St John’s Preparatory School, proudly representing South Africa, clinched a podium finish with a brilliant bronze at the Kids’ Lit Quiz World Final in Canberra, Australia, on 10 July 2024.
The Kids’ Lit Quiz is a prestigious international reading competition for primary school children. As one of the top seven teams in the final, St John’s Prep faced fierce competition from schools in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, the US, and Canada. Despite the challenging questions, St John’s Prep demonstrated their exceptional skill, ultimately securing an impressive third place in a tense final.
The competition between ACS Jakarta (Indonesia) and Canberra Grammar School (Australia) was particularly thrilling, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Indonesia emerged victorious in the final moments, taking home the trophy.
St John’s Prep proudly recognised their team—Benjamin Anderson, Daniel Crane, Joseph Moultrie, and Saahil Shah-Naidoo—for their outstanding performance at this prestigious event, often referred to as the ‘Olympics of Reading’.
“The competition is tough at the regional and national level, so reaching the international final was a tremendous achievement. Securing a bronze medal there is a superb accomplishment, and we’re incredibly proud of them,” said Marj Brown, South African National Coordinator of the Kids’ Lit Quiz.
Founded by former academic Wayne Mills of New Zealand, the Kids’ Lit Quiz is now in its 33rd year. This unique event, held in multiple countries, challenges participants aged 10 to 13 with questions on all aspects of children’s literature from any country and era.
Mills expertly crafts questions that start with obscure clues and gradually become more obvious. Teams must buzz in with their answers, earning two points for a correct response and losing one point for an incorrect one, creating a dynamic and suspenseful competition.
Mills, renowned for his inventive questions and categories, was at his best this year, with topics ranging from ‘Wizards’ and ‘Rivers’ to ‘Shakespeare’ and ‘Manga’.
“Reading correlates strongly with academic and vocational success,” said Nicky Sulter. “But the key to becoming a good reader is reading for pleasure. The Kids’ Lit Quiz plays a crucial role in encouraging this.”
The 2025 Kids’ Lit Quiz World Final will be held in South Africa. Stay tuned for more updates!
