24T20:32:00.003Z

Hi Folks
Well what a fun-filled wonderful night to end the UK regional heats held at Gosforth Central Middle School. A massive 36 teams entered (this was the same as Cornwall) and the hall was busting at the edges with tables and chairs as well as as good number of knowledgeable spectators. We appreciated the Borders' booksellers pitching in to help us mark.
The winning team for the first time ever was Durham Johnston followed by Ripon. Again a sudden death was required to separate third position. Durham High School ended up pipping Highfield Middle School in a nail-biter.
Many thanks to Puffin, Scholastic UK and Usborne for supplying prizes.
Great finish.
Wayne

EAST SCOTLAND

2008-11-21T15:55:00.000Z

Today's five authors were heralded into the Stewart's Melville College Hall by two pipers and they then played a reel before the heat got under way. This was a grand start and the scores reflected it too. Many teams scored nines or tens.Sara Grady the Children and Education Programme Director for the Edinburgh Book Festival awarded the top three prizes. First was George Watson's College, second was Mary Erskine School and The George Watson 2 team was third. A grand result for George Watson. Each team received book prizes care of Macmillan Books.The authors were: Theresa Breslin, James Jauncey, Gill Arbuthnott, Jonathan Meres and Mike Nicholson.Thanks everyone for a very enjoyable afternoon.
Wayne

WEST SCOTLAND

2008-11-20T13:24:00.003Z

Hi Everyone,

Great turn-out today at the Kilsyth Academy. Banners were proudly flying, gold and black balloons hovered, and an atmosphere of anticipation pervaded the hall. Two guest teams participated - one of librarians - and the other local authors. (Theresa Breslin, Katie Grant and Linda Strachan). The librarians' team won the event but the top school was Dunblane High School followed by the High School of Glasgow. Third place was decided by a sudden death question. Douglas Adademy won it and this placed Bannerman High forth. The prizes donated by Scotia Books were awarded to the teams by guest authors

Happy reading

Wayne

NORTH WEST ENGLAND

2008-11-18T21:41:00.002Z

Hi Bloggers
The Kids' Lit Quiz had the honour tonight of being the first official event held in the new Social Learning Centre at Bolton University as it had only been opened three weeks ago by Prince Edward.
Lots of teams selected their jokers wisely and tonight's scores reflected their decisions. The winning team had never entered the quiz before but ended up winning quite convincingly. Lancaster Royal Grammar was an all-boys team and their win was well-deserved. Queen Katherine was second followed by Christelton High School.
Book prizes donated by Hachette were given to the winning teams by local author Philip Caveney.
Great results across the board-well done everyone.
Wayne

NORTHERN IRELAND

2008-11-18T10:35:00.002Z

Teams came from every corner of Northern Ireland last night to participate in the Kids' Lit Quiz. Seven new schools entered for the first time. The BBC came for an interview but ended up being absobed by the atmosphere and stayed for the whole quiz. The teams were buzzing and the category winners enjoyed a selection of titles supplied by Scholastic UK.
Sullivan Upper School defended their title and will now travel to the UK Final in Newcastle. Second place went to Strathearn Grammar and Wellington College Belfast was third. The prizes were awarded by guest author Dan Freedman.
Many thank to Wellington College for hosting the event.
Happy reading.
Wayne

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

2008-11-15T00:38:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
What an exuberant afternoon in Cornwall and what amazing book knowledge everyone had. This has been the biggest heat to date. Wadebridge School hosted us again and the tables for the teams occupied the whole hall. The audience sat on the stage. High scoring rounds were common today and congratulations must go to defending champions and last year's UK winners Truro School for again winning the SW heat. South Molten was second and Exmouth was third.
Thank you to all those teams who travelled from so far to take part.
Happy Reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

SOUTH WALES

2008-11-14T09:15:00.002Z

Hi Everyone
All the contestants were welcomed today by last year's Welsh Champions (and third in the World Final) the team from Whitchurch School. They told the teams to read avidly and encouraged them to do well.
This year the venue moved to the Bishop of Llandaff School hall and the venue worked very well. A good number of parents, grandparents and librarians/teachers watched the heat and were impressed by the students' literary knowledge.
An all-boys team from Whitchurch School won the heat, Howell's School was second and Monmouth Boys' third.
Book prizes were donated by Harper Collins.
Thanks to the senior students from Bishop of Llandaff for their assistance.
Wayne

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

2008-11-12T22:03:00.003Z

Hi Everyone
Another accomplished result was posted by our authors' team in Havant today. The team of five consisting of Andrew Norriss, James Riordan, Craig Simpson, Andy Briggs and Ali Sparks once again proved too good for the KLQ teams in this southern heat.
The prizes were spread widely and many kids walked away with books to get signed from the book shop or else gained a book from the category round.
Robert Mays' Odiham School won both first and third place which was quite an achievement. Portsmouth High School was second. The difference between first and third was 1.5 marks. So a very tight squeeze today for the top positions.
Great results
Wayne

OXFORD

2008-11-12T08:29:00.002Z

Hi Folks

Fast and busy evening last night in front of over 200 spectators who witnessed extraordinary talent on display. Some kids were even attempting questions before they were asked! The winning school was Oxford High followed half a point behind by The Cherwell School. St Helens was third.

The authors' team with superior numbers bettered Oxford High but look at the literary power of these people: Meg Harper, Linda Newbery, Dennis Hamley, Mark Robson, MG Harris, Rachael Wing and Susie Day.

I was delighted to see so many local politicians supporting the event-that was certainly appreciated.

We tried a new venue this year at Our Lady's school as this gave the audience better views from tiered seating. The school went out of their way to ensure that all teams felt very welcomed.

Many thanks to OUP for supplying the book prizes.

Can't wait until the next heat.

Happy reading

Wayne

CENTRAL ENGLAND

2008-11-10T22:23:00.003Z

Hi Everyone

In a lovely old hall at Oundle School the Oundle and King's Cliffe Middle School won today's heat of the Serco Kids' Lit Quiz, second was King's School Peterborough and third was Oakham School. All great results but three cheers ought to go to the authors' team as they won with a massive score. The team of Julia Jarman, Mary Hoffman, Mark Robson, Lucy Coats and Pippa Goodheart scored a remarkable 99/100. Lots of teams went away with prizes and some even with Anthony Horowitz T-shirts.

It was a lovely heat as all questions were answered by at least one team.

I look forward to seeing you at a heat soon

Happy reading

Wayne

YORK HEAT

2008-11-10T07:08:00.002Z

The Scissett Middle School orchestra played a welcoming medley of tunes as schools entered the North Light Gallery for the quiz, and so the stage was set for this year's heat of the Serco KLQ.

John Mc Coomb, local artist and storyteller awarded prizes to North Halifax Grammar School for coming first, followed by Woodleigh School.

The traditional Kids' Lit Quiz chocolate cake has been a great favourite and all the teams enjoyed a scrumptious piece again this year. the book prizes were generously given by Chicken House.

Happy Reading

Wayne

MIDLANDS HEAT

2008-11-07T08:12:00.004Z

There's no doubting that evening heats of the Serco Kids' Lit Quiz really rock. The venue was packed with teams and over 200+ spectators filled the sides of the room. There was a feeling of literary expectation and the final result confirmed just how close all the teams were bunched together.
Mark Robson attended and gave away copies of his books to lucky kids able to answer his questions. All the other team prizes were generously donated by Macmillan Publishers.
The team from Scholastic UK competed well for the first five rounds but then faded after the break. The top team though was Blue Coat followed by the two teams from Finham Park School.
Fun festive night.
Happy Reading
Wayne

NORFOLK HEAT

2008-11-05T22:29:00.003Z

Hi Everyone
A lovely afternoon today where reading was positively affirmed by all teams and spectators. Winning teams were spread and all teams experienced a measure of success in the ten categories. Swavesey Village College 1 defended their title from last year which was a great achievement given the stiff competition. Wymondham College was second and Thetford Grammar 2 was third.
Many thanks to Wymondham High School for hosting the KLQ and to student, William, for his technical assistance.
Keep Reading
Wayne

ESSEX HEAT

2008-11-04T20:53:00.003Z

Hi Everyone
Very happy and enjoyable afternoon today in Ockendon during the second heat of the UK Kids' Lit Quiz. All teams quickly sorted out their joker round and we got right into the quiz. It was won very convincingly by Bancrofts School and their second team was also placed second. This now means that the school will head to Newcastle for the UK Final on Nov 28th. Well done.
Our guest author, Michael Coleman, assisted with the marking and a comprehensive display of his books was displayed for readers to pursue.
Happy Reading
Wayne

LONDON HEAT

2008-11-04T09:50:00.008Z

Hello Everyone

It's great to be back in Britain again and to start the next session of the 2009 Kids' Lit Quizzes in London. Last night's heat was won by the authors' team (Dianne Hofmeyr, Amanda Lees, Sally Nicholls and Beth Webb) and boy did they enjoy winning!. However they cannot be the team to go through to the Newcastle national final of course. That honour went to Bishop's Stortford College A team-congratulations. The two teams from Arnold House were second and third this was pretty good too. Mark Robson had a busy time on the scoreboard and the markers were well known authors like Echo Freer, Gareth Mottram and Pauline Francis.

Alan Jeffreys provided the book shop.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the book prizes and to Broxbourne School for use of their facilities and hall.
Next heat is in Essex
Wayne

THE KIDS' LIT QUIZ 2008 - DATES OF REGIONAL HEATS

2008-10-31T00:36:00.005Z

Wayne Mills arrives in the UK this week-end and starts his whistle-stop tour in London on November 3rd.

November 3 - London

November 4 - Essex

November 5 - E England

November 6 - Midlands

November 7 - York

November 10 - Bucks

November 11 - Oxford

November 12 - S England

November 13 - S Wales

November 14 - SW England

November 17 - N Ireland

November 18 - NW England

November 19 - W Scotland

November 21 - E Scotland

November 24 - NE England

November 28 - National final - The Seven Stories Newcastle

Wayne will add to the blog after each heat and welcomes your comments.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE

UK Final 3 Dec

2007-12-04T00:43:00.000Z

Impressive, exciting, breathtaking and oh-so-knowledgeable were all the finalists.
We were delighted to have as guest of honour Eva Ibbotson who presented first prize to Arnold House from the London Heat. I was personally thrilled to meet Eva for the first time. She was ably assisted by Paul Bajoria who handed out the prize to second place George Heriot's from East Scotland and to Truro School from Cornwall.
Arnold House went away with individual trophies, the 2007 KLQ Cup, books, book vouchers and a smart Kids' Lit Quiz cake.
Thanks to all the staff at Seven Stories for their management of the event, to Philip Pullman for sponsoring the event, to Serco for their belief in the quiz, to Eileen Armstrong for coordinating the national heats. Thanks too to all the librarians and teachers who prepared their teams, to Jacky, Margaret, Diane and Trevor all of whom assisted ably and made today the best final ever!
Wayne
Quizmaster

West Scotland 27 Nov

2007-11-27T14:58:00.000Z

Who was the most delighted to win today? Okay rhetorical question but it was the authors' team of Cathy Cassidy, Alex Nye, Keith Charters and Kathie Grant. They had had a tough fight on their hands all afternoon but just managed to beat Bannerman High School from Glasgow. It was a privilege to have two of the winning authors from last week's Scottish Books Awards (Cathy and Alex)in the authors' team.
Once again all the scores were really close showing just how well the teams are doing.
Well that's the end of the UK heats. I wonder who will win the UK final on Dec 3?
Cheers everyone, thanks for following my blogs.
Wayne

North East England 26 Nov

2007-11-26T18:11:00.000Z

This was the tighest heat so far (there's only one heat left now before the final) the top three teams were separated by only two points and if the second team had not changed an answer, the result well who knows... Instead well done Central Newcastle High who were first. The venue at Park View School allowed all the spectators from two sides to view the participants as they were down two levels on the hall floor. It was a cracker night and enjoyed by all and several of the adult prizes were won by kids.
Wayne
Quizmaster

East Scotland 23 Nov

2007-11-24T10:53:00.000Z

A piper welcomed everyone one as they entered into the brand new Performing Arts Centre at Stewarts Melville School for the first Kids Lit Quiz heat in Scotland this year. The excitment must have got to two kids though as they both had nose bleeds. But the atmosphere was exciting and the heat was won again for the third year by George Heriots School and the authors' team (consisting of Debi Gliori, Keith Gray, Gill Arbuthnot and Mike Nicholson) was just behind in second place

Northern Ireland 21 Nov

2007-11-23T10:29:00.000Z

Great festive night-crackers on the tables and back in the land of the Kids' Lit Quiz World Champions. This year every county in Northern Ireland turned out for the event as well as one hundred spectators. Many teams had travelled quite a distance to participate. Welcome and thank you to you all. Wellington College the defending World Champions couldn't quite hold off new winners Sullivan Upper. But even Sullivan Upper couldn't quite pip the authors' team consisting of Eleanor Updale and Sarah Wray and several librarians. It was another evening spent celebrating 'the sport of reading'
Wayne
Quizmaster

North West England Heat 20th Nov

2007-11-20T22:11:00.000Z

Hi Everybody
What a hot and exciting heat. It was jammed packed as we had 130 in the audience and a capacity number of teams given the size of the venue. Many thanks to all those who came along tonight as supporters. Another world first for the quiz occured tonight as the winning team, Helsby High School, only had three children in their team! Their fourth member withdrew at the last moment. (one wonders what they would have achieved with four members in their team). Guest author Sherry Ashworth handed out the cup and prize vouchers to the winners and she was very impressed with the overall knowledge of all those teams taking part.
Wonderful performances all round
Wayne
Quizmaster

South West England 16 Nov

2007-11-17T10:14:00.000Z

What an exhuberant heat and so well attended by over 75 parents, grandparents, librarians and teachers. The hall was filled to capacity and was only one team short of the record set by the Yorkshire heat. This was a night to remember for when the results came in from both the manual count and from the electronic scoring Truro School had amassed a record breaking 96 points.Prizes were handed out by local Cornish author Chris Higgins. Such a fantastic result-well done. And a special thanks to the three students who prepared the supper as part of their citizenship award- we were spoilt for choice.
Keep that reading going
Wayne
Quizmaster

South Wales 15 Nov

2007-11-15T23:22:00.000Z

Shwmai Pawb
Well what a capacity night the hall was filled to the brim. We had the most teams ever and more than I had expected consequently we needed to print extra answer sheets. By the end of the night there was standing room only for the adults. The enthusiasm of all those there was lovely to see. Whitchurch won tonight's event and are keen to attend the final in Newcastle. As this was Mrs Williams' last night (she retires next month) we paid tribute to her organisation and management of the regional Kids' Lit Quiz.
Well done everybody
Wayne
Quizmaster

South England Heat 14 Nov

2007-11-14T22:02:00.000Z

Hi Everyone
Today I moved south from Central England into Hampshire for the quiz in Havant. This was the first time the South England heat had been held outside of Portsmouth. Today's winning school though was Portsmouth High who did exceedingly well beating their nearest rival by 12.5. Well done team. The author and librarian team chased Portsmouth High but couldn't quite manage to overhaul their score and so came second. All the other schools were tightly bunched. Many thanks to our authors down here Andrew Norriss and Michael Coleman who regularly support this heat.
Keep reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

Oxford Heat 13 Nov

2007-11-13T21:34:00.000Z

Hi Everyone
At today's heat in Oxford we had incredibly quick kids, a great turnout of authors and guests all gathered under one roof. The quiz is sponsored by Serco and we were lucky to have John Essery from Serco Defence, Science and Technology present to award the first place prize to The Cherwell School.Incidentally The Cherwell School were the UK national winners in 2004. The authors' team was too strong especially with the likes of: Dennis Hamley, Mary Hooper, Meg Harper, Rod Hunt, Mark Robson, Mini Gray and Rachael Wing taking part.

Central England Heat 12 Nov

2007-11-12T19:05:00.000Z

Hi Everyone
There was a very sharp audience today with some rapid answers to tough questions. An all-boys team from Aylesbury Grammar won today's heat although the Year 7 team from Winchester House School, Brackley will be one to watch in 2008. A couple of high-powered author teams with the likes of Gillian Cross, Celia Rees, Linda Newbery, Mark Robson and Val Tyler proved to be a bit too powerful for the school teams today. However, lots of schools went away rewarded with books for their literary efforts.
Read widely
Wayne
Quizmaster

Yorkshire Heat 9 Nov

2007-11-10T19:08:00.000Z

Gee whizz this heat started with drums, harps and an orchestra to warm up the audience. And with a massive turnout of 36 teams it didn't take much to make this an wonderful afternoon at the North Light Gallery and to celebrate a huge Kids' Lit Quiz yummy chocolate cake was cut by Penny Dolan (the visiting author) and shared around all the teams and even after all the distributing there was cake left over!. Beckfoot School were the new winners and will now go forward to the national final on 3 Dec.
Hope to see you at a heat
Wayne
Quizmaster

Midlands Heat 8 Nov

2007-11-10T18:59:00.000Z

Hi Folks
Huge night at the Ricoh Centre as we had the largest turnout of supporters - 166 spectators came to show their support for the 'sport of reading'. many parents were impressed at the kids knowledge and were delighted to be able to see just what their kids had been looking forward to for weeks. Gillian Cross and Mark Robson donated spot prizes which all added to the excitement of the. evening. Blue Coat School were the winners in a closely contested heat. Great scores all round
Well done everybody.
Wayne
Quizmaster

East England Heat 7 Nov

2007-11-08T00:03:00.000Z

Well another great night with twice as many teams as last year-it's a real pleasure to see so many new schools taking part. In fact the winning school at today's heat,Swavesey Village College, was a first time school at the Kids' Lit Quiz and gee they did well winning by a comfortable margin.
Thanks to all the parents who came up to me and made favourable comments about how their child and they had enjoyed the afternoon.
Keep reading-build on the titles suggested today.
Wayne

Essex Heat 6 Nov

2007-11-06T22:46:00.000Z

Hi
We had a wonderful response to the quiz in Essex this year with more schools than ever before taking part.
This heat was the noisiest in the 16 year history of the quiz as the organisers had provided every participant with a hand-held clacker. So when it came to clapping the noise was deafening but it was all great fun.
Bancroft's School team one and two tied for first place so a sudden death question was asked which was won by their number one team.
The venue was held in the Culver Centre for the first time and proved to be a popular spot-with helpful and well organised staff there for our assistance.
Off to another new venue tomorrow
Happy reading
Wayne
Quizmaster

London Heat 5 Nov

2007-11-06T22:33:00.000Z

Hi Everyone
The London heat got off to a flying start on November 5th. We had eight authors present who marked and scored for the KLQ. A local bookshop did a roaring trade selling their books.
Arnold House, an all-boys team, won the heat followed by a team of libarians and teachers that went head-to-head with them. In fact there were more boys participating at this heat than girls. Quite remarkable!
A fabulous start. Special thanks to the authors: Jean Ure, Sam Enthoven, Pauline Francis, Echo Freer, Graham Marks, Paul Shipton, Mark Robson and Lee Weatherly
Wayne
Quizmaster

The UK Kids' Lit Quiz 2007: Dates of Heats

2007-10-30T06:15:00.000Z

Wayne Mills arrives in the UK next week and will start his tour with a big bang, in London, on Bonfire Night!

The dates of the Regional Heats and the National Final, plus contacts, are as follows:

Monday 5th November: London: s_shaper@hotmail.com [Sue]

Tuesday 6th November: Essex: rjones@thurrock.gov.uk [Roslyn]

Wednesday 7th November: Norfolk: robin.gregory@norfolk.gov.uk

Thursday 8th November: Coventry: joy.court@coventry.gov.uk

Friday 9th November: Yorkshire: kathryn.sheard@kirklees.gov.uk

Monday 12th November: Central England: spolchow@northamptonshire.gov.uk [Sue]

Tuesday 13th November: Oxford: jeatkinson@mac.com -
gaynor.cooper@abingdon.org.uk - klqoxford@gmail.com

Wednesday 14th November: Portsmouth: Liz Bridge :
liz.bridge@warblington.hants.sch.uk

Thursday 15th November: Cardiff: pat.Williams@how.gdst.net

Friday 16th November: Cornwall: vip@cnelhams.freeserve.co.uk

Tuesday 20th November: Bolton: judith_sprawling@yahoo.co.uk

Wednesday 21st November: Belfast: feargach2002@yahoo.co.uk [Tanja
Jennings]

Thursday 22nd November: W Scotland: lindesayburton@kilsythacademy.n-
lanark.sch.uk

Friday 23rd November: E Scotland: swrightd@esmgc.com [Duncan Wright]

Monday 26th November: North East:EARMSTRONG@cchsonline.co.uk

Monday 3rd December: Final: Seven Stories, The Centre for Children's Books, Newcastle upon Tyne:
EARMSTRONG@cchsonline.co.uk

Wayne will add to the blog after each Regional Heat and give the names of the winners, etc.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL TEAMS PARTICIPATING!