tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32097573455307707782024-03-27T06:11:13.565+11:00Reading For AustraliaAn initiative of the parents and friends of the 2013 Australian team to promote the Kids' Lit Quiz competition
Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-77126309727603817332015-10-11T21:33:00.000+11:002015-10-13T13:17:18.483+11:00Kids Lit Quiz Australia 2016 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6wh2EdxGAh7QJUcTzHeSSTRRYQOOwxnyhyofyaFpSBRV39oXfn-Neboq6gr6rhFh02yve7bigu_Lv8k668TQc8hlLr77wN38_r0IiLIorLQizgRfCuCofQNNsn93liRVRQetzsENTEu5/s1600/11402720_496218443860947_4529842431842002677_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6wh2EdxGAh7QJUcTzHeSSTRRYQOOwxnyhyofyaFpSBRV39oXfn-Neboq6gr6rhFh02yve7bigu_Lv8k668TQc8hlLr77wN38_r0IiLIorLQizgRfCuCofQNNsn93liRVRQetzsENTEu5/s400/11402720_496218443860947_4529842431842002677_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The 2016 program is now out! Here's the announcement from Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's Facebook page:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Entries are now open for Kids' Lit Quiz Australia heats to be held in March 2016. There will be six heats this year:<br />
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Armidale March 4, <br />
Ipswich March 10, <br />
Brisbane March 11, <br />
Orange March 14, <br />
Canberra March 16; and <br />
Sydney March 18. <br />
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Share the word and contact Nicole Deans at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com for entry information. We look forward to lots of teams taking part!<br />
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See Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kids-Lit-Quiz-Australia-161949513954510/timeline/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page, Reading for Australia <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/kids-lit-quiz-australia-2015-in-review.html" target="_blank">posts</a> on the 2015 competition and the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/faq-kids-lit-quiz-australia.html" target="_blank">FAQ</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">Information</a> pages under the Reading for Australia banner for more information about the Kids' Lit Quiz competition.<br />
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-25055545275936131112015-09-15T16:02:00.000+10:002015-09-15T16:03:09.756+10:00100 Teams try Kids’ Lit Quiz Canada in 2015!Kids’ Lit Quiz Canada has had another year of growth!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uwxmnti24g2eviuzNt0LyAt-n6YqO7FjVMX4L8nhl2956ZtG3yOBUvGbDVcv2KNHuOZwFSwrr1OUcG0QinwnEiVmR9Y8eyLxEVl5QgbucLhoo2ESVMnG3WZvjZbfrpIyK3NynhjP0zHQ/s1600/LOGO_KIDS_LIT_QUIZ_CANADA_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uwxmnti24g2eviuzNt0LyAt-n6YqO7FjVMX4L8nhl2956ZtG3yOBUvGbDVcv2KNHuOZwFSwrr1OUcG0QinwnEiVmR9Y8eyLxEVl5QgbucLhoo2ESVMnG3WZvjZbfrpIyK3NynhjP0zHQ/s320/LOGO_KIDS_LIT_QUIZ_CANADA_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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From our humble beginnings of 13 teams in 2011, reaching 100 teams in our fifth year was a huge milestone! For more information on how we got from there to here, see last year's review <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-canada-2014-in-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Once again, we were thrilled to have excellent author participation in 2015. Many thanks to the Quizzards of Oz, Team Hirsute, The Inkslingers, Awesome Authors and Write Again - our intrepid author teams! Their names are listed at the end of this post, together with links to their websites.<br />
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It is wonderful for our KLQ readers to be in such fine company! Readers meet writers and writers meet their fans. I wonder how many KLQers will be inspired to become authors themselves?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPxy9NaSl_0QDvXpaEW-SD6ecFylAVjgn1jW6OyOqofCne6OZDz0dQmV1IDaoNuWk3-Da8mZ9OAqsfoG0i63cVJGSrTHdQxT_sOgoeJt4jRM3fCi2WDnmbmJq0ErC1rUS8A2CmorkUQ2p/s1600/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPxy9NaSl_0QDvXpaEW-SD6ecFylAVjgn1jW6OyOqofCne6OZDz0dQmV1IDaoNuWk3-Da8mZ9OAqsfoG0i63cVJGSrTHdQxT_sOgoeJt4jRM3fCi2WDnmbmJq0ErC1rUS8A2CmorkUQ2p/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the fun at the 2015 Canadian heats</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>We deeply appreciate the outreach programs some of our more established schools provided to other schools this year. Crescent School is to be commended for their excellent outreach, coaching and transportation provided to their partner school. Southridge School, Hillfield Strathallan, TDBank and a private donor also sponsored teams. We would love to see more development of this part of Kids’ Lit Quiz Canada!<br />
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2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Canada competition</h2>
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Wayne arrived in British Columbia to begin his KLQ Canada tour in January. Vancouver’s Little Flower Academy hosted BC KLQ 2015. Scholastic Canada in BC has provided a beautiful trophy for the British Columbia KLQ champions - this year's winner was Southridge School.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9H0jwz7Z45ZVkZ0cm-_xiC5QUGhhVoM2E0FMRsufsg1WI1HNDtBqhOaw81vIcJNAHnpvsaWjzYiNheaQO1mxM8WV-ssCm4xnxqMu5zOKcIGd3MKcQaOlsa-EzOu0c8l_-s8AbopK-gcU/s1600/unnamed8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9H0jwz7Z45ZVkZ0cm-_xiC5QUGhhVoM2E0FMRsufsg1WI1HNDtBqhOaw81vIcJNAHnpvsaWjzYiNheaQO1mxM8WV-ssCm4xnxqMu5zOKcIGd3MKcQaOlsa-EzOu0c8l_-s8AbopK-gcU/s400/unnamed8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wayne Mills visits Niagara Falls</td></tr>
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The KLQ family is far reaching and we were delighted to have support from Marj Brown’s (KLQ SA) friend Erin help us out in Vancouver! Vancouver Kidsbooks provided wonderful prizes. We are looking forward to growing our program in BC next year. Simon Fraser University is supporting us by donating venue space for our 2016 BC heat! Thanks to Dr. Beth Marshall, Robert Bittner and Stephanie Yorath for their support.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGNJVp8OUkgIvH95Z9SuDzRE3evzwrl82fM7LiJvFPAaJQeVzWNaT1yynq7ouq7i_kVhrXLFHucMx9vUWOYw8_InA7Adkj6CsCl_PV0-aoCbc2gEa_QbkhFE-5Vhnw6vBxd97ogCYNyAH/s1600/unnamed2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGNJVp8OUkgIvH95Z9SuDzRE3evzwrl82fM7LiJvFPAaJQeVzWNaT1yynq7ouq7i_kVhrXLFHucMx9vUWOYw8_InA7Adkj6CsCl_PV0-aoCbc2gEa_QbkhFE-5Vhnw6vBxd97ogCYNyAH/s400/unnamed2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Dress at the 2015 Canadian competition</td></tr>
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In Ontario, Mabel’s Fables have made Kids’ Lit Quiz Canada prizes truly wonderful for our big KLQ readers! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We can’t say it enough! We would also like to thank Gillian O’Reilly from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre who served as our adjudicator this year.<br />
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Each of the five Ontario heats had their own flavor and excitement…. This year, it was KLQ USA who had to contend with blizzards for our Quiz Master. We provided simply sunshine and bone chilling cold! (-25C most days!)<br />
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In May, an exhibition heat was held in Calgary Alberta, a western
province of Canada, which is home to the famous rodeo, The Calgary
Stampede. We are looking forward to running an official heat of KLQ
there in 2016. <br />
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2015 National Final </h2>
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Crescent School hosted our National Final. The facilities are superb and an enthusiastic audience was there cheering on the teams! Thank you Crescent! TV Ontario covered our event and host Kara Harun even did a stint as Guest Quiz Master!<br />
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As in all KLQ events around the world…. nothing would happen without the dedication and support of our wonderful volunteers. We do appreciate their help so very much.<br />
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2015 World Final</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bJQnT862SKmP_Eq0Z1f_dPEGbjZ3KzGXl4HSORKrJGHR5AuXpWic2k9kFi9JDy1HhS5-ZxVRsHmCxmb_oFDKnpu9_WX1tFxgr3TovD1cA0Vfz9htNAtPgJDaNF_RoDpSFvt32DUjMdgv/s1600/unnamed7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bJQnT862SKmP_Eq0Z1f_dPEGbjZ3KzGXl4HSORKrJGHR5AuXpWic2k9kFi9JDy1HhS5-ZxVRsHmCxmb_oFDKnpu9_WX1tFxgr3TovD1cA0Vfz9htNAtPgJDaNF_RoDpSFvt32DUjMdgv/s400/unnamed7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 Canadian national team </td></tr>
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Southridge School from British Columbia represented Canada at the KLQ <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/2015-in-review-by-wayne-mills.html#more" target="_blank">World Final</a> in Connecticut USA in July. Arman, Stephanie, Serena and Sarah did us proud! They also stumped the audience in a ‘Three Truths and a Lie’ event at Blue Back Square in West Hartford.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWmPaG074fA4a3UsAv4HY6981rhNx2HJKjmk3XKK-JXzt5okGW5IrK7JgGwdk-_wvSxP5npkvx0I50_EwWP102pSAtaC64teSzCrjQ9jqCa_A4dlFOGTJhhRZMRgXjBfnXGVPsWwhiK4N/s1600/unnamed1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWmPaG074fA4a3UsAv4HY6981rhNx2HJKjmk3XKK-JXzt5okGW5IrK7JgGwdk-_wvSxP5npkvx0I50_EwWP102pSAtaC64teSzCrjQ9jqCa_A4dlFOGTJhhRZMRgXjBfnXGVPsWwhiK4N/s400/unnamed1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 world champions, Southwell School, New Zealand</td></tr>
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Huge congratulations to Julie Huggins and her team from Southwell School in Hamilton, New Zealand. They were clear winners and a popular group of readers as well!<br />
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The Americans did a splendid job of hosting the world of KLQers! You can read more about that <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/2015-in-review-by-wayne-mills.html#more" target="_blank">here </a>in Wayne Mills' post on the world final and 2015 in review.<br />
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Central Connecticut State University campus is beautiful and met our needs nicely. The theme of Super Readers/Heroes with the Super Wayne featured was so creative and well done! As always, the kids had a blast.<br />
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Pancakes!</h2>
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In what is now becoming a tradition, KLQ Canada provided a pancake breakfast at the World Final…complete with real Maple Syrup, Canadian bacon and pancakes made from scratch! Yum! It turns out the Canadian Team and Coach Chong have flipped a pancake or two in their day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_glbCS02X0G70wyq1WtFCkyFDzDQms453_ZGDESLFYN_qYQSBK7XvU5k5ZA4WvwBUNdzYxzKcpI6uHVuSI8FKFt0yBcp-tNf-waXnPd9DqbkXLV4dX4vx8tuIK1CShQoVlm8Pi3OF-HCp/s1600/unnamed5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_glbCS02X0G70wyq1WtFCkyFDzDQms453_ZGDESLFYN_qYQSBK7XvU5k5ZA4WvwBUNdzYxzKcpI6uHVuSI8FKFt0yBcp-tNf-waXnPd9DqbkXLV4dX4vx8tuIK1CShQoVlm8Pi3OF-HCp/s400/unnamed5.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Joyce! </td></tr>
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Onwards and Upwards!</h2>
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2016 holds great promise for more growth. We now have charitable status
which means we qualify for funding from many foundations and other
organizations. We are excited about this potential, as it will provide
for KLQ Canada through a solid support base. We do need support!<br />
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We are excited about 2016 - celebrating more readers, making heroes of them along the way and encouraging reading everywhere! Good luck to the New Zealand organizers as they prepare for next year’s KLQ World Final in August at the IBBY Congress in beautiful Auckland! <br />
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<a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/canada" target="_blank">Registration</a> for schools to participate in KLQ Canada 2016 is now open. The regional heats and national final will be held from January 14 to February 4, 2016.<br />
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Happy Reading all!<br />
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<b>Nancy Davidson,</b><br />
<b>KLQ Canada National Coordinator</b><br />
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<i>See Kids' Lit Quiz Canada's Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KidsLitQuizCanada?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">here</a>, for contact information. Also, the Canada page of the Kids' Lit Quiz here (http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/canada)</i><b><br />
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Introducing some Canadian authors to Aussie kids</h2>
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These Canadian authors participated in the Quiz this year. Most of them are not known to Australian readers as yet - click on the links to find exciting new authors and terrific new books.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKgAynYK4pnZ9-zzjIyePyhNWZQLE5BC7AmjTgIzyR204vprFMdvc_aKAI8L_-1397TfP5QZIbj3MyYj9uVukSUpy7fkUdNtbBh7-EDiY8OFqCS3xgdCoKfpGlNTJI9QVk5k4ML1AaK5r/s1600/Sylvia-portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKgAynYK4pnZ9-zzjIyePyhNWZQLE5BC7AmjTgIzyR204vprFMdvc_aKAI8L_-1397TfP5QZIbj3MyYj9uVukSUpy7fkUdNtbBh7-EDiY8OFqCS3xgdCoKfpGlNTJI9QVk5k4ML1AaK5r/s200/Sylvia-portrait.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sylviamcnicoll.com/" target="_blank">Sylvia McNichol</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtf-41pd54VcOMU5DQCRMOmiRrFnnao8SIKP4JK-ppy4xElIH0mblaBaduSrEBqxBCZRMPgNJr6sOBOqx2Akd-U55l-7EOmwJ6WX0GEmkYTo6fk9WqdzXFuQEFFkC6e4xBx1LsE64u5V7e/s1600/1da7a4_1ab5f45990dd445daa3ebbdddd314805.jpg_srz_p_402_491_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtf-41pd54VcOMU5DQCRMOmiRrFnnao8SIKP4JK-ppy4xElIH0mblaBaduSrEBqxBCZRMPgNJr6sOBOqx2Akd-U55l-7EOmwJ6WX0GEmkYTo6fk9WqdzXFuQEFFkC6e4xBx1LsE64u5V7e/s200/1da7a4_1ab5f45990dd445daa3ebbdddd314805.jpg_srz_p_402_491_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.suzannesutherland.com/" target="_blank">Suzanne Sutherland</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlymfUuVNZO802yEoPZ7mKAFnSgSrnS2qqc1Sx3Xyyr99gcnQMr0czN2zD8_U5tJt1zeggZzLfgY4Ijg94Lj7PSpSJUtorqXph3M8iWAVzxEmDj929dJuDmlEzYLelcS7oTddIV9QVaIy/s1600/922.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlymfUuVNZO802yEoPZ7mKAFnSgSrnS2qqc1Sx3Xyyr99gcnQMr0czN2zD8_U5tJt1zeggZzLfgY4Ijg94Lj7PSpSJUtorqXph3M8iWAVzxEmDj929dJuDmlEzYLelcS7oTddIV9QVaIy/s1600/922.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.billswan.ca/" target="_blank">Bill Swan</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m-8RcCXayNlIUbT_6QyXRuZu7zKkaNpsQyRoq8nxmyp4cVeiLhYJ01kI9OAZ3G02_3LTg44Bf22iH-hnNu6g2F25wL0UsBOeOGcJlRP_UE5J7YUWsanRMJKNsfZmc-9iNii6QSeL6YZ_/s1600/1395031468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m-8RcCXayNlIUbT_6QyXRuZu7zKkaNpsQyRoq8nxmyp4cVeiLhYJ01kI9OAZ3G02_3LTg44Bf22iH-hnNu6g2F25wL0UsBOeOGcJlRP_UE5J7YUWsanRMJKNsfZmc-9iNii6QSeL6YZ_/s200/1395031468.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.staceymatson.com/about-me.html" target="_blank">Stacey Matson</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptSglUInIf4QOJXUR4JYfCc3NDWnDVAoJ8-DyLkHDXiZl_gHx6tHzjBdYfNdR2IUa60sbHWAs-IYF_c_heGmer54T17DHHEZAuf4KY81J5-HyVpejYMJyHcGUKJOtQG-ilx9OOT8voJtY/s1600/authorgraphic_new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptSglUInIf4QOJXUR4JYfCc3NDWnDVAoJ8-DyLkHDXiZl_gHx6tHzjBdYfNdR2IUa60sbHWAs-IYF_c_heGmer54T17DHHEZAuf4KY81J5-HyVpejYMJyHcGUKJOtQG-ilx9OOT8voJtY/s200/authorgraphic_new.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scrimger.ca/home.htm" target="_blank">Richard Scrimger</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_YADAyQguI-54QMPZTrKlYHIx00tsQJTZrwo4r7gebDiXe3x3wRGeUP1Pxm_foHCRA0UUPgxDYqcLSiMalwczTNoFkD8n3xskk1AQUOwAlTF7qTG8uw61L13zz2dQUXVHbgqHtaMlGX4/s1600/Headshot-e1400690494414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_YADAyQguI-54QMPZTrKlYHIx00tsQJTZrwo4r7gebDiXe3x3wRGeUP1Pxm_foHCRA0UUPgxDYqcLSiMalwczTNoFkD8n3xskk1AQUOwAlTF7qTG8uw61L13zz2dQUXVHbgqHtaMlGX4/s200/Headshot-e1400690494414.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lesleylivingston.com/" target="_blank">Lesley Livingston</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGrvvUshiHye0OotLnw43WnLfs7Mf82Tt7dRmaflCrJpwTkXh9Xl30Mcec3X4zR9n9GpNsoeai2WB08xRNOzdpgB24joifiC_ayLhRYYQ1Lb1ccRq2gbyv3-H692j1aL-iVNdeQK0xmvI/s1600/joanne-levy-park-med-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGrvvUshiHye0OotLnw43WnLfs7Mf82Tt7dRmaflCrJpwTkXh9Xl30Mcec3X4zR9n9GpNsoeai2WB08xRNOzdpgB24joifiC_ayLhRYYQ1Lb1ccRq2gbyv3-H692j1aL-iVNdeQK0xmvI/s200/joanne-levy-park-med-res.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://joannelevy.com/" target="_blank">Joanne Levy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iZmttgfLZEuquRr7_GPoxxRPrLc3xYnCgXwqJ2sTnsLOSnop8Y2Y5goHm3M84h-MW5AAlndkODW2K9BkhRwPcsSuEs31MbRiUYtijeOwGPcrexXxzQZbz53D0KIzYxIuu1KtDwItawya/s1600/kalliegeorge05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iZmttgfLZEuquRr7_GPoxxRPrLc3xYnCgXwqJ2sTnsLOSnop8Y2Y5goHm3M84h-MW5AAlndkODW2K9BkhRwPcsSuEs31MbRiUYtijeOwGPcrexXxzQZbz53D0KIzYxIuu1KtDwItawya/s200/kalliegeorge05.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.leefodi.com/books.html" target="_blank">Lee Edward Fodi</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ronaarato.com/" target="_blank">Rona Arato</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJyj4KjYXZthjDI1M3nru_1XEuxYkOHC0QHxHZeK1iOaOumXGJeOJKXd53S-bBNXe0hC3sO_FGkHs_I6nqeo2ezj4SlE2DTnZccbWNXeGJgv_El-DMmoW_eZDKlPR-1RAyyRjELoWwyqW/s1600/mischa-bartkow-56.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJyj4KjYXZthjDI1M3nru_1XEuxYkOHC0QHxHZeK1iOaOumXGJeOJKXd53S-bBNXe0hC3sO_FGkHs_I6nqeo2ezj4SlE2DTnZccbWNXeGJgv_El-DMmoW_eZDKlPR-1RAyyRjELoWwyqW/s200/mischa-bartkow-56.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://vikkivansickle.wordpress.com/books/" target="_blank">Vikki VanSickle </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kevinsylvesterbooks.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Sylvester</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0T_wXNo_FhgFEvphodChaPU9uNcilRbM2PdtBg_s6ye9PPx0W2oC4-xtvZnOjZ1mtF1rhmS90ykB42a7ZqNQeXoBkhZU7o1SlDz2bZlwP2Y5mAMT1-OpbpGx0lWW0nwFZM_6qCPMdfBuI/s1600/2109663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0T_wXNo_FhgFEvphodChaPU9uNcilRbM2PdtBg_s6ye9PPx0W2oC4-xtvZnOjZ1mtF1rhmS90ykB42a7ZqNQeXoBkhZU7o1SlDz2bZlwP2Y5mAMT1-OpbpGx0lWW0nwFZM_6qCPMdfBuI/s1600/2109663.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jennifergold.ca/" target="_blank">Jennifer Gold </a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFuj-LCq-KT-GUOf6U8M_YLrBp-a4fa02TMpnBtTDanB1uDkwn6cmZVYK-GVgbgo9BywUjkUJKNxWOivbdNStVoAL4FBhr7jkM1h7CqxPl6mHJyXX9rGWHI6GyY8ZARbu78WUIzCZDA8I/s1600/Kyi1-e1270180865921-200x300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFuj-LCq-KT-GUOf6U8M_YLrBp-a4fa02TMpnBtTDanB1uDkwn6cmZVYK-GVgbgo9BywUjkUJKNxWOivbdNStVoAL4FBhr7jkM1h7CqxPl6mHJyXX9rGWHI6GyY8ZARbu78WUIzCZDA8I/s200/Kyi1-e1270180865921-200x300.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tanyalloydkyi.com/?page_id=1906" target="_blank">Tanya Lloyd Kyi</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbg2mXXwMKNzkaRuuyNdIC_vy_d_Iya_xecAbvLBuJCUtWvpXpXPkpGfVU8AzVhHIUTRpC9gORG5mZRXbUobIiP9tPSdn_oS2VD6jouC5gMLA4WMFI9fYr8Xkg7Tdwv9rvsHvhwUwLsy3/s1600/1407683275.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbg2mXXwMKNzkaRuuyNdIC_vy_d_Iya_xecAbvLBuJCUtWvpXpXPkpGfVU8AzVhHIUTRpC9gORG5mZRXbUobIiP9tPSdn_oS2VD6jouC5gMLA4WMFI9fYr8Xkg7Tdwv9rvsHvhwUwLsy3/s400/1407683275.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pdowding.com/" target="_blank">Philippa Dowding</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE2ut_1NrON1E5CkK16vxEsDQv5UGLRCGrPeGubMv2jNFDfqFIxr83lAnOkZMZwrmtFzOaw-ZQSRtLAtR562ic3nzzaERbnvCevRPdnaI9Scasdp6MQ164RUsW_0T_mU7YVcGbsTQckaL/s1600/Evan-on-Nuit-Blanche-2-300x224.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE2ut_1NrON1E5CkK16vxEsDQv5UGLRCGrPeGubMv2jNFDfqFIxr83lAnOkZMZwrmtFzOaw-ZQSRtLAtR562ic3nzzaERbnvCevRPdnaI9Scasdp6MQ164RUsW_0T_mU7YVcGbsTQckaL/s200/Evan-on-Nuit-Blanche-2-300x224.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.leefodi.com/books.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.idontlikemundays.com/" target="_blank">Evan Munday</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suzannesutherland.com/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.jennifermaruno.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Maruno</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa5wXT4cEtdTtkKXryKoQdAhkrURysWW46AvpUinHrI9wuEtuYW4bRbWd_2tFUw5-sk4-PsHfpa9gRNX6BlAh2A3V_tIMSn1i_q9HakU9ESoyISJeymdR49W7mG3_e7Z506HOG7lTs5-D/s1600/Anne1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa5wXT4cEtdTtkKXryKoQdAhkrURysWW46AvpUinHrI9wuEtuYW4bRbWd_2tFUw5-sk4-PsHfpa9gRNX6BlAh2A3V_tIMSn1i_q9HakU9ESoyISJeymdR49W7mG3_e7Z506HOG7lTs5-D/s200/Anne1.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.annedublin.ca/" target="_blank">Anne Dublin</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-41239563691340722962015-09-03T09:39:00.000+10:002015-10-13T20:09:55.740+11:00Letter from South Africa: A Parent's Joyful Discovery<i>Today's post is a letter from Jo-Ann, a South African mother of a Lit Quiz Kid to </i><i><i><a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/2015-in-review-by-wayne-mills.html" target="_blank">Wayne Mills</a>, the founder and quiz-master of the Kids' Lit Quiz. </i></i><br />
<br />
<i>Jo-Ann's first experience of the Kids' Lit Quiz </i><i><i>captures the joyful discovery</i></i><i><i> </i></i><i><i><i><i>that many parents have had revealed to them</i></i><i><i><i><i> </i></i></i></i>through the Kids' Lit Quiz; </i></i><i>the unexpected pleasure that comes with understanding what makes a Kids' Lit Quiz reader. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Our thanks to Jo-Ann for her permission to to publish her letter here. I've edited it slightly to protect the privacy of Jo-Ann and her daughter. </i><br />
<br />
<i>To read more about the 2015 South African KLQ competition, see Marj Brown's report</i><i> at the end of Jo-Ann's letter. You can also read an Australian educator's perspective on the benefits of the Kids' Lit Quiz, in Janine Hudson's piece, Hooked on Reading, in this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-australia-2014-canberra-grammar.html" target="_blank">post</a>. </i><i>Finally, there's more "fan mail" from young readers who have enjoyed the Quiz as well as from authors, educators and other amazed parents at this <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/about/testimonials" target="_blank">link</a>. </i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>But, first, here's Jo-Ann's letter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2g0kkvUDinBbaFnbntmqUtf9ESjXV5-gMcDgIGKmSFDII8NlaOPxMPaCp95kF2jChKDzScIU0ntGmUniI7jpAhvlSg5I4hL6CeSwkDTkB8YVkvBr2pwR-rF5z0qLERGIwxUL7zi_MyCoB/s1600/531333_416051278436470_538533267_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2g0kkvUDinBbaFnbntmqUtf9ESjXV5-gMcDgIGKmSFDII8NlaOPxMPaCp95kF2jChKDzScIU0ntGmUniI7jpAhvlSg5I4hL6CeSwkDTkB8YVkvBr2pwR-rF5z0qLERGIwxUL7zi_MyCoB/s400/531333_416051278436470_538533267_n.jpg" width="375" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2g0kkvUDinBbaFnbntmqUtf9ESjXV5-gMcDgIGKmSFDII8NlaOPxMPaCp95kF2jChKDzScIU0ntGmUniI7jpAhvlSg5I4hL6CeSwkDTkB8YVkvBr2pwR-rF5z0qLERGIwxUL7zi_MyCoB/s1600/531333_416051278436470_538533267_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
South Africa, 22 July 2015<br />
<br />
Dear Prof Mills,<br />
<br />
I know that you have many good books to read and questions to compose but I hope that you will have some time for this lengthy letter of thanks. I have delayed sending it so that it won’t seem like the manic mutterings of a recent Kids' Lit Quiz convert. However, even after a respectable wait following the South African final, I find that I am still completely enthused by our experience.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 South African national team</td></tr>
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<br />
We had absolutely no idea what to expect from the Kids' Lit Quiz. As a mom, and on behalf of J, my daughter, I can’t thank you enough for what an incredible experience it was. We were so surprised to see you, the real-life Kids' Lit Quiz quiz-master, in South Africa and were extremely honoured that you travelled all the way down to our region to reward and inspire our children.<br />
<br />
I just wanted to write a little about what it’s like to have a child that is a reader. Compulsive reading is a condition that you are well acquainted with, but, even though I have shared my daughter with her books for 12 years, I saw her in a new light, thanks to the Kids' Lit Quiz.<br />
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I was completely astounded to see my little girl (she is tiny in stature) in action at our regional heat. Of course I know she reads a lot, and I am extremely grateful for it, but I have never exactly been proud of it. Whilst watching and listening to her at the quiz heat I felt unexpectedly proud and, more importantly, extremely happy for her. I felt so happy to see that, at such a young age, she has discovered and developed her passion in life.<br />
<br />
I know that J has much knowledge thanks to all her reading. Amongst the first books she read were collections by the cartoonist <a href="http://www.zapiro.com/" target="_blank">Zapiro</a> so she has a particular love for the interplay of written words, illustrations and layers of meaning. She also has a curious grasp, for someone so young, of the often incomprehensible social and political issues in South Africa. However, before seeing her in action at the Kids' Lit Quiz, I had no real idea of the volume and diversity of her reading and of how she has retained and assimilated so much of what she has read. I had no idea of her ability to make associations amongst the memories of the read and re-read books and to pluck these memories from her mind. It was an absolute joy to discover this.<br />
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J is, of course, one of those kids who gets into trouble for reading – at the dinner table, during class, while grocery shopping, walking through parking lots, etc. Before the Kids' Lit Quiz she also used to get into trouble with me for reading “junk”. I guess, because I have less time and lack the reading compulsion she has, I am a fussy reader. I like to read “good” writing and I can’t stand the ancient Richie Rich and similar comics that she finds in drawers in her grandparents’ home, left there by a generation that did not know TV or anything digital. I can’t understand how J can move from a classic to a tattered comic as if they are all equally deserving of her attention. Well, the Quiz proved just how shallow my approach is and how elegant her depth and breadth of reading is. It seems she was right all along (never too soon for a mother to acknowledge that).<br />
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I wanted to share a moment from J’s reading past that I think you will appreciate and which will, hopefully, amuse you. It happened when J was about 10 years old. Buying books is a costly business, especially in South Africa. I always feel so guilty when I buy books – knowing that for so many people in this country the price of a few good books is the same as a family’s monthly food budget. Buying books for children is a little easier on my conscience and, as we have four children, I am able to justify buying books for J (the eldest, so the books will get passed down) more freely.<br />
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One Friday afternoon, J and I left the bookshop with three books for her and one for me. The long drive home was the scene for yet another lecture from Mom to J on how lucky she was to have parents who can afford books and who are prepared to buy them. I barely saw her on the Saturday and, on the Sunday morning, I found her lying in her bed gazing at the ceiling.<br />
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“How are you doing?” I ask, expecting some words of gratitude for the book deluge; instead she replies, “I’m bored.”<br />
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“How can you be bored? You have three new books to read!”<br />
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“I’ve finished them,” she says in a tone that states the obvious, given that I have clearly missed it.<br />
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“What?!” I am annoyed and rather envious that she has had time to read three books when I haven’t even started mine. “How can you have read three books when you only got them on Friday afternoon?”<br />
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“I’ve finished them all,” she says again, very calmly.<br />
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I am more than annoyed. In fact, I am ready to launch into another rant about how precious and expensive books are, how they need to be cherished and that there is no sense in racing through them. So I ask a silly question. The kind only an angry parent who is poised to lose the battle asks.<br />
<br />
“J, do you actually read all the words?”<br />
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“No,” she says, still totally calm. I had anticipated a standard pre-teen retort, “Of course, Mom.” Yet she, shamelessly, says “No”.<br />
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I am about to explode. I draw in a deep breath in order to proceed with my lecture (tantrum, if I am truthful.) J, the more mature of the two of us, no doubt thanks to her reading, states evenly,<br />
<br />
“Mom, I don’t read all the words. I purposely miss some of them out. You see that way, when I read the book again, there are a few surprises for me. Sometimes, when it’s a really good book, I leave out whole pages.”<br />
<br />
That was the moment I realised that I, who can merely read, was standing in the presence of A Reader, someone who, whilst reading a book is already anticipating reading it again and is squirreling away words to make the re-read even more enjoyable. It was the first time her reading completely amazed and humbled me; the second time was at the Kids' Lit Quiz heat where, as I’ve mentioned, her ability to recall details of her diverse reading completely floored me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 South African National Final at Rodean School, Johannesburg</td></tr>
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The South African final at Rodean School was fantastic and being part of it was an incredible experience for our school's team and for their parents. To see our kids, whose only preparation for the event was their years of reading, affirming their love of words was quite special. It was also a privilege to be in the company of a roomful of people who shared that passion.<br />
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A very sincere thank you to you and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/south-africa-2013-by-marj-brown.html" target="_blank">Marj Brown</a>. I am so grateful for the inspiration and affirmation that the Kids' Lit Quiz has given to my child and to children all over the world.<br />
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Kind regards, many thanks and much respect,<br />
<br />
J's Mom<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Report of the 2015 SA Kids' Lit Quiz </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">by Marj Brown</span></h2>
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Now in its twelfth year in South Africa, the Kids' Lit Quiz was held during February 2015 – this year involving over 100 schools and 177 teams.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright, Chris Riddell, SA Children's Laureate, 2015 (from KLQ SA Facebook page.)</td></tr>
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<h2>
Background</h2>
<br />
In 2004, the Kids' Lit Quiz was brought to SA after I had seen it in action the year before in Yorkshire, UK – where I was teaching at the time.<br />
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Looking back, it is remarkable to think that over the twelve years, it has spread to over 100 schools in SA, growing from 40 teams in its first year to 177 teams taking part this year throughout SA. Initially, the Quiz was held in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth following soon afterwards. Since then, two other regions – Pretoria and Knysna/George – have also joined.<br />
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In the KLQ World Finals – where the winners from each participating country compete against each other – SA has been the winner on two occasions, and has also twice taken second place. The global competition has increasing year to year as new countries join the quiz. The international finals now include: New Zealand, China, Singapore, UK (with a play off of the best teams from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), Australia, Canada and the USA.<br />
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<h2>
Benefits of the Kids' Lit Quiz</h2>
<br />
The Quiz incorporates questions on classics, comics, contemporary novels, graphic novels, general book knowledge, films that are based on children’s books and even magazines. Picture books and fairy tales are as important in this quiz as classics and mythology.<br />
<br />
Kids' Lit Quiz participants have to identify characters, opening lines, authors and archetypes. One theme is often visual, or auditory. The range of questions in the Quiz widens the students' scope of reading, both vertically and horizontally so increasing their empathy, intellectual ability and enabling them to travel to different worlds without physically leaving their reading spot. These children certainly read authors from many different cultures and thus have insight way beyond their years. They also see adult readers around them and this provides an important message about the pursuit of reading for leisure and information.<br />
<br />
Past SA winners have testified that their status in the school improved after winning an international trip because of their love of reading: suddenly the school library also increased in popularity. As Wayne asks the questions, teachers and parents are seen writing down titles that they have not heard of, in order to purchase these, so the Quiz spreads the knowledge of books and assists book sellers and publishers as well. Library stocks have increased as a result of the Quiz – as children push their boundaries, reading beyond their few favorite authors or genres.<br />
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This year, feedback from one coach was that an autistic, ADHD boy on her team was able to complete a Maths test for the first time – and teachers attributed it to the concentration that the Quiz has brought to this boy's life as he reads intently. Certainly the increased vocabulary through reading and the comprehension required for the Quiz enhances these skills and benefits performance in other subjects. Some questions require immense higher order skills of understanding and critical thinking: For example Wayne might describe the history and theory behind nursery rhymes and from these clues, the children identify the rhymes.<br />
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<h2>
Our International Community</h2>
<br />
Wayne Mills, the quizmaster, is a past lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He introduced the quiz 24 years ago, to NZ and then the UK, and then beyond. At present, there are over 1,000 teams on five continents. <br />
<br />
In New Zealand, Wayne was awarded the prestigious Margaret Mahy medal in 2008 in recognition of his services to children’s literature and, in January 2011, was awarded the New Zealand Order of merit by HM Queen Elizabeth. This is a tangible mark of respect from New Zealand for a man who encourages and rewards NZ reading citizens and those abroad. One wonders if an order of the Baobab would ever be awarded to a person for encouraging reading in SA?<br />
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Through the Quiz, good readers are recognized for their reading ability in the same way as prowess in mathematics and sport is rewarded.<br />
<br />
One Canadian school required all children who wanted to be chosen for the KLQ team, to sign a contract that they would read widely over a 10 week period (mythology one week, poetry the next, classics the next and so on.) All entrants were issued with KLQ badges and certificates, displaying a huge level of pride in their reading initiatives and goals. Some schools have started KLQ book clubs while the University of Auckland is currently considering awarding scholarship prizes to the members of the winning NZ team each year.<br />
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For all participants, the chance to travel the world and meet authors and like-minded peers at a world final is enormously attractive. This, plus their reading, helps them to engage with and understand other cultures, as global citizens.<br />
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<h2>
2015 SA regional heats </h2>
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There are a group of regional coordinators in SA who help run the quiz regionally; they set up the venues, register the teams, and host the quizmaster. These women make the quiz possible through their enthusiasm for reading and keeping the spirit of volunteerism alive in SA – making a difference to literacy and striving for literary excellence. The scores and number of teams entering in each region steadily increase each year, thanks to their hard work.<br />
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CAPE TOWN: Grove School– Bev Petit: Contact bpettit@thegrove.co.za.<br />
KNYSNA: Oakhill School. Julie Stevenson. Contact J.Stevenson@Oakhillschool.co.za.<br />
PE: St Georges Prep. Contact: Rosemarie Roth: proth@iafrica.com.<br />
PMB: Athlone School. Contact: Linda Brand lbrand@futurenet.co.za.<br />
DURBAN: Durban Girls College. Contact: Bev Campbell: bcampbel@dgc.co.za.<br />
PRETORIA: Springvale Primary. Contact: Cheryl Gibbs - cheryl.gibbs@springvale.co.za.<br />
JHB and SA FINALS – Roedean School. SA Coordinator Marj Brown - m.brown@cobwebinfo.co.za – assisted by Nicky Sulter of St John’s Prep, sulter@stjohnscollege.co.za.<br />
<br />
2015 Regional and National Results: <br />
<br />
Cape Town: Sweet Valley, St Georges Prep<br />
Knysna: Holy Cross, Holy Cross<br />
PE: Clarendon Prep, St Georges Prep<br />
PMB: Cowan House, Pelham Senior Primary<br />
Durban: Manor Gardens, Manor Gardens<br />
Jhb: St John’s Prep, Redhill<br />
National Finals: 1. Manor Gardens 2. Holy Cross, 3. Sweet Valley<br />
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2015 National Team: Manor Gardens Primary School<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 South African National Team</td></tr>
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As the SA KLZ winners, Durban school Manor Gardens will represent SA in Connecticut, USA at the KLQ World Finals; these will be held on 8 July 2015 at the Central Connecticut State University.<br />
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This is not Manor Gardens’ first appearance at the World Finals; their 2011 team won the world final by the largest margin ever. At a time when SA has very poor literacy levels, we celebrated the enormity of this victory in the “sport of reading”.<br />
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Being crowned the winning SA school for 2015 is a testament to the children, their parents as people who encourage reading in the home, and the librarian, Isobel Sobey, who inspires the children to read and keeps a steady flow of good literature in the well-stocked Manor Gardens library.<br />
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The school, too, has to be applauded for prioritizing this essential tool of education. Past pupil and Manor Gardens SA representative in 2011 for the SA KLQ, Alex Breckenridge, also speaks of the immense importance of reading for pure pleasure, for escapism, in this pressurized world.<br />
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<h2>
Phendulani</h2>
Upon my return to South Africa in 2004, I identified a need for
literacy support in under-resourced South African schools which could
not be addressed by the Kids' Lit Quiz, an international literary
competition based on the last 200 years of world literature, which
requires contestants to have access to a well-stocked school library.<br />
<br />
Only
7% of South African schools have functioning libraries so Phendulani,
founded in 2008, spreads the fun of the Kids' Lit Quiz to
under-resourced South African schools.<br />
<br />
As with the KLQ,
Phendulani provides an incentive for kids to read for fun and to earn
book prizes in the process. Similarly, authors hand out the prizes and
speak about their work, so that these kids can also have the
opportunities of being inspired to write. Many of the authors
themselves come from humble backgrounds. Phendulani aims to:<br />
<ul>
<li>provide an incentive for children to read the books</li>
<li>promote literacy in SA schools</li>
<li>provide opportunities for children to meet authors</li>
<li>promote reading with understanding</li>
<li>ensure that books are circulated in a school, and not locked up as a
valuable resource, where they could remain hidden from children.</li>
</ul>
It is exciting to see the difference Phendulani has made, since 2008, to both to the participating schools and students and in the wider picture of South African education.<br />
<br />
In Johannesburg, many of the participating schools have been identified as schools at risk and Mr Potledi Ngoepe from the Department of Basic Education has attended the Jo'burg heat to witness the quiz first hand and see how the department can build a quiz into their broader literacy work.<br />
<br />
For participating schools, the quiz is an eye opener to how one can read and enjoy literature and be rewarded for this activity – schools from as far afield as Alexandra, Diepsloot, Nootgedacht, Lawley near Orange Farm, Daveyton and Soweto attended and will be back, determined to win next year.<br />
<br />
The teachers work with the children to ensure the teams know the books and it is encouraging to see levels of literacy rise in these schools. Most importantly it is good to see the children enjoying reading – something that will enhance their progress in all subjects besides their level of critical thinking, imagination, knowledge, and emotional happiness.<br />
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<h2>
Times Media</h2>
<br />
Times Media, sponsors of the SA Kids Lit Quiz, must be commended on supporting this quiz and making it possible. They also support the Phendulani literacy quiz, supplying books and prizes for a quiz for schools without well-stocked libraries. Support for reading at both ends of the literacy spectrum places the people at the Times Media Group in a position where they can hold their heads high in terms of assisting education and literacy in this country.<br />
<br />
<b>Marj Brown</b><br />
<b>SA Coordinator, KLQ SA and Phendulani</b><br />
<b>February 2015</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>In February 2015, Wayne Mills donated 2000 books (that's a LOT of books!) from his personal library to two under-resourced South African school libraries identified through the Phendulani Quiz. The donation was coordinated by SA Kids' Lit Quiz national coordinator, Marj Brown, through Breadline Africa, a South-African based charity, and in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory. You can read more <a href="http://breadlineafrica.org/literacy-quiz-international-kid-lit-quiz-founder-donates-2-000-books/" target="_blank">here</a>. </i><br />
<br />
<i><i>Notwithstanding Wayne's generous book donation, there remains a critical need for children's books in many South African schools. New or gently used books can be sent to Marj Brown at 14 O’Brien Ave, Northcliff, Johannesburg SA, 2195 for distribution to schools and children in need.</i> </i> <br />
<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-5531101811533681772015-08-19T14:27:00.000+10:002015-08-22T14:02:05.102+10:002015 in review by Wayne Mills<i>In July, following the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz world final in Connecticut, I asked Wayne Mills how he felt the year, and particularly, the World Final had gone. Here's Wayne's response which I've (finally!) edited to add links, photos and other information to complement Wayne's overview of the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz World Final.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quizmaster Wayne Mills at the International Dinner following the Kids' Lit Quiz world final, 8 July 2015.</td></tr>
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<br />
Hi Linda,<br />
<br />
Sorry, I've been hiding away, holidaying in Pong Dang in the north of Thailand so I've been very quiet with my correspondence. It's been very hot but each afternoon is quenched or drenched with spectacular electrical storms which leave plenty of time for reading (of course!) but also for contemplating the year just passed and for planning next year's program.<br />
<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>
The World Final </h2>
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It is not so long ago that the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz competition concluded with the World Final in the Welte Auditorium at the Central Connecticut State University in the USA. New Zealand won the final by a clear nine points but the next six places could have gone to any team as only six points separated the rest of the field.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliN2Jnc0EdGJbPZ9_owmxo4XQpcVJPjuPwOI3ZmXIYdG-C1sja9VYRxBMauGqclSFTx169WQj4StfKPAxIz-Qsjz645sJ8f1Zb_JDCicWr9x5XFKavOeknEnLlh1aZ6oeevbATe2G3RYv/s1600/900x506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliN2Jnc0EdGJbPZ9_owmxo4XQpcVJPjuPwOI3ZmXIYdG-C1sja9VYRxBMauGqclSFTx169WQj4StfKPAxIz-Qsjz645sJ8f1Zb_JDCicWr9x5XFKavOeknEnLlh1aZ6oeevbATe2G3RYv/s400/900x506.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Suzanne Carlson, <a href="http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-kids-lit-quiz-world-final-0710-20150709-story.html" target="_blank">Hartford Courant</a>, 9 July 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The final scores were:<br />
<br />
NZ - 37<br />
SA - 28<br />
US - 27<br />
Sng - 25<br />
Can - 24<br />
Aus - 23 <br />
UK - 22<br />
<br />
<br />
Well done all! Congratulations to <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/70092019/southwell-school-pupils-win-world-kids-lit-quiz-competition" target="_blank">Southwell School</a>, the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz champions, and to all the national teams, whose performances were a credit to their families, schools and countries. You can find out more about the 2015 national teams in this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/lit-quiz-kids-in-news.html" target="_blank">post</a> and this terrific newspaper <a href="http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-kids-lit-quiz-world-final-0710-20150709-story.html" target="_blank">article</a> (which includes the above photo that captures some of the fun and excitement of a world final.)<br />
<br />
I am indebted to Dr Catherine Kurkjian and her committee for hosting us in Connecticut and bringing to a culmination a marvellous year of reading and literary friendships. The Committee did a brilliant job with the accommodation, catering and the week-long programme of events.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIxm36yWi18sRwMZAtX9VjqKxE4jpV_yJC5to9v58RodLCoRWjwI75Jo0FftnM3t61HfS5QLnfPsBw-ROUupfo5mZ_2N-2_wMGyXqa1AJR5l3x4xuBZyjPjPXRSCDTscrpdqMdCiQeFHV/s1600/11695010_10153404834158604_42753284123604886_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIxm36yWi18sRwMZAtX9VjqKxE4jpV_yJC5to9v58RodLCoRWjwI75Jo0FftnM3t61HfS5QLnfPsBw-ROUupfo5mZ_2N-2_wMGyXqa1AJR5l3x4xuBZyjPjPXRSCDTscrpdqMdCiQeFHV/s400/11695010_10153404834158604_42753284123604886_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wayne Mills and Brian Selznick at the museum in New York City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For me, the highlight (apart from the World Final itself, of course) was the visit to the American Museum of Natural History where a meeting with author <a href="http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_brian_bio.htm" target="_blank">Brian Selznick</a> had been arranged. Nancy Davidson, our Canadian national coordinator, has said that the visit to Mark Twain's house was her favourite part of a week filled with interesting activities and events which also gave the international coordinators from the USA, Australia, NZ, Singapore, and Canada the opportunity to discuss ideas and to swap reading incentives. <br />
<br />
The complete World Final program can be found <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/kidsliteraturecompetition/" target="_blank">here</a> and there are lots more photos on the Kids' Lit Quiz Facebook pages and on some of the teams' Facebook pages too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYM_QSMW_-puG6A_6ujnUqN3jyYU-CZAJixYsaHwOy4gLKtTGYrwVu5bmTg3Kssq6U6efsoQEefed3HOFATCrHuEzx8nMAMZZg3hfJfMEq-jdKEI4D0htbKque9SypA7BjycVwobLayA1/s1600/11737842_10153403863758604_8942693707734963103_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYM_QSMW_-puG6A_6ujnUqN3jyYU-CZAJixYsaHwOy4gLKtTGYrwVu5bmTg3Kssq6U6efsoQEefed3HOFATCrHuEzx8nMAMZZg3hfJfMEq-jdKEI4D0htbKque9SypA7BjycVwobLayA1/s400/11737842_10153403863758604_8942693707734963103_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading is Power! Wayne and Pa at the International Dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The International Dinner, hosted by <a href="http://www.booksbyomalley.com/" target="_blank">Kevin O'Malley</a> and <a href="http://rosemarywells.com/" target="_blank">Rosemary Wells</a>, followed the World Final. It was, quite literally, a super event and a terrific way to end a very successful year of the Kids' Lit Quiz. The 'Super Heroes' theme highlighted the heroic literary performances of all the teams at the world final and the hall was decorated in the style of comic book superheroes.<br />
<br />
As always, one of the highlights of the International Dinner was hearing students, one from each of the national teams, talk about their all-time, most loved books. The selected books were, as follows:<br />
<br />
<i>The Hobbit</i> by JRR Tolkien<br />
<i>A Monster Calls</i> by Patrick Ness<br />
<i>The Awesome MRT Diaries</i> by Adeline Foo<br />
<i>Maximum Ride</i> by James Patterson<br />
<i>Northern Lights</i> by Philip Pullman<br />
<i>Escape From Mr Lemoncello's Library</i> by Chris Grabenstein<br />
<i>The Search for Wondla</i> by Tony DiTerlizzi<br />
<br />
It was inspiring to listen to these talented young readers from all around the world share their passion for literature and introduce one another to the world-wide library of books; a reminder that the Kids' Lit Quiz not only encourages students to read, so increasing each individual's vocabulary and content knowledge, but also successfully connects whole communities of readers throughout the world through the international network we've built since 1991.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9fc3LSe-xvXNepXuYaRg9VNfn1LXZ1RqkOlyRjzY1YN7D7DKZ2H5MyHrNtHE1GFUOJuHEvUaKGLK3x1fP1UNOvleSh7JV5AiWZP3VquYwCCVaTWuHqaCZphkbJQjKiN2E4FSWXyATrIt/s1600/11709462_10153403863813604_8069890966104648219_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9fc3LSe-xvXNepXuYaRg9VNfn1LXZ1RqkOlyRjzY1YN7D7DKZ2H5MyHrNtHE1GFUOJuHEvUaKGLK3x1fP1UNOvleSh7JV5AiWZP3VquYwCCVaTWuHqaCZphkbJQjKiN2E4FSWXyATrIt/s400/11709462_10153403863813604_8069890966104648219_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Looking Ahead to 2016 </h2>
<br />
Perhaps it is the electricity in the air from the stormy weather but I am feeling energerised and looking forward to the 2016 Kids' Lit Quiz program. This will, as usual, start in the United Kingdom in November 2015 and culminate in Auckland, New Zealand in July 2016 with the World Final.<br />
<br />
The 2016 Kids' Lit Quiz World Final will coincide with the biennial <a href="http://www.ibbycongress2016.org/" target="_blank">IBBY Congress</a> (see the note below, "More on IBBY", for more information.) It will be one of the highlights of the Congress, to be held in the evening on Friday 19 August, in front of international participants attending the four day congress and showcasing the best young readers in the world.<br />
<br />
In 2015, the number of Kids' Lit Quiz regional heats across the world expanded and more growth is expected in 2016. We are now working on the timetables for the 2016 national programs and, as each is finalised, it will be posted on the Kids' Lit Quiz website, Facebook pages and other media. Schools interested in the 2016 program should contact the relevant national coordinator at first instance (depending on the country, the enquiry may be answered by a regional coordinator.) The contacts are:<br />
<br />
Australia: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/australia" target="_blank">Nicole Deans</a><br />
Canada: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/canada" target="_blank">Nancy Davidson</a><br />
New Zealand: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/new-zealand" target="_blank">Wayne Mills</a> <br />
Singapore: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/enter-a-team" target="_blank">Aisyah Nasir</a>, National Library of Singapore<br />
South Africa: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/south-africa" target="_blank">Marj Brown</a><br />
UK: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/united-kingdom" target="_blank">Jacky Atkinson</a><br />
USA: <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/national-competitions/usa" target="_blank">Cathy Kurkjian</a><br />
<br />
In 2016, the Kids' Lit Quiz competition is expected to further expand to include keen readers in other countries with the likely addition of India, Hong Kong or Ireland. Interest or enquiries in these countries should be directed to me, Wayne Mills - see contact details above - at this time.<br />
<br />
The much anticipated Kids' Lit Quiz app, which will allow users to gauge their reading skills by downloading questions that test whether the books have actually been read (I call these "organic questions"), was expected to be launched at the 2015 World Final. This has now been delayed until later this year - watch for details on the <a href="http://www.kidslitquiz.com/home" target="_blank">website</a>. We're also looking forward to a revamped website later this year.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, while the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz program ended positively all round, there's much to look forward to in 2016. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to a wonderful 2015 - I look forward to seeing you again next year.<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
<br />
Wayne Mills, MNZM Quizmaster<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
More about IBBY (from the 2016 IBBY Congress website)</h2>
<br />
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organisation representing an international network of countries and people, mostly volunteers, dedicated to bringing books and children together. It is the only international body working comprehensively for children’s books.<br />
<br />
IBBY’s mission is to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>promote the value of reading and books to the world’s children</li>
<li>promote international understanding through children’s books</li>
<li>encourage the publication and distribution of quality children’s books, especially in developing countries</li>
<li>stimulate research and scholarly works in the field of children’s literature</li>
<li>provide support and training for those involved with children and children’s literature</li>
<li>protect and uphold the rights of children according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as a non-governmental organisation with official status in UNESCO and UNICEF.</li>
</ul>
<br />
IBBY International Congresses attract at least 450 delegates from 70+ member countries. (A full list of members can be found at www.ibby.org). Many of those attending are international leaders, influential in their fields.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOJlYE6YOH8hCCKGGY4inEWhfZ6ov6kwdV6P1OfBMrn3D9kEWBVbSFtbyG49c6MPv5WlWI1NjSJ8C1fjQLPHz9uYVOFY5IqhG2aoJoBu7-4HHFORPuxjiTipV6niolOK2g5UXKJEz_jEo/s1600/KLQ+logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOJlYE6YOH8hCCKGGY4inEWhfZ6ov6kwdV6P1OfBMrn3D9kEWBVbSFtbyG49c6MPv5WlWI1NjSJ8C1fjQLPHz9uYVOFY5IqhG2aoJoBu7-4HHFORPuxjiTipV6niolOK2g5UXKJEz_jEo/s400/KLQ+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-70804571260369356172015-06-29T13:29:00.000+10:002015-06-29T17:11:40.249+10:00Lit Quiz Kids in the NewsWith the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz world final just around the corner, on 8 July 2015, the national teams are on their way to Connecticut, USA.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBgml2sSWUF8A0Y-hHAgyhFqX1Kd_j58sShgkC4ek0LviDL6T3IeIEEl-qMWwrW9lbkW0CK8cNvc3_pu98cxSps0S68EIKXgW8G7jCJyFUv0Np6sC_rqUy40ej6rom0laHKLfGPOhDNdc/s1600/10995393_1191281414231501_7358642804543863150_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBgml2sSWUF8A0Y-hHAgyhFqX1Kd_j58sShgkC4ek0LviDL6T3IeIEEl-qMWwrW9lbkW0CK8cNvc3_pu98cxSps0S68EIKXgW8G7jCJyFUv0Np6sC_rqUy40ej6rom0laHKLfGPOhDNdc/s400/10995393_1191281414231501_7358642804543863150_n.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What a wonderful adventure they have in store, a timely reminder of the many opportunities that reading brings. As readers, we always get to travel in our imaginations - even while we have to stay put - but for the kids in the world final teams, their love of reading has also provided this real-life travel opportunity (although, admittedly, the US team doesn't have far to travel this year!)<br />
<br />
Here's a wish to all the teams, from Dr Seuss' <i>Oh! the Places You'll Go</i>: <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Congratulations!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Today is your day.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You're off to Great Places!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You're off and away! </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
After the jump there's an update on who's who at the 2015 world final with links to the news that Lit Quiz kids have been making all around the world:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Australia</h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HH9aaBhzvjwHR5cZItR3ugfLtcANupiM7QJuab0oC8VCz7R9b9DuIPz4lGZQlArTIxR1tENlOY7s3hi3gcUpHUQxn4OIPVkeSUgqMFgfqCXrgm1a9blvGRUUtKbzlWC4ll_VHD7GU7-U/s1600/DSC08330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HH9aaBhzvjwHR5cZItR3ugfLtcANupiM7QJuab0oC8VCz7R9b9DuIPz4lGZQlArTIxR1tENlOY7s3hi3gcUpHUQxn4OIPVkeSUgqMFgfqCXrgm1a9blvGRUUtKbzlWC4ll_VHD7GU7-U/s400/DSC08330.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange High School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Read how the Australian team, from Orange High School, won the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/orange-is-new-black.html" target="_blank">national title</a> at this link. There was an official farewell from the mayor of Orange you can read about <a href="http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/3166376/an-american-quiz-win-isnt-out-of-the-question-for-orange-high-whiz-kids/" target="_blank">here</a> and there's more about the 2015 Australian competition <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/kids-lit-quiz-australia-2015-in-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Canada</h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2M7jBIpoL9AFl2_4kxD1ucg4m0anlymJRmtN_nazjHWowxfnc-4hKPb48o63fu-TBIb8PY5z1cqJ_Z1NsZmG2deoDeeuiqJyCWcc5e1xTn-5ecJofjq1CZKu2AmC67oe7lfxbPLORXiG7/s1600/53451whiterockKidsLitQuiz-ng02061509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2M7jBIpoL9AFl2_4kxD1ucg4m0anlymJRmtN_nazjHWowxfnc-4hKPb48o63fu-TBIb8PY5z1cqJ_Z1NsZmG2deoDeeuiqJyCWcc5e1xTn-5ecJofjq1CZKu2AmC67oe7lfxbPLORXiG7/s400/53451whiterockKidsLitQuiz-ng02061509.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southridge School. Photo credit: Nick Greenizan. PeaceArch News, 6 February 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The 2015 Canadian national team is Southridge School in British Columbia, competing in the Kids' Lit Quiz for the first time. Here's a recent <a href="http://www.peacearchnews.com/community/309331121.html" target="_blank">news article</a> on the Canadian team.<br />
<br />
You can find more news on Kids' Lit Quiz Canada's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KidsLitQuizCanada?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page and can also check out the Kids' Lit Quiz Canada website <a href="http://kidslitquizcanada.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>. To learn how Southridge School came to part of the Kids' Lit Quiz family, please see this post by Canadian National Coordinator, Nancy Davidson on the 2014 <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-canada-2014-in-review.html" target="_blank">Canadian competition</a>. <br />
<br />
Here's a little unexpected scoop you won't read about anywhere else: one of the Southridge team's teachers is an old friend of mine from Hong Kong. He was the cartoonist at the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/frontpage/international" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a> for many years (many years ago).<br />
<br />
<h2>
New Zealand</h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_tNcSyY0Z8DsB8eXKr0Kr0rvToBA1dpKGT0aZnUfxrwYn1svHadsajAZTK3F-7iXOzthu879pM9LwUjFu-aBrwzcpqgKYaQLrqSWrNwY5vyPoaF3aJrXozagsSNFTQixpF42kLrlnkns/s1600/1434500842470.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_tNcSyY0Z8DsB8eXKr0Kr0rvToBA1dpKGT0aZnUfxrwYn1svHadsajAZTK3F-7iXOzthu879pM9LwUjFu-aBrwzcpqgKYaQLrqSWrNwY5vyPoaF3aJrXozagsSNFTQixpF42kLrlnkns/s400/1434500842470.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southwell School. Photo credit: Rebekah Parsons-King, Fairfax NZ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Southwell
School has a strong Kids' Lit Quiz connection, going right back
to the start of the Kids' Lit Quiz, in 1991. You can read more about
the school and Kids' Lit Quiz in this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/tena-koutou-katoa-new-zealand-update.html" target="_blank">guest post</a> by Gerri Judkins and Julie Huggins, the coaches of the 2015 New Zealand national team.<br />
<br />
You can read more about the Southwell School team's journey to the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz world final in this <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/69023816/southwell-set-to-take-on-the-world" target="_blank">article</a>. <br />
<br />
<h2>
Singapore</h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmSsQY4iNbkcLpqZGuZjRZKUhEJWN9EO2Cr5MPdzVekhSKELYrunMRSjpWXH8p9tqPzXd_uQn3HXdSouLF00q_rmdQ-0vIzqou2f21IOjLkniehgGkXlf7dYXjITtTq-wkjjzJzfQYU4W/s1600/11230903_913021592072767_3621897051400094239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmSsQY4iNbkcLpqZGuZjRZKUhEJWN9EO2Cr5MPdzVekhSKELYrunMRSjpWXH8p9tqPzXd_uQn3HXdSouLF00q_rmdQ-0vIzqou2f21IOjLkniehgGkXlf7dYXjITtTq-wkjjzJzfQYU4W/s400/11230903_913021592072767_3621897051400094239_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clementi Primary School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the second year in a row, Clementi Primary School will represent Singapore at the world final.<br />
<br />
There's not a lot of information on the 2015 team but you can read about the 2014 team <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-singapore-2014-clementi-primary.html" target="_blank">here</a> (and I see that at least one member of the 2014 team is back for more literary fun and games.) There's also information about how Singapore came to be part of the Kids' Lit Quiz family.<br />
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<h2>
South Africa</h2>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6WU2rz388SBVwgRK02DU-qibCXG4ti0FQcV7sV8tUtJuAuuD0coABReusF6JczWuWvTKgcMvzWZzHBlqBkO_60g62Alpk1IHqJPQqOa8heRX6b7YTC2OZ6S7MMAnv2utqYIsjmkIUNbu/s1600/10995786_873153966059530_8185258107702602724_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6WU2rz388SBVwgRK02DU-qibCXG4ti0FQcV7sV8tUtJuAuuD0coABReusF6JczWuWvTKgcMvzWZzHBlqBkO_60g62Alpk1IHqJPQqOa8heRX6b7YTC2OZ6S7MMAnv2utqYIsjmkIUNbu/s400/10995786_873153966059530_8185258107702602724_n.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manor Gardens School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Manor Gardens School in Durban has a strong Kids' Lit Quiz pedigree, with its 2011 team winning that year's world final in New Zealand.<br />
<br />
You can read about the South African competition in this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/south-african-news.html" target="_blank">post</a>, this <a href="http://www.thenewspaper.co.za/south-african-heats-of-kids-lit-quiz-begins/" target="_blank">article</a> and this profile on one of the team <a href="http://www.enca.com/south-africa/durban-bookworm-heads-america" target="_blank">members</a>.<br />
<br />
More recently, there was a last minute drama about whether the South African team would be able to attend the world final. Three team members faced administrative delays in the issue of certificates needed to travel to the world final. A High Court writ, filed to try to speed things up, seems to have worked and the team is now on its way. You can read more about this last minute hitch <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/kzn-whizz-kids-in-visa-row-1.1872529#.VZCm76YdtN1" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/birth-certificates-issued-after-court-order-1.1873837#.VZCooqYdtN0" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
One other item of related news: in February, Wayne Mills donated 2000 books (that's a LOT of books!) from his personal library to two under-resourced South African school libraries. The donation was coordinated by SA Kids' Lit Quiz national coordinator, Marj Brown, through Breadline Africa, a South-African based charity, and in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory. You can read more <a href="http://breadlineafrica.org/literacy-quiz-international-kid-lit-quiz-founder-donates-2-000-books/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<h2>
United Kingdom</h2>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-iPApMdaEWyVjKMcrBzpjdI0abo82jISbNh8ogG00Hz7of1U1c83tLcbfHhzIjo1-qiyrAANSaepejsY-WcWVAXHMFPTCAz3Dqx2DRsHp-1YSiKCi6pi1Sxe-4GqdryUqYX9EsRpfWUo/s1600/litcham-school-with-serco-bags.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-iPApMdaEWyVjKMcrBzpjdI0abo82jISbNh8ogG00Hz7of1U1c83tLcbfHhzIjo1-qiyrAANSaepejsY-WcWVAXHMFPTCAz3Dqx2DRsHp-1YSiKCi6pi1Sxe-4GqdryUqYX9EsRpfWUo/s1600/litcham-school-with-serco-bags.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Litcham School with author Anthony Horowitz and quizmaster Wayne Mills.<br />
Photo credit: KT Bruce Photography.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6WU2rz388SBVwgRK02DU-qibCXG4ti0FQcV7sV8tUtJuAuuD0coABReusF6JczWuWvTKgcMvzWZzHBlqBkO_60g62Alpk1IHqJPQqOa8heRX6b7YTC2OZ6S7MMAnv2utqYIsjmkIUNbu/s1600/10995786_873153966059530_8185258107702602724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Congratulations to Litcham School, the 2015 UK national team.<br />
<br />
Each year, the Kids' Lit Quiz calendar kicks off in the United Kingdom
in November. With 18 regional heats (and growing!) the UK competition is
the largest domestic competition in the Kids' Lit Quiz family. Heats
are held in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with over 400
schools competing throughout the UK. You can read more about the 2015 UK competition heats <a href="http://kidslitquiz.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> and find <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2014/06/tzar-retires-but-kids-lit-quiz-reign-continues.html#.U7TX0wPUxlo.facebook" target="_blank">Wayne Mills'</a> report on the 2015 UK national final <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/not-long-now-2015-kids-lit-quiz.html" target="_blank">here</a> (scroll down to the UK update.)<br />
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<h2>
United States</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jNch9IJ2od65OLPDpuciq8HC6h5-SwWYhkCcYlK1jS8Dz9CxvVhKPS5zaA1tLeSNqEITyKT87l-G-qyjE9nKaiZzUbOxK_bo9k5quZg1qmxnS2AmIwuBZysSvHlSwo4MpSB7BXl_VD6H/s1600/us-winners-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jNch9IJ2od65OLPDpuciq8HC6h5-SwWYhkCcYlK1jS8Dz9CxvVhKPS5zaA1tLeSNqEITyKT87l-G-qyjE9nKaiZzUbOxK_bo9k5quZg1qmxnS2AmIwuBZysSvHlSwo4MpSB7BXl_VD6H/s400/us-winners-2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sedgwick Middle School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the second year in a row, the US national team comes from Sedgwick Middle
School, Connecticut. I see one familiar face from last year's team which competed in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">Cornwall</a>. This year's team doesn't have to travel as far!<br />
<br />
The Kids' Lit Quiz is relatively new to the US, starting there in 2011
(it was introduced to Australia in 2012). Here's a report from the Middletown Press on the <a href="http://www.middletownpress.com/general-news/20150208/keigwin-book-lovers-place-third-in-lit-quiz" target="_blank">2015 US competition</a>, another <a href="http://news.hamlethub.com/norfolkcanaan/life/639-botelle-school-reading-for-a-trip-to-world-finals" target="_blank">report</a> on this year's competition, a link to the Kids' Lit Quiz US <a href="http://www.reading.ccsu.edu/klq/klqus.html" target="_blank">site</a> and Sedgwick Middle School's <a href="http://sedgwick.whps.org/uploaded/Schools/Middle_Schools/Sedgwick_Middle_School/Parents/Sedgwick_Scene_March_2015.pdf" target="_blank">newsletter</a> article on the 2015 national team.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Good Luck! </h2>
<br />
Good luck everyone - it looks like a fantastic program with highlights including a visit to Mark Twain's house and a writing workshop with <a href="http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_brian_bio.htm" target="_blank">Brian Selznick</a>, author of <i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i>, in New York City. You'll come away from the world final truly enriched, with lots of new friends from all around the world and lots of new books to read. Who could ask for more!<br />
<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-81325783380244943752015-03-26T10:22:00.000+11:002015-03-26T10:28:29.691+11:00Kids Lit Quiz Australia: 2015 in review<i>This has been an exciting year for the Kids' Lit Quiz around the world and the 2015 Australian Quiz was no exception, bringing the "sport of reading" to even more Australian schools. </i><i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>For all our friends in the international Kids' Lit Quiz community and everyone at Reading for Australia, </i><i><i>here's National Coordinator, Nicole Deans' review of this year's competition, </i>a true celebration of good books and great readers. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Thanks also to Queensland coordinator, Jenny Stubbs, for her photos and comments and to Wayne Mills, quizmaster and founder of the Kids' Lit Quiz (in New Zealand, 24 years ago) for his additional comments and observations. These have been added to Nicole's report, together with links to other related posts and resources.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwXZRLjhNIqXHXuCt-UMz_08W_3zgqIbmqA7N3csXnyaz3jqeZXPnY_9Rbe570F2LxgglaUMaRiJjBLRA1Z6VmiuIAnPphQ5g6q8xQqA2sDqmiP7mvMV0pokADk6KWI2J9cT7VXm71Fko/s1600/DSC08330.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwXZRLjhNIqXHXuCt-UMz_08W_3zgqIbmqA7N3csXnyaz3jqeZXPnY_9Rbe570F2LxgglaUMaRiJjBLRA1Z6VmiuIAnPphQ5g6q8xQqA2sDqmiP7mvMV0pokADk6KWI2J9cT7VXm71Fko/s1600/DSC08330.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 Australian team with Nicole Deans, Wayne Mills and their coach</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Congratulations to the team from <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/orange-is-new-black.html" target="_blank">Orange High School</a>, the 2015 national champions. Our first all-girl national team will now represent Australia at the world final in New Britain, Connecticut, USA in July.<br />
<br />
With its purpose of encouraging and celebrating literacy in children aged 10 to 13 years, Kids' Lit Quiz Australia is delighted with its growth in 2015. It has been enormously satisfying to see so many children enjoy the benefits of reading while discovering an international community of like-minded readers.<br />
<br />
From humble beginnings in 2012, with the one heat/final in Orange involving 13 teams and a handful of schools, Kids' Lit Quiz Australia has grown to 5 heats, 96 teams, 56 schools and 384 keen readers in 2015. As <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2014/06/tzar-retires-but-kids-lit-quiz-reign-continues.html#.U7TX0wPUxlo.facebook" target="_blank">Wayne Mills </a>says, "We were all delighted with the 39% increase in teams participating across the Australian competition of the Kids' Lit Quiz."<br />
<br />
The enthusiasm shown by both the teams and their teachers/coaches shows the value the Kids' Lit Quiz adds to literacy programs in schools. With its focus on reading widely for pleasure by giving kids an open choice of reading matter and the opportunity for teamwork, the Kids' Lit Quiz offers a unique and fun way for schools to build literacy in their communities.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/its-our-turn-australia.html" target="_blank">Thank you</a> to all our wonderful sponsors, donors, supporters, hosts, authors and school communities without whom none of this would have been possible. We hope the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia was an enjoyable experience for you too and that you all come back next year for more literary fun and games.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>
Queensland</h2>
<br />
We began in Queensland with the Ipswich heat, held at Ipswich Girls Grammar School for the third year. Eighteen teams took part and, although that appears to be less than last year, a second Queensland heat (at Bulimba State School in Brisbane) also had 18 teams, meaning that the overall number of teams in Queensland has grown. Wayne, who has conducted the Ipswich heat since it was first held in 2013, observed, "The separation into two heats was a practical and successful decision because the split enabled more teams to participate."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFy9tsDogqc3CdkSZq3POHbnVMieEvnnfC7S9AfCeqNSnxoMUSKM__6dGZPkh0nZdQI5IWcGSvYV1x1N7z0THd17l2n9KNVyXOqEhWA64MHLhjK6qFT_FUUZ3ed6mVN-CRkH4dZPq2Lk2/s1600/DSC08314.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFy9tsDogqc3CdkSZq3POHbnVMieEvnnfC7S9AfCeqNSnxoMUSKM__6dGZPkh0nZdQI5IWcGSvYV1x1N7z0THd17l2n9KNVyXOqEhWA64MHLhjK6qFT_FUUZ3ed6mVN-CRkH4dZPq2Lk2/s1600/DSC08314.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambrose Treacy College, winner of the Ipswich heat at the National Final</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBmeQ6sBNOM1qxDC1BXhjZGYq5VdwIyVHkxjXrB3L-U1aobfOw2SMBmTH7WiyGdo1VC2qqmTFNy6Y3Kz3RuUXA-7Yrv07r9QpYSvQaSUi-9gck4HcEkCpytaxn2KTwpUwsO1D7PK4FZDa/s1600/DSC08319.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBmeQ6sBNOM1qxDC1BXhjZGYq5VdwIyVHkxjXrB3L-U1aobfOw2SMBmTH7WiyGdo1VC2qqmTFNy6Y3Kz3RuUXA-7Yrv07r9QpYSvQaSUi-9gck4HcEkCpytaxn2KTwpUwsO1D7PK4FZDa/s1600/DSC08319.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anglican Church Grammar, winner of the Brisbane Heat, at the National Final</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Both heats were extremely successful and the standard was high. Schools enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate their readers and participating teams appreciated the wide appeal of the quiz questions which are not limited by specific book choices but, rather, facilitate <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page_9.html" target="_blank">reading for pleasure</a>.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to Queensland coordinator, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/working-with-books-by-jenny-stubbs.html" target="_blank">Jenny Stubbs</a>, for managing the Queensland heats. Jenny adds, <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"At each heat we had a team of authors competing for fun and a bookseller selling their books. This is always an added attraction for the teams and the authors always have a good time. They even suggested we should have two teams competing against each other to make it more competitive.<br />
<br />
Both author teams scored well, with the Ipswich team achieving a score of 91 points [out of a possible 100]. Authors at Ipswich were Angela Sunde, Chris Bongers, Richard Newsome and Samantha Wheeler and, at Bulimba, we had Alison and Nicholas Lochel, Sheryl Gwyther and Michael Gerard Bauer. "</blockquote>
(You can link through to these authors' websites from <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/its-our-turn-australia.html" target="_blank">here</a> - scroll to the end of the post.) <br />
<br />
Ambrose Treacy College, from a Brisbane western suburb, won the Ipswich heat while first time entrants, Anglican Church Grammar, won in Brisbane. Both teams traveled to Sydney for the National Final to represent Queensland.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWShx-vJ0lXwQrwiEcQz19q-voNYdKX4hHEgWiv6VuFrX0h64sNHn-o-ebER7_Kr5MC9q587QI2O27WdY8qPIh2rTiHfBpy-RglPcFhREpx4DvSZrnrciwvO0T5nAPnFxFzKdadeI49BB/s1600/DSC08310.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWShx-vJ0lXwQrwiEcQz19q-voNYdKX4hHEgWiv6VuFrX0h64sNHn-o-ebER7_Kr5MC9q587QI2O27WdY8qPIh2rTiHfBpy-RglPcFhREpx4DvSZrnrciwvO0T5nAPnFxFzKdadeI49BB/s1600/DSC08310.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queensland teams at the National Final</td></tr>
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<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Orange </h2>
<br />
The Orange heat had 23 teams which is the biggest heat in the four years the Kids' Lit Quiz has been running in Australia.<br />
<br />
It was wonderful to welcome back schools that have been part of the Quiz since we started in 2012 and see the wide reading interests that have been supported and developed in those schools over the years. It was also wonderful to introduce new schools to the Kids' Lit Quiz and see their keen readers' first experience of the fun and excitement of the "sport of reading".<br />
<br />
As Wayne says, "Those of us involved with the Quiz measure its success by the number of kids whose love of reading is enhanced and extended by their participation."<br />
<br />
Orange High School won the heat. Although it was the first time this school has taken part in the Quiz, the students had been through the local primary school which had great success previously in the Quiz, with their 2014 team placing third at last year's National Final. These students encouraged their high school to take part. The local primary school, Orange Public School came a close second and was also invited to the final, proving that younger teams can also achieve great results.<br />
<br />
The steady growth of the Orange heat is encouraging, especially as it is a regional area. Wayne noted that, "The literacy strength of the Orange heat was demonstrated by the fact that the two Orange teams took out the top places at the <a href="http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/2951407/quiz-masters-orange-students-boast-best-literacy-in-the-country/?cs=103" target="_blank">National Final</a>, showing how the Kids' Lit Quiz helps builds literacy within school communities."<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
ACT </h2>
The greatest growth in 2015 was the ACT Heat, which doubled from 2014 with 16 teams taking part this year. <br />
<br />
The later date for the heat certainly seemed to contribute to the number of teams who were able to take part. The buzz created by the large number of teams was exciting as was the close finish in the heat, with only two points between first and third place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtkv0O2x79DFkL8ILD4LmPRXcUj7J4SgKP_W_gw2wxwutmZeAArpqN4Gh8NO0PR5JBZdOWwVze__nkB-yHPhtrnqpFQx3kcpkL4VlNZ3w5mMNiR5Xu-lzGIv6xBBEM9iwmZoGorLgyV6T/s1600/DSC08315.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtkv0O2x79DFkL8ILD4LmPRXcUj7J4SgKP_W_gw2wxwutmZeAArpqN4Gh8NO0PR5JBZdOWwVze__nkB-yHPhtrnqpFQx3kcpkL4VlNZ3w5mMNiR5Xu-lzGIv6xBBEM9iwmZoGorLgyV6T/s1600/DSC08315.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACT Heat winners: Canberra Grammar School at the National Final</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Canberra Grammar School scraped into the final for the fourth consecutive year, having been <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-australia-2014-canberra-grammar.html" target="_blank">national champions</a> for the last three years, with their 2014 team finishing second at last year's <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">World Final</a>. An amazing accomplishment! <br />
<br />
There's a report on the 2015 ACT heat <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/more-progress-report-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>, with lots of photographs by William Hall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Sydney </h2>
Our final heat was held at Merrylands in western Sydney, at Cerdon College, for the first time. It was an excellent venue and very central for the visiting teams.<br />
<br />
Wayne says, "The presence of Oliver Phommavahn, author of <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780143304852/thai-riffic" target="_blank"><i>Thai-riffic </i></a>excited the kids and gave everyone a chance to interact with him." <br />
<br />
With 21 teams, this was our second largest heat in 2015. Many teams were taking part for the first time, including two teams who traveled all the way from Port Stevens, and the excitement was infectious. It proved to be a close heat, with new participant, Kambala School's two teams taking first and second places. Kamabala's B team finished just ahead of its A team and both qualified for the National Final.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-v6J6mQHnR6X2XwcE9YscLvJz0PBE1vUpmwJ1F4IGvgMsmnog3kqfm7Rix-XGYmzFDFRBbqehSeK50INY6K0Pq93rg1Nc8972y0Kagf7S0ubq-GZY1lJhX_vsxU0kIJgAuTVod8O2sNX/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-v6J6mQHnR6X2XwcE9YscLvJz0PBE1vUpmwJ1F4IGvgMsmnog3kqfm7Rix-XGYmzFDFRBbqehSeK50INY6K0Pq93rg1Nc8972y0Kagf7S0ubq-GZY1lJhX_vsxU0kIJgAuTVod8O2sNX/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney Heat winners: Kambala School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
2015 Australian Final</h2>
<br />
The <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/orange-is-new-black.html" target="_blank">National Final</a> was dynamic with seven excellent teams from three states and a wonderful venue at the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/introducing-monkey-baa-by-daria-oneill.html" target="_blank">Monkey Baa</a> Theatre Company's home at Darling Harbour. The theatre manager, Renee, couldn't have been more helpful and its location to popular eating places meant that teams could arrive early and relax. This was especially good for the two Queensland teams who flew to Sydney on the Saturday morning to compete and then flew home in the afternoon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRkfYQpkir7ql5zTQj60kh886wClTwBZCdNd9DIhhx2BrVElyVkyi71LM-qSlNSEz6xez-9NrPejF5XjYh1yFb3bqjTJOLW9o4QKyo0I9gzBdyOltgrCnHQSqWjc2i02cc2JVn826kVuj/s1600/DSC08312.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRkfYQpkir7ql5zTQj60kh886wClTwBZCdNd9DIhhx2BrVElyVkyi71LM-qSlNSEz6xez-9NrPejF5XjYh1yFb3bqjTJOLW9o4QKyo0I9gzBdyOltgrCnHQSqWjc2i02cc2JVn826kVuj/s1600/DSC08312.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The challenging questions and the use of the buzzers added to both the tension and excitement of the competition. Popular children's author, <a href="http://www.deborahabela.com/site/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Deborah Abela</a>, acted as adjudicator for the final and Wayne delivered his complex and interesting questions that required the teams to really listen to the questions and time their responses; too early and they might lose a point, too late and another team might jump in and give the correct answer first. (This <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-2014-australian-final.html" target="_blank">report</a> on the 2014 national final details the way the Kids' Lit Quiz competition works.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhki-kzSroMaAgNQoP2hWX6bKgR714U1FVDT0GTPM-vkOkKJhe8NO9evfKJDMSiW-e-M9PmVI4sS31mKnxfBcAuHdDmR20AQdZ_OYCBB6_TfHqM6XrpiefY8YMJmgq97ADzqVWFFQmFGJT7/s1600/DSC08318.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhki-kzSroMaAgNQoP2hWX6bKgR714U1FVDT0GTPM-vkOkKJhe8NO9evfKJDMSiW-e-M9PmVI4sS31mKnxfBcAuHdDmR20AQdZ_OYCBB6_TfHqM6XrpiefY8YMJmgq97ADzqVWFFQmFGJT7/s1600/DSC08318.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Jenny adds, "The change from written answers at the heats to using a buzzer system for the finals was a little daunting for some teams who had not experienced it before. Some members of the other teams had taken part in the national final last year and were more familiar with the system. I could hear the audience around me expressing amazement at the speed and accuracy of the competing teams."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLbnrWAyOsTXvFlqH4drAQj8NjXdKZk0RTFI6evFGZCaB8eBx3sS-AFkS6IbPkTbzbPx91_odlXsxEMUzmtxMHqjngGhUO7oAcn7M51xpVeOBp8T1SHvP6FObA5xIKovHV6vrtz1a5ZcE/s1600/DSC08323.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLbnrWAyOsTXvFlqH4drAQj8NjXdKZk0RTFI6evFGZCaB8eBx3sS-AFkS6IbPkTbzbPx91_odlXsxEMUzmtxMHqjngGhUO7oAcn7M51xpVeOBp8T1SHvP6FObA5xIKovHV6vrtz1a5ZcE/s1600/DSC08323.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third Place: Kambala School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWYGsSu6wrhrofSIzGGj_uZGnKLPa6odEuGsuC53C_fkIBEVK3QBAr0zavYg3PYrXDWn9xEJHqrQu6x4I6uM_1N3LJBU2lDfmByUKSMQUzBW_spRxYSkthsuPCwHneQ9s2p9rGeGD44GZ/s1600/DSC08324.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWYGsSu6wrhrofSIzGGj_uZGnKLPa6odEuGsuC53C_fkIBEVK3QBAr0zavYg3PYrXDWn9xEJHqrQu6x4I6uM_1N3LJBU2lDfmByUKSMQUzBW_spRxYSkthsuPCwHneQ9s2p9rGeGD44GZ/s1600/DSC08324.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Place: Orange Public School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Place: Orange High School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Looking Ahead </h2>
<br />
Overall, 2015 has been an exciting and successful year with consolidation as well as growth; most of the 2014 schools returned and lots of new teams joined the competition.<br />
<br />
This year, the Australian Quiz ran from 5 to 14 March, having previously been held in early February. The later dates meant that we had more time to organise and also allowed schools time to settle into the new academic year. It worked well and we expect that moving the Australian competition to March will suit even more schools in 2016.<br />
<br />
Next year will be a year of consolidation with the same number of heats while we grow the competition by increasing the number of teams at each heat. We're aiming to have over 100 teams participating in the 2016 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia.<br />
<br />
Wayne was also extremely pleased with the way the Kids' Lit Quiz is developing in Australia, in step with its expansion in other countries. Wayne notes: <br />
<ul>
<li>Good readers are GOOD readers anywhere in the world but often children do not know that they are part of an international network of readers around the world. Most are delighted when they find this community; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>This year over 1000 schools throughout the world have participated in the Kids' Lit Quiz (with more to come in New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong). Last week, 63 teams competed in a single heat in Christchurch; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>As always, children enjoyed putting authors faces to books at this year's Kids' Lit Quiz Australia. This was especially evident at the Sydney heat. Thank you to all the authors who participated at this year's competition, we hope you enjoyed the experience too; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Good readers read incredibly widely but sometimes books are slow to work their way into the main stream. This year, <i>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</i> has been popular throughout the world although it was published in 2011. What really speeds up a book's dissemination is, of course, the cinematic medium. Tim Burton's film is due for release in March 2016; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It is inspiring and gratifying to see the pleasure and amazement of parents and teachers at their children's book knowledge at the Quiz. As one father observed, "How did my son know that? I didn't even know it myself".</li>
</ul>
Our vision for Kids' Lit Quiz Australia is to continue to grow 'the sport of reading', taking it to more students, schools and communities in Australia and giving all participants the opportunity to to be part of our international reading family. <br />
<br />
We look forward to 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Nicole Deans</b> (with thanks to Jenny Stubbs and Wayne Mills)<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/lucky-by-nicole-deans.html" target="_blank">Nicole Deans</a> is the National Coordinator (Australia) of the Kids' Lit Quiz. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Kids' Lit Quiz Australia is a not-for-profit association incorporated in NSW (ABN 91 353 357 549). </i><br />
<br />
<i>We're looking for sponsors! Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's only income is the registration fee paid by each competing team. </i><i>There are no paid employees of the Kids' Lit Quiz - from founder and quiz master, Wayne Mills, to the national coordinators, the state coordinators, adjudicators and committee members, everyone's a volunteer, doing what they do because they believe literacy needs to be both encouraged and celebrated. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Anyone who is interested in sponsoring or supporting the 2016 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia competition should contact Nicole Deans, at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com </i>Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-50222743516643981082015-03-18T11:00:00.002+11:002015-03-25T13:14:39.812+11:00Orange is the new black!Or, if not the new black, then, even better, the new <a href="http://www.orange-nsw.com/" target="_blank">reading capital </a>of Australia.<br />
<br />
A team from Orange High School took on the mantle of national champions at the Australian Final of the Kids' Lit Quiz in Sydney last Saturday, succeeding the 2014 team from the nation's capital, Canberra Grammar School.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 Australian team from Orange High School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Reinforcing the depth of Orange's reading talent, a team from Orange Primary School placed second while a team from Kambala School, Sydney - competing in the Kids' Lit Quiz for the first time - placed third. Congratulations to these teams and to the other finalists, Canberra Grammar School (ACT), Kambala School's other team (Sydney), Anglican Church Grammar School (Brisbane) and Ambrose Treacy College (Ipswich). Well done all!<br />
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<br />
<br />
Huge congratulations to the girls in the 2015 Australian team. As the fifth team to qualify so far, with the Singapore and New Zealand competitions to be decided next, they'll be heading to the US in July to take on the world's best readers at the Kids' Lit Quiz world final in Connecticut. It promises to be an exciting week if past world finals are anything to go by; <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/south-africa-2013-by-marj-brown.html" target="_blank">Durban</a> in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/there-and-back-again.html" target="_blank">2013</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/cornwall-2014.html" target="_blank">Cornwall</a> in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.<br />
<br />
The Australian team now joins the national teams from the UK (Litcham School), US (Sedgwick Middle School), Canada (Southridge School) and South Africa (Manor Gardens Primary School). You can find reports on these teams <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/not-long-now-2015-kids-lit-quiz.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/south-african-news.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And you can read more about the Australian national team in this <a href="http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/2951407/quiz-masters-orange-students-boast-best-literacy-in-the-country/?cs=103" target="_blank">news article</a>.<br />
<br />
We hope to bring you a complete report on the 2015 Australian competition soon. In the meanwhile, here's last year's report which explains how the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-2014-australian-final.html" target="_blank">national final</a> works (the format is different from the heats) and Australian coordinator, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/lucky-by-nicole-deans.html" target="_blank">Nicole Deans'</a> post on how the Kids' Lit Quiz came to Australia.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUftnGFO-yr7zhlvQ0MpnAeYKuJ-ArtzAdVIqQ1mXA3Af8ajzKM5BPY_vEdTQ6gocO3ID60T_ICKSr-AJJ02clPYqA4jahcgLDsSGS4v-m9zxzM1UG8ISN-T1mbMjLIEuvdlpmniHiXOAf/s1600/DSC08312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUftnGFO-yr7zhlvQ0MpnAeYKuJ-ArtzAdVIqQ1mXA3Af8ajzKM5BPY_vEdTQ6gocO3ID60T_ICKSr-AJJ02clPYqA4jahcgLDsSGS4v-m9zxzM1UG8ISN-T1mbMjLIEuvdlpmniHiXOAf/s1600/DSC08312.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The first heat/final was held in Orange in 2012 - with just 13 teams. How we've grown, with nearly 100 teams in 2015. And how lovely that a team from Orange, where the Kids' Lit Quiz started 4 years ago, is representing Australia at the 2015 World Final.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbID3DFNPaEvegkdBNx3rnSqOoiinLpSUWeV2jbLvcUxheXVG6xvN6asWtKaQMjXl8z4veyuoiGRI_B6JaxTboxRAtjhtgMPgJVn6vVEe5YhPO9SZ8nSVLhQC8xdowOZBSAZyvr_VYKBdH/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbID3DFNPaEvegkdBNx3rnSqOoiinLpSUWeV2jbLvcUxheXVG6xvN6asWtKaQMjXl8z4veyuoiGRI_B6JaxTboxRAtjhtgMPgJVn6vVEe5YhPO9SZ8nSVLhQC8xdowOZBSAZyvr_VYKBdH/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The prizes table at the 2015 Australian Final</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm reminded of Dr Seuss' <i>Oh! the Places You'll Go</i>, of the places that reading can take us, both in our imaginations and in real life.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Congratulations!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Today is your day.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You're off to Great Places!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You're off and away! </i></div>
Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-88069414000573793402015-03-14T11:32:00.001+11:002015-03-14T13:42:43.408+11:00Life of PiToday, 14 March (3/14), is <a href="http://www.piday.org/" target="_blank">Pi Day</a>, a day that maths is celebrated around the world. As the official Pi Day site says,<br />
<br />
<i>"Pi (Greek letter “<span class="pi">π</span>”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159."</i><br />
<br />
Lots of readers like maths as well as books and maths is important too - readers don't need to choose between two. Just as reading and literacy needs to be celebrated, so too does maths and numeracy.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(2001, Knopf Canada)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But, if like me, "pi" makes you think of the excellent book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel before you think of 3.14 and other numbers then you can recognise Pi Day by reading! Being greedy, "pi" also reminds me of "pies"; have a look at this guest post by Goldie Alexander on <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/food-glorious-food-by-goldie-alexander.html" target="_blank">food in children's literature</a> and this one on my <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/whats-on-your-bookshelf.html" target="_blank">bookshelf</a> for more book ideas.<br />
<br />
If you're in Sydney today, you could also celebrate Pi Day by attending the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia national final at the Monkey Baa Theatre Company's Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre in Darling Harbour. The Final starts at 1 pm and entry is free<i>.</i> See this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/introducing-monkey-baa-by-daria-oneill.html" target="_blank">guest post</a> by Daria O'Neill for more details.<br />
<br />
However it is that you recognise Pi Day, whether it be by doing some maths, reading some books or eating some pies, I hope it is a good one for you. Good luck to all the teams competing today in the 2015 Australian Final.<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-6096895052376212312015-03-13T09:25:00.000+11:002015-03-13T11:14:06.707+11:00Terry Pratchett. The End.<i>"Stories of the imagination tend to upset those without" </i><br />
<br />
The literary world was saddened today to learn of Terry Pratchett's death at the age of 66. Sir Terry suffered from a rare form of Alzheimer's Disease.<br />
<br />
Just two days ago, at the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/more-progress-report-2.html#more" target="_blank">ACT heat</a> of the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz, Wayne
Mills told the audience that, if they were going to read one author
before attending a KLQ event, they wouldn't go wrong if that author
was Terry Pratchett, one of the world's best fantasy writers. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyV4hrBl-sLdS0sGlc2PxLGDmMlaonyKA6Yxfv7-Qdc4kCvjOyMDllMOGVvIdhVwOVEbiazb824A0Bi3SiktSPmdheltMKJmMG7e9UepirXcQdEhT4SX2vB15q6Y9lWI8Udwv39CRP6j_/s1600/9780060012380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyV4hrBl-sLdS0sGlc2PxLGDmMlaonyKA6Yxfv7-Qdc4kCvjOyMDllMOGVvIdhVwOVEbiazb824A0Bi3SiktSPmdheltMKJmMG7e9UepirXcQdEhT4SX2vB15q6Y9lWI8Udwv39CRP6j_/s1600/9780060012380.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you haven't read any Terry Pratchett books, this is the favourite of one 13 year old fan known to me. (2003, Transworld Publishing). He also recommended <i>Mort</i> (1987).<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
A lot will be written and said about Terry Pratchett over the next few days to add to the many words already written and said over the years and, most importantly, to what Terry Pratchett himself wrote and said over his long and prolific career. If you have to choose, choose to read the <a href="http://www.transworldbooks.co.uk/search/?searchTerm=Terry+Pratchett" target="_blank">books</a>. But here are some links to the news too:<br />
<br />
Today's news report from the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/terry-pratchett-author-of-the-discworld-novels-dies-aged-66-20150313-142rrs.html?&utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=nc&eid=socialn%3Afac-14omn0013-optim-nnn%3Anonpaid-25%2F06%2F2014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-smh-o&campaign_code=nocode&promote_channel=social_facebook" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a>; <br />
Neil Gaiman's 2014 article in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaiman" target="_blank">Guardian book</a>s section; <br />
The Guardian's "<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/mar/12/terry-pratchett-in-quotes-15-of-the-best" target="_blank">Terry Pratchett in Quotes</a>: 15 of the best";<br />
Dan Piepenbring's <i>in memoriam</i> article in <a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/03/12/terry-pratchett-1948-2015/#.VQHUnz7CYqc.facebook" target="_blank">The Paris Review</a>. <br />
<br />
To close, here are two Terry Pratchett quotes:<br />
<br />
<i>“Give a man a fire and he’s warm for the day. But set fire to him and he’s warm for the rest of his life.” </i><br />
<br />
And, my all time favourite, from A Hatful of Sky:<br />
<br />
<i>"Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." </i><br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-62599289507846915192015-03-12T18:23:00.001+11:002015-03-12T22:51:09.798+11:00More Progress! Report 2We are belting along! With the ACT heat decided yesterday, there's now only the Sydney heat tomorrow before the National Final on Saturday.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhcOuZxOnk1jhZZwNjZhGGMbTn2YuQ9e-Eb1b_nw1F7ApqXln_9PCMPYecga342bMCrtaZb-p0ajhjh-mJvEQrHnbrioGzq1mnxUzK7hclZPPK7C-U1Mz-Bleh8el07mMTFjLE9IUZVb8/s1600/DSC_6240.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhcOuZxOnk1jhZZwNjZhGGMbTn2YuQ9e-Eb1b_nw1F7ApqXln_9PCMPYecga342bMCrtaZb-p0ajhjh-mJvEQrHnbrioGzq1mnxUzK7hclZPPK7C-U1Mz-Bleh8el07mMTFjLE9IUZVb8/s1600/DSC_6240.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a record number of teams participating in the ACT yesterday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PKnJbOKW-RnHMdPLXvog-lnZMKZMhKFIey8SIzCXyxB5UokogkEqURAUOjMXUSkTYcuy-gdzcqEIrnU9qhMN9ctHPv2K7lKQBXRVX1Kf_7t-QC0HNf5NgraDuGKt4A95J-0kHPx1HQkf/s1600/DSC_6209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PKnJbOKW-RnHMdPLXvog-lnZMKZMhKFIey8SIzCXyxB5UokogkEqURAUOjMXUSkTYcuy-gdzcqEIrnU9qhMN9ctHPv2K7lKQBXRVX1Kf_7t-QC0HNf5NgraDuGKt4A95J-0kHPx1HQkf/s1600/DSC_6209.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiz master Wayne Mills testing the ACT's best readers with questions from the 2014 world Final </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
See who will represent the ACT in Sydney on Saturday after the jump. There are also some fantastic photos, taken by William Hall, which speak thousands of words in describing the fun and excitement of the "sport of reading". <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XpM9WllL26jRjizp-DHgNGAmroYdcwl1t_eb1Ahk06hHRj-O0n58IqRSQ7Pbk7FZXg3v-82T5oOaB4J0CcUZAB4tM5WOdy1ZaWA34GB6MdtlnBo2_byeju4fHc55vjXPavY4T_HUPX_s/s1600/100A2760.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XpM9WllL26jRjizp-DHgNGAmroYdcwl1t_eb1Ahk06hHRj-O0n58IqRSQ7Pbk7FZXg3v-82T5oOaB4J0CcUZAB4tM5WOdy1ZaWA34GB6MdtlnBo2_byeju4fHc55vjXPavY4T_HUPX_s/s1600/100A2760.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Questions from the 2014 World Final were asked of individuals in between rounds of the ACT heat for cash prizes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
First, a recap on the results of the first three heats:<br />
<br />
<h2>
Ipswich</h2>
"A fantastic heat today at Ipswich! First Place <b>Ambrose Treacy College</b>, 2nd Place St Aidan's Anglican Girls School 1, 3rd Place Pullenvale State School 2. A great start to the Australian Competition. Good luck to Ambrose Treacy College in the National Final. Brisbane Heat tomorrow. Good luck to all the teams taking part. "<br />
<br />
<h2>
Brisbane</h2>
"A very close heat today with just .5 between first and second place! Thanks to Bulimba State School for a wonderful venue and great hospitality. 1st Place <b>Anglican Church Grammar 1</b>, 2nd Citipoint Christian College Team 1 and 3rd The Gap State High School. Well done to all 18 teams that took part. Next heat is Orange, NSW on Tuesday 10th March. "<br />
<br />
<h2>
Orange</h2>
"A great heat in Orange today. 23 teams with four new schools taking part for the first time. Our winners were <b>Orange High School</b>, Orange Public School A in second and Kinross Wolaroi School Secondary in third. Off to Canberra for the heat tomorrow."<br />
<br />
<h2>
ACT </h2>
From Mesopotamian blue cats to poetic metaphors about fog, the range of questions in the Kids' Lit Quiz ACT heat did not disappoint the teams of excellent readers who turned up ready to play. There were plenty of high fives for correct answers and also quite a few groans when the answer was found to be a familiar book or character or title they'd somehow missed.<br />
<br />
For the fourth year in a row but with the narrowest of margins (one point!), a team from Canberra Grammar School will be representing the ACT at the National Final. Good luck team!<br />
<br />
Trinity Christian School's Team 1 came second and Telopea Park School's Team 1 came third (second and third were also only separated by a single point so the result really was very, very close.) In fact, all 19 teams were in with a real chance at the half time break.<br />
<br />
Huge congratulations to all 19 teams which participated in the closely-contested Quiz yesterday. You are all winners in our eyes and your book knowledge was amazing. Thank you also to the teachers, coaches and parents who came along for an entertaining and informative look at books.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8b1TYIbVEnmcXvt6jlsVpeCRg3B13IKy1AsPnAA1kGwtAJH1273YXbNXYajsDhBsN1QilzPZz5FbZnuv7k_eXgrgi89SD29d7X1ydg3wjH9qc8cHnxXdKyo7SFI7vmThChdlUgUktpiy/s1600/DSC_6205.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8b1TYIbVEnmcXvt6jlsVpeCRg3B13IKy1AsPnAA1kGwtAJH1273YXbNXYajsDhBsN1QilzPZz5FbZnuv7k_eXgrgi89SD29d7X1ydg3wjH9qc8cHnxXdKyo7SFI7vmThChdlUgUktpiy/s1600/DSC_6205.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The All Stars team did very well, scoring 10 out of 10 in one round.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gG8TTPxN2dKQaLLhlL-h4IvQOu8MTGs7_ddJ-9IpeocMJDyUhEFGYOZcFj5Q_7wIfbOI9cX-Q1ryHOJtbZ41ze7SufFEl7uOAgSnTGLFe3t31DO8Bfw81Ap2mPwDYOePp0L0Y2GIJoYD/s1600/100A2730.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gG8TTPxN2dKQaLLhlL-h4IvQOu8MTGs7_ddJ-9IpeocMJDyUhEFGYOZcFj5Q_7wIfbOI9cX-Q1ryHOJtbZ41ze7SufFEl7uOAgSnTGLFe3t31DO8Bfw81Ap2mPwDYOePp0L0Y2GIJoYD/s1600/100A2730.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "sport of reading" is such good fun! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4ZE6NgpDTREZ7kqcJO19FVbpnvY1NYiu1HCZF6rSspXwPp94_UO-5fhepHkYkaLXxVmNuPTU2kDIGYXQu1Tgk7rVoKT3rQuaNxlWHhQJ7fEue_R1oY72JtKKpaYlQU5MKydZG8_zHD1p/s1600/DSC_6232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4ZE6NgpDTREZ7kqcJO19FVbpnvY1NYiu1HCZF6rSspXwPp94_UO-5fhepHkYkaLXxVmNuPTU2kDIGYXQu1Tgk7rVoKT3rQuaNxlWHhQJ7fEue_R1oY72JtKKpaYlQU5MKydZG8_zHD1p/s1600/DSC_6232.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third Place: Telopea Park School's Team 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilR_A1ZB2KAW4CdGWqKJnRBjY7g5SBn7KLvKBj4lzD4VvOeUVVAv8fU5szPjccCxaPOXuc4F7PpPXHLsNDq1PBwjFWjR9nEiu8MfUSwaNPUT-9dFrmc15SlShfRWDsn0PLpLrSIJZN7oh9/s1600/DSC_6237.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilR_A1ZB2KAW4CdGWqKJnRBjY7g5SBn7KLvKBj4lzD4VvOeUVVAv8fU5szPjccCxaPOXuc4F7PpPXHLsNDq1PBwjFWjR9nEiu8MfUSwaNPUT-9dFrmc15SlShfRWDsn0PLpLrSIJZN7oh9/s1600/DSC_6237.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Place: Trinity Christian School's Team 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq5vR5AsKP5l8F1yg3RZggnNj6lJmWyh26B-nOZa_gn1_Qw57T8XyHQEl9lz8HISlFn-lRDu7uySW9JvaDx0RwKgywEFb9OE-m2YFzyZZvJiS5ffRuJrCosVqRcSILOBgkxP9ZggqhPuQ/s1600/DSC_6249(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq5vR5AsKP5l8F1yg3RZggnNj6lJmWyh26B-nOZa_gn1_Qw57T8XyHQEl9lz8HISlFn-lRDu7uySW9JvaDx0RwKgywEFb9OE-m2YFzyZZvJiS5ffRuJrCosVqRcSILOBgkxP9ZggqhPuQ/s1600/DSC_6249(1).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Place: Canberra Grammar School's Team 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Lots of books and authors were recommended to the readers in the audience as well as the participating teams, including those written by Mallory Blackman, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to learn more about the Australian competition, have a look at these posts from last year's competition which detail how the Kids' Lit Quiz works:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/cannibalism-and-other-stories.html" target="_blank">Cannibalism and other stories</a>: ACT heat<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/stripes-and-stars-queensland-2014.html" target="_blank">Stripes and Stars</a>: Queensland heat <br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/kings-and-queens-insects-and-mice.html" target="_blank">Kings and Queens, Insects and Mice</a>: NSW regional heat (Orange) <br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-day-kids-lit-quiz-came-to-south.html" target="_blank">The Day the Kids' Lit Quiz came to south-west Sydney</a>: Sydney heat<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-2014-australian-final.html" target="_blank">2014 Australian Final</a> <br />
<br />
Many thanks to all our sponsors and donors. Particular thanks to authors Gina Newton and Tania McCartney, Leanne Barrett of CBCA and the wonderful Harry Hartog Booksellers team. Please see this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/its-our-turn-australia.html" target="_blank">link</a> for more information about Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's sponsors and donors in 2015.<br />
<br />
Finally, thanks to William Hall for use of these wonderful photographs here. All rights are reserved and any enquiries about the photographs should be made to <a href="http://www.livingportraiture.com/" target="_blank">William Hall Photography</a>.<br />
<br />
We're nearly there!<br />
<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-8980763631678516962015-03-10T16:13:00.001+11:002015-03-25T12:59:47.563+11:00Progress report: 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz AustraliaWith the Ipswich, Brisbane and Orange heats done and dusted, we are already well on our way to finding the 2015 Australian team to compete at the World Final in Connecticut, USA in July.<br />
<br />
We've now got only the ACT heat tomorrow and the Sydney heat on Friday before the national final on Saturday. Good luck to all the teams registered for these two heats!<br />
<br />
And here are the results from the first three heats:<br />
<br />
<h2>
Ipswich</h2>
"A fantastic heat today at Ipswich! First Place <b>Ambrose Treacy College</b>,
2nd Place St Aidan's Anglican Girls School 1, 3rd Place Pullenvale State
School 2. A great start to the Australian Competition. Good luck to
Ambrose Treacy College in the National Final. Brisbane Heat tomorrow.
Good luck to all the teams taking part. "<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEqIHiq_Pg4yG-X6BJOr_pceGEd3Lf_LcOsgdVVrAANXfrkw7sYka9xxOSxLFhbYf9pdv87at24UarzOHtd6K4J1Tn-lfXLqtys87iupizy7MT0Z9H8-ts6IezQNBJR7whhOpnXCNzYUa/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7_k_5gDPxpYY46M-OvKAQR13-CHsrqcd5M6F-954byk3So_qmzaw3iVq_lr5tfZ80LfxEMCO0gNMXDuGEkdi4ov0aFp1pWjtQ8DdpfgBDIyePwyIlavT6XnQoORnAtaiur6zoWXvXUlH/s1600/DSC08304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7_k_5gDPxpYY46M-OvKAQR13-CHsrqcd5M6F-954byk3So_qmzaw3iVq_lr5tfZ80LfxEMCO0gNMXDuGEkdi4ov0aFp1pWjtQ8DdpfgBDIyePwyIlavT6XnQoORnAtaiur6zoWXvXUlH/s1600/DSC08304.JPG" height="276" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winning team from Ambrose Treacy College with quizmaster, Wayne Mills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Brisbane</h2>
<br />
"A very close heat today with just .5 between first and second place!
Thanks to Bulimba State School for a wonderful venue and great
hospitality. 1st Place <b>Anglican Church Grammar 1</b>, 2nd Citipoint
Christian College Team 1 and 3rd The Gap State High School. Well done to
all 18 teams that took part. Next heat is Orange, NSW on Tuesday 10th
March. "<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJQDSmuYdIcSLAQiXgJlMwb_daRS06vf42ICeW7wbhqXyjmbnmvXJdUCTAlZKnwVZg_DmtbqckNIgLKTh1j4VKQatxBfjsjzX9gNQ7PhDg5HSjiDHy_priO2koRX1TlxGGHJ3WlnvEHBO/s1600/DSC08306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJQDSmuYdIcSLAQiXgJlMwb_daRS06vf42ICeW7wbhqXyjmbnmvXJdUCTAlZKnwVZg_DmtbqckNIgLKTh1j4VKQatxBfjsjzX9gNQ7PhDg5HSjiDHy_priO2koRX1TlxGGHJ3WlnvEHBO/s1600/DSC08306.JPG" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winning team from Anglican Church Grammar with Wayne Mills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Orange</h2>
"A great heat in Orange today. 23 teams with four new schools taking part
for the first time. Our winners were <b>Orange High School</b>, Orange Public
School A in second and Kinross Wolaroi School Secondary in third. Off to
Canberra for the heat tomorrow."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEqIHiq_Pg4yG-X6BJOr_pceGEd3Lf_LcOsgdVVrAANXfrkw7sYka9xxOSxLFhbYf9pdv87at24UarzOHtd6K4J1Tn-lfXLqtys87iupizy7MT0Z9H8-ts6IezQNBJR7whhOpnXCNzYUa/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEqIHiq_Pg4yG-X6BJOr_pceGEd3Lf_LcOsgdVVrAANXfrkw7sYka9xxOSxLFhbYf9pdv87at24UarzOHtd6K4J1Tn-lfXLqtys87iupizy7MT0Z9H8-ts6IezQNBJR7whhOpnXCNzYUa/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third Place: Kinross Wolaroi School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRe7OM-Bz-ItPf4OPSWz2nrmjHvvJlsPPBzhWwHrP2_Gkoyj5GJfoYWQIqCNEIL8tJJk2kg-Livhk73ONolT5wT_U9SXrlmuWxC1C70xEGkqCKyLlFf-JwH86lkirAldCZfOtHFKBWk6M/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRe7OM-Bz-ItPf4OPSWz2nrmjHvvJlsPPBzhWwHrP2_Gkoyj5GJfoYWQIqCNEIL8tJJk2kg-Livhk73ONolT5wT_U9SXrlmuWxC1C70xEGkqCKyLlFf-JwH86lkirAldCZfOtHFKBWk6M/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Place: Orange Public School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtdK1hDYTlRXztlPpI54YwQZ2KpRipbmi6ES1_gX_pXQRnQvYZH0CyMTLn9q4SehrcqAqEOPAtKuN-HXluC3G_gz9eXaEcgHitacNXpzOgv4bgtGDopnMk6_vhJ22_dtBo4GmzRl_-d3v/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtdK1hDYTlRXztlPpI54YwQZ2KpRipbmi6ES1_gX_pXQRnQvYZH0CyMTLn9q4SehrcqAqEOPAtKuN-HXluC3G_gz9eXaEcgHitacNXpzOgv4bgtGDopnMk6_vhJ22_dtBo4GmzRl_-d3v/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Place: Orange High School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-42272607969916247592015-03-05T13:50:00.001+11:002015-03-08T08:56:27.776+11:00It's our turn, Australia!The 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia competition kicks off today in Ipswich.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05Z5lfCrDG_uftU6LaAJ0T5jMqUHo6WXO8s5Als8DQjOpgxdZKHxr6vKaDSSRp7XMrEUwtXNyzEdY5Ig5BfcemFZrhOUVn_vLYQq0KzSrLi_OOppKlamSXj9q2XeGK7l7xFhKpICVoXMZ/s1600/KLQ+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05Z5lfCrDG_uftU6LaAJ0T5jMqUHo6WXO8s5Als8DQjOpgxdZKHxr6vKaDSSRp7XMrEUwtXNyzEdY5Ig5BfcemFZrhOUVn_vLYQq0KzSrLi_OOppKlamSXj9q2XeGK7l7xFhKpICVoXMZ/s1600/KLQ+logo.jpg" height="348" width="400" /></a></div>
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Good luck to all the teams! Chances are that you'll win a book prize or two, discover even more books to read, meet like-minded kids and have a great deal of fun with the "sport of reading".<br />
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Of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful sponsors and supporters.<br />
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In Australia, as throughout the world, the Kids' Lit Quiz is a not-for-profit association. There are no paid employees - from founder and quiz master, <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2014/06/tzar-retires-but-kids-lit-quiz-reign-continues.html#.U7TX0wPUxlo.facebook" target="_blank">Wayne Mills</a>, to the national coordinators, the state coordinators, adjudicators and committee members, everyone's a volunteer, doing what they do because they believe literacy needs to be both encouraged and celebrated.<br />
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So far, in the four years the Kids' Lit Quiz has operated in Australia, we're still looking for major sponsors and our only income is the registration fee paid by each competing team. On this shoe-string budget, it would be extremely difficult to put on each year's competition without the generous support of our sponsors and donors so we'd like to take this opportunity to thank them all sincerely. We couldn't do it without you!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Book Donations</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We will give away over 300 books in the course of the 2015 Australian Kids' Lit Quiz. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">That's a lot of books! </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Each team (of four kids) that wins a round in each of the five heats gets to pick a book prize for that win. If the team has already won a round, the prizes go to the second placed team (and so on) so that 40 children in each heat win book prizes. Studies show that </span>book rewards do not undermine a child's motivation to read (as prizes which are unrelated to reading may) and, although the Quiz is a literary competition, it is primarily about promoting literacy in school communities by inspiring and motivating kids to keep reading. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"> Additionally, it's an important part of the Quiz is to ask questions of the audience in between rounds of quiz questions, to show the kids</span><span lang="EN-US"> that their parents and teachers are also readers. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">These audience prizes</span> are also books.</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It's vital, of course, that the book prizes are good - that they're worth reading. After all, it's a reading competition and these are discerning readers. We can't just give them any old books and they've read so many books we can't just give them the most popular books. Thanks to the generosity of our book donors, we've some great book prizes to give out this year. Thank you: </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEuzx492jFUKIHhRzwOH3lJwiEkv6qoCPL9ZWx4rzN-PyILsgxXO7s6gC0CckFC5zfCf2EYcLYMuvee0rmFP7a_J1nFgM0NZghp_MxjgtfJpdhQp4cRvPu3I_eq3hCUZ27L9Izm5W4jwk/s1600/A&U+Logo.JPG" height="107" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/" target="_blank">Allen & Unwin </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hardiegrant.com.au/egmont" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGdMOV9WSqjOyvFF1YgpG9B9Fy3ry9bR1GllRUGVbnQMceaZ44xW_H9aCoZsn5pmXCvvkoLf1LBg-P07Z8ne-82k0Sc0HSyiVcf-qltxY9O8kSTANVgdAMwBAfpOR4lWsdMJ9YZH3Vz2y/s1600/BLUE_stacked(1).jpg" height="136" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hardiegrant.com.au/egmont" target="_blank">Hardie Grant Egmont</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com.au/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMzD0iECXuyb-FKZ3hkXSkJjsjjR_HYO2zArkV8toHzNml4mzbjy3-9Li81bjQpJMuyR4EFpfVxHZLElBSsEMyWgR-JOS81QDPGIFI_pzVSdZGglQKVckPrA48OmXqjpCkInFtD_uvVzD/s1600/HCP+LOGO.jpg" height="59" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com.au/" target="_blank">Harper Collins Australia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kvvOuSuyiZxefr-MH1jc1w7fiwdeZogi3KjUXBjDf7Oc0OIQdhRbpokyeeMjK3uDuGbOjVMQwKvTquaAGoXr4ZPhyxEd1I3IwNj8Rcl0aCm42_kyA94juRRBuhFT9MGSHlsqbC9FJNH_/s1600/Pan+Mac+Logo.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/" target="_blank">Pan Macmillan Australia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCI9N45UtAkHLU4pp4tFYzjZp_P3-aB8jcED-t-eER6OxRuIeXysx608Eaewyw2p_5LsvnyTcomqYHq9JFyg-lpgbJwt5IrB0wp4kzaxzDr4K-GEFOVUU6iGpM38_xLn3BFkyzFvZu56Lx/s1600/Penguin_COL.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/" target="_blank">Penguin Books Australia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k2yYV5U8EXCPqsoi_gaapwGpikQ60ixCj7RQoo3QL3nRf4yVYYMF5NORZQIbO_FMca3lj0yaLQwprui1fXS2xpPFTJvXUxDDtFs5DwhHH-M8I3LfKn7wflYcaDGrJdXBAHOBcPudVxRj/s1600/walker_books_1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k2yYV5U8EXCPqsoi_gaapwGpikQ60ixCj7RQoo3QL3nRf4yVYYMF5NORZQIbO_FMca3lj0yaLQwprui1fXS2xpPFTJvXUxDDtFs5DwhHH-M8I3LfKn7wflYcaDGrJdXBAHOBcPudVxRj/s1600/walker_books_1.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">Walker Books Australia and New Zealand</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
A particular shout out to Walker Books for sponsoring the Brisbane heat (thank you Steve Spargo!) and for providing books for the winners of the Canberra heat (arranged in association with Harry Hartog booksellers - thanks also Harry Hartog!)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEyfQnHYnCEiDO2cYcwEGxR5JL1NMOlHPG5UVNpeRSHGlUz8pkgwlspCaX9c25_CuA-1B35iYi0DC5bCrjBVKPgqsjCYCchFAFTs5qipblt9ZraSQn3bEo_p29AWV_1ed3MmB6IOvwgIC/s1600/KBR+new+look+logo+header+june+2013+blue+JPG.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEyfQnHYnCEiDO2cYcwEGxR5JL1NMOlHPG5UVNpeRSHGlUz8pkgwlspCaX9c25_CuA-1B35iYi0DC5bCrjBVKPgqsjCYCchFAFTs5qipblt9ZraSQn3bEo_p29AWV_1ed3MmB6IOvwgIC/s1600/KBR+new+look+logo+header+june+2013+blue+JPG.jpg" height="142" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particular thanks to <a href="http://www.taniamccartney.com/" target="_blank">Tania Mc Cartney</a> for her donation of books for the Canberra heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl2l8Yp1-R4mLLW0azy9EtlN1_UyvZ166JpxBTuM4CXYe_bRqy6HXDcRdeuuMOVbP3JrnmPFZ2lCKO8URqAm4HDZSPS-sbOdbzcue8sWjPEIRTYsXL4EpnqeXr1w97lE_Nei59eLHI_VW/s1600/159b4c8e-871d-4791-a71f-610630ce9cc1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl2l8Yp1-R4mLLW0azy9EtlN1_UyvZ166JpxBTuM4CXYe_bRqy6HXDcRdeuuMOVbP3JrnmPFZ2lCKO8URqAm4HDZSPS-sbOdbzcue8sWjPEIRTYsXL4EpnqeXr1w97lE_Nei59eLHI_VW/s1600/159b4c8e-871d-4791-a71f-610630ce9cc1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/store/Collins-Booksellers-Orange/31" target="_blank">Collins Booksellers Orange</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga87AKZE-mwICp_seRpOFyo8W0T6ye-hwNnfexrCkrv95xgxtwyN0XbOZlIkd3-8IjnOb55ixJbpZjm4senXrw71YKClTjqZpjen9YkuC1TthliAsEXf8EB6ZUyQlJKAWJki4l105UmDLE/s1600/10481413_872616956084666_7709933088647163601_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga87AKZE-mwICp_seRpOFyo8W0T6ye-hwNnfexrCkrv95xgxtwyN0XbOZlIkd3-8IjnOb55ixJbpZjm4senXrw71YKClTjqZpjen9YkuC1TthliAsEXf8EB6ZUyQlJKAWJki4l105UmDLE/s1600/10481413_872616956084666_7709933088647163601_n.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harryhartog.com.au/" target="_blank">Harry Hartog</a></td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZuY1DXA0q12GYj3CjrnbUQphC48-0P55NkGwOju3-F8H1ZUTqCTkyHxgoleabnpofZ3xcF9dJygFUfI3ik8Vt6a9FsEQnLmlF39Gw19_Y2IKkulAzGsCTMi1wK_SzDddtWhh2A7mHstA/s1600/banner-boomerang-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZuY1DXA0q12GYj3CjrnbUQphC48-0P55NkGwOju3-F8H1ZUTqCTkyHxgoleabnpofZ3xcF9dJygFUfI3ik8Vt6a9FsEQnLmlF39Gw19_Y2IKkulAzGsCTMi1wK_SzDddtWhh2A7mHstA/s1600/banner-boomerang-logo.png" height="35" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">Boomerang Books, Australia's online book shop</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j1h3zJI6mhQUfSpY5g44RnqTD2PvIe4bJJIFAS5Qjtm4bqbj_X7Oa7Tn-YcZk9GKSMIJR7POVS75LimJsdMPi-HbLiuKfXUXcFCOZx6owtykJoN7lqhRamyBVh3KjVZt6x-HoJqVd3ik/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j1h3zJI6mhQUfSpY5g44RnqTD2PvIe4bJJIFAS5Qjtm4bqbj_X7Oa7Tn-YcZk9GKSMIJR7POVS75LimJsdMPi-HbLiuKfXUXcFCOZx6owtykJoN7lqhRamyBVh3KjVZt6x-HoJqVd3ik/s1600/logo.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://spineout.com.au/" target="_blank">SpineOut</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Huge thanks to <a href="http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/store/Collins-Booksellers-Orange/31" target="_blank">Collins Booksellers Orange</a> and <a href="http://www.harryhartog.com.au/" target="_blank">Harry Hartog</a> in Canberra for the provision of books and book vouchers and to <a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">Boomerang Books</a> (online bookshop), <a href="http://spineout.com.au/" target="_blank">SpineOut</a> (online magazine) for the donation of books.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Finally, many thanks to Jenny Stubbs and the Ipswich Teacher Librarian Network for all the work they do to expand and develop the Kids' Lit Quiz in Queensland.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_61djmMUk6ixWK5ETGOyCP-JVhkPglrHg_80cwH1q4DqwuAO8H7WrQnzYh8lE9P9ZuBQJ8J4t_mA0iDZB6BN0vq0lQn3IS-effXk2NIWsf_rjFHL-NaLWW60x-8Ke6dXWLQ7S-pbQYMr/s1600/logo-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_61djmMUk6ixWK5ETGOyCP-JVhkPglrHg_80cwH1q4DqwuAO8H7WrQnzYh8lE9P9ZuBQJ8J4t_mA0iDZB6BN0vq0lQn3IS-effXk2NIWsf_rjFHL-NaLWW60x-8Ke6dXWLQ7S-pbQYMr/s1600/logo-header.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://idtl.net.au/events/show-event.php?event_id=36" target="_blank">Ipswich District Teacher-Librarian Network</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Trophies and Medals</h2>
</div>
<div>
<br />
For the third year in a row, <a href="http://www.softlinkint.com/" target="_blank">Softlink</a> is providing trophies and medals for the winning teams (we also give out certificates and ribbons to recognise excellent reading.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIvADVHU3qVButcQXntWsGjJHKzx3Lc6Q1LW3Tr9tCsuzUDYJVgX7Vg5pGOPp8phdvThd4SrWh8ZNdGDLjlr-yr1R5i0fXQJhXcS2608mcPj_psoEqxoQ5dlMShPHFfwFR-fOZFz93V2E/s1600/Softlink1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIvADVHU3qVButcQXntWsGjJHKzx3Lc6Q1LW3Tr9tCsuzUDYJVgX7Vg5pGOPp8phdvThd4SrWh8ZNdGDLjlr-yr1R5i0fXQJhXcS2608mcPj_psoEqxoQ5dlMShPHFfwFR-fOZFz93V2E/s1600/Softlink1.jpg" height="123" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.softlinkint.com/" target="_blank">Softlink</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Positive reinforcement of the value of reading cannot be underestimated in keeping kids reading through the ages of 10 to 13 years, when most kids can read but often choose not to do so. Softlink's continuing and valued support in providing this reinforcement is greatly appreciated. <br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQWN5ubdQG68Khqzfab76pZh26QLpHDkXgtZPuqeUnzFe9qJF6hCK5Mf1PW8J10pyHiJXh_VKVDMyC9w2IpIOmJJ_Ik0vEjqkynx6glf_Sc8yH4F0TidUHDR40WzKPwGCf_l-gn9YEL7z/s1600/ozteam+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQWN5ubdQG68Khqzfab76pZh26QLpHDkXgtZPuqeUnzFe9qJF6hCK5Mf1PW8J10pyHiJXh_VKVDMyC9w2IpIOmJJ_Ik0vEjqkynx6glf_Sc8yH4F0TidUHDR40WzKPwGCf_l-gn9YEL7z/s1600/ozteam+2.JPG" height="271" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2014 Australian team were delighted with their trophies. Their coach says that the entire school community was proud of the achievement and impressed by the recognition and reward that reading could bring. Most importantly, having the trophies on display in the library boosted enthusiasm for reading throughout the school.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Venues</h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIyUp2oljSF7bMIlUDlHZQbWKEobAGYniP5ZBLbSYpod0UTwLFMFhTfq0qBExYw_Q2gP2RVxjNZIB5v9yFQVTUKZuOIYMv2ojNEbF3tHNMAYbRIe8AFvCJ4MxsN8rhpxprweFZKEXWcFs/s1600/IMG_7147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIyUp2oljSF7bMIlUDlHZQbWKEobAGYniP5ZBLbSYpod0UTwLFMFhTfq0qBExYw_Q2gP2RVxjNZIB5v9yFQVTUKZuOIYMv2ojNEbF3tHNMAYbRIe8AFvCJ4MxsN8rhpxprweFZKEXWcFs/s1600/IMG_7147.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/findus/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa</a> Theatre Company's home in Darling Harbour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With a record number of teams participating in the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia (and throughout the world - over 1000 schools have, so far, participated in the 2015 Quiz with more to come), it's important to find appropriate venues and we're very grateful to following schools for hosting heats of the 2015 competition:<br />
<br />
IPSWICH: Ipswich Girls Grammar School<br />
BRISBANE: Bulimba State School<br />
ORANGE: Kinross Wolaroi School, Orange<br />
ACT: Canberra Grammar School<br />
SYDNEY: Cerdon College, Merrylands<br />
<br />
Thank you also to the following booksellers for providing pop-up book shops at the heats:<br />
<a href="http://www.alotofbooks.com.au/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.alotofbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">A Lot Of Books</a>, Ipswich<br />
<a href="http://www.riverbendbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">Riverbend Books</a>, Brisbane<br />
<a href="http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/store/Collins-Booksellers-Orange/31" target="_blank">Collins Booksellers</a>, Orange<br />
<a href="http://www.harryhartog.com.au/" target="_blank">Harry Hartog</a>, Canberra<br />
<br />
The pop-up book shops really add to the excitement and celebration of books at each heat. We hope you all have a successful day with all those book loving audiences and participants.<br />
<br />
We're also delighted that the 2015 National Final will be held at Monkey Baa Theatre Company's Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre. You can read more about Monkey Baa in Daria O'Neill's post for Reading for Australia, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/introducing-monkey-baa-by-daria-oneill.html#more" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Authors</h2>
<br />
I've never met an author who wasn't a reader first and the support that the Kids' Lit Quiz has received from authors <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/welcome-by-wayne-mills.html" target="_blank">throughout the world</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/welcome-from-wayne-mills-mnzm.html" target="_blank">over the years</a> has been nothing short of amazing. You have only to look at the impressive list of contributors to Reading for Australia on the right sidebar to see the generous support given to the Kids' Lit Quiz by children's book authors, illustrators and others working in the field of children's literature.<br />
<br />
At every Kids' Lit Quiz competition authors are invited to compete against the schools teams (their success is variable - sometimes they win, often they don't!) to see what great readers can do (and why they should keep on writing!)<br />
<br />
Thank you to all the authors participating in the 2015 Australian Kids' Lit Quiz. If you click on each author's name in the photo captions below (and they're in no particular order), you'll find more information about that author - and, perhaps more importantly for some readers, more about their books!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfrzBSiA03jGPsPFhk72JOTVZZgH02ITJY3NBKozzV7xvba4k3YkVbWEUhlHr8_KtIBqYIvB3ZIuVn8AZWzuFTw-XYEmPTJjW9GV1YQbtJofDc0nBVDBwdJAD32aEwJv9lbVA-_Q-lhK0/s1600/princess-clown-cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfrzBSiA03jGPsPFhk72JOTVZZgH02ITJY3NBKozzV7xvba4k3YkVbWEUhlHr8_KtIBqYIvB3ZIuVn8AZWzuFTw-XYEmPTJjW9GV1YQbtJofDc0nBVDBwdJAD32aEwJv9lbVA-_Q-lhK0/s1600/princess-clown-cover1.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sherylgwyther.net/#%21about" target="_blank">Sheryl Gwyther</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3P_cP8GLnaiUAPM9hLVrkBypCxilqNhSfGKjadkHbsC2lKuBKsGzu9N2vB-ifiKVnEzsOCB7iBHajY0jaRRVvojwfbTs01IBz0IPSBgZ71ytMe2NcxPeCJci00bzUcdxIbOFa4IVbtoP/s1600/812b18_0ba6bac19c9043e99851901109d84a25.jpg_srz_p_189_309_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3P_cP8GLnaiUAPM9hLVrkBypCxilqNhSfGKjadkHbsC2lKuBKsGzu9N2vB-ifiKVnEzsOCB7iBHajY0jaRRVvojwfbTs01IBz0IPSBgZ71ytMe2NcxPeCJci00bzUcdxIbOFa4IVbtoP/s1600/812b18_0ba6bac19c9043e99851901109d84a25.jpg_srz_p_189_309_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.angelasunde.com/" target="_blank">Angela Sunde</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKrjOpJyxJqtngvwanyerQCf5jwVFTnEDXmph7vePTD91sKEBnaXS4_TtChNEcrizIZ7f933JYdkS1wp0q4FVOGXc5tti4mcIB29tfPTwE-inj7P9x51VxcYknPWD-Ffis6mXNlvpjCP-/s1600/852967248dd3e6cb3942a1fe6af42945_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKrjOpJyxJqtngvwanyerQCf5jwVFTnEDXmph7vePTD91sKEBnaXS4_TtChNEcrizIZ7f933JYdkS1wp0q4FVOGXc5tti4mcIB29tfPTwE-inj7P9x51VxcYknPWD-Ffis6mXNlvpjCP-/s1600/852967248dd3e6cb3942a1fe6af42945_S.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.samanthawheeler.com.au/" target="_blank">Samantha Wheeler</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdu_KYzsacoOH7-bEDYSU32MwPpiZmRUIEHepPJtaOVHVXVGFg36pc7_kxnMsCSlSmSi99qac9DYjP5JuhCpu2pFoXFWjON0usKssdRjsOD29OO1XyCXRreIsDGNO9ca8ZRyscoso-CN1/s1600/max-remy-superspy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdu_KYzsacoOH7-bEDYSU32MwPpiZmRUIEHepPJtaOVHVXVGFg36pc7_kxnMsCSlSmSi99qac9DYjP5JuhCpu2pFoXFWjON0usKssdRjsOD29OO1XyCXRreIsDGNO9ca8ZRyscoso-CN1/s1600/max-remy-superspy.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deborahabela.com/site/Deb_About.html" target="_blank">Deborah Abela</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtNgtwrb9Dt4XJzegg7QS5JKVi78_vq5xwLrddhokVAWQKDOzafw5YkR-pjTKwL77DcxROfUnvcKm5zj0DEU0HmfEtBcZ8ymZlDm5iuKOpAVuSmxlMaMGlVkLv0K1ZcnpCA377MVygUv1/s1600/mgbcartoon0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtNgtwrb9Dt4XJzegg7QS5JKVi78_vq5xwLrddhokVAWQKDOzafw5YkR-pjTKwL77DcxROfUnvcKm5zj0DEU0HmfEtBcZ8ymZlDm5iuKOpAVuSmxlMaMGlVkLv0K1ZcnpCA377MVygUv1/s1600/mgbcartoon0001.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://michaelgerardbauer.com/" target="_blank">Michael Gerard Bauer</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9DOfiioT0G-M7E4j7DMHAWjX9AD-YMlUniRDEGL4eYl1nsHZp724FQP8pPTkMP996KW4SxWgTNkkmSMofZrtV4KoFagEppyv4x3VY5qSLz677Zme7Xt0S4uVm65iPz6XJfhKCRURykvR/s1600/punchlines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9DOfiioT0G-M7E4j7DMHAWjX9AD-YMlUniRDEGL4eYl1nsHZp724FQP8pPTkMP996KW4SxWgTNkkmSMofZrtV4KoFagEppyv4x3VY5qSLz677Zme7Xt0S4uVm65iPz6XJfhKCRURykvR/s1600/punchlines.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.oliverwriter.com/" target="_blank">Oliver Phommavanh</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHwH2fj1L1Xp0mTfhR5XYMmq70srjbQg9RergTGKircU2qgVj9X9K2Scyu3xxOYXCwrhG1SpG937GyZKL6WeNOSl6Rhro_ojzB8jcPk5Z-GcQzVypEq8POFJ5qspAmN180AZcnW1BUstj/s1600/rha_intruder_front-cover-21-03-141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHwH2fj1L1Xp0mTfhR5XYMmq70srjbQg9RergTGKircU2qgVj9X9K2Scyu3xxOYXCwrhG1SpG937GyZKL6WeNOSl6Rhro_ojzB8jcPk5Z-GcQzVypEq8POFJ5qspAmN180AZcnW1BUstj/s1600/rha_intruder_front-cover-21-03-141.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.christinebongers.com/" target="_blank">Chris Bongers</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWI9pm7egcmx3Ft_QIT0sVKDO_uOcdJOdCyJmmu4MyqvakDtFhrCZsXq8sSQisYiQdW9BV0sz1MK4xR4vfZAd6l-iJItUtasv3Dmf8IK_NfC-FiDAh54IGklbLbDkTPW3J0b5Pp4V_lb4/s1600/shapeimage_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWI9pm7egcmx3Ft_QIT0sVKDO_uOcdJOdCyJmmu4MyqvakDtFhrCZsXq8sSQisYiQdW9BV0sz1MK4xR4vfZAd6l-iJItUtasv3Dmf8IK_NfC-FiDAh54IGklbLbDkTPW3J0b5Pp4V_lb4/s1600/shapeimage_2.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.richardnewsome.com/richardnewsome/About.html" target="_blank">Richard Newsome</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7VDJ3MYCyknEe63YjWtIEjxsIeLHX8XK3-s8L9ycq7eXKeJtdBpHAfBQ6ewANZTeyAq8pbQbjufdkA_GHkjUN45c-69HHQej9gf8foFoQNWcZ3WQvXj4RcquG9R1YAhIlS6niLDsvhPX/s1600/nicholas-and-alison-lochel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7VDJ3MYCyknEe63YjWtIEjxsIeLHX8XK3-s8L9ycq7eXKeJtdBpHAfBQ6ewANZTeyAq8pbQbjufdkA_GHkjUN45c-69HHQej9gf8foFoQNWcZ3WQvXj4RcquG9R1YAhIlS6niLDsvhPX/s1600/nicholas-and-alison-lochel.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/authors/detail.page?id=uHW4SLfgwhe0QzepDENSIbupnuXTPVL2PMwbbGPlq7b0oTclH7sjxqybXSg/Wg__" target="_blank">Nicholas</a> and <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/authors/detail.page?id=88sygljuWuo4VRhYLSVTxFttVk-C4o7MszqGvKzsn4ZDTnFueSUPievogPI_" target="_blank">Alison</a> Lochtel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoswhx8zH5xQj_yw2rF_yyA5qoadXbT7RmP_aVz1pdWo-t4qEesImkIYHrbTvfpRIdoJvL7nSzGfJPutA56FdfgdfzTtKRXR072f1IOUXB6pB9bJky9ok0C2BJXDv2ELhfG89Qa_VPbiah/s1600/TerribleSuitcaseHBk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoswhx8zH5xQj_yw2rF_yyA5qoadXbT7RmP_aVz1pdWo-t4qEesImkIYHrbTvfpRIdoJvL7nSzGfJPutA56FdfgdfzTtKRXR072f1IOUXB6pB9bJky9ok0C2BJXDv2ELhfG89Qa_VPbiah/s1600/TerribleSuitcaseHBk.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/favourite-picture-books-by-emma-allen.html" target="_blank">Emma Allen</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6Vd8rgRuoQsvzlgo31xKGxctT4cz4erNoNuhJ7M-OYAd-TrHj6nXhaekUKQIJaQluOouWS_j53sEdfoqvJW7ximAGpunYbZaLqvEPAnRA7AwpHEN0TuGwjyxOTju_EiLSVqCnDf5-PkF/s1600/blossom_possum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6Vd8rgRuoQsvzlgo31xKGxctT4cz4erNoNuhJ7M-OYAd-TrHj6nXhaekUKQIJaQluOouWS_j53sEdfoqvJW7ximAGpunYbZaLqvEPAnRA7AwpHEN0TuGwjyxOTju_EiLSVqCnDf5-PkF/s1600/blossom_possum.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scholastic.com.au/common/books/contributor_profile.asp?ContributorID=556&channel=" target="_blank">Gina Newton</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lZnLMpPqVb8KnUc2Q8xMXW0k4jY-ywdEYDWKVHpmLWfTbQcb1XjTVtFa6LlTfc-xgC-nJ1WiCr19grS83MBPV-w2Sy_PsvZQfRBa3uL5Bx7ZKmmDHDATXDii8oi_xQaZOAXlvLwzhxNV/s1600/scan0015-275x300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lZnLMpPqVb8KnUc2Q8xMXW0k4jY-ywdEYDWKVHpmLWfTbQcb1XjTVtFa6LlTfc-xgC-nJ1WiCr19grS83MBPV-w2Sy_PsvZQfRBa3uL5Bx7ZKmmDHDATXDii8oi_xQaZOAXlvLwzhxNV/s1600/scan0015-275x300.jpg" height="320" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephanieowenreeder.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Reeder</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors, donors, supporters, hosts, authors and school communities. We hope the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia is an enjoyable and fruitful experience for all of you and that you all come back next year.<br />
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Anyone who is interested in supporting the 2016 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia competition should have a look at our <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/sponsors.html" target="_blank">Sponsors</a> page and contact the National Coordinator, Nicole Deans, at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com. And you should come along to any one of the heats or final in the 2015 competition to have a look - entry is free and you might even win a (book) prize! The locations are <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Let the games begin and may the odds be ever in your favour!<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-27484525412494873482015-03-02T16:21:00.000+11:002015-03-02T16:21:44.148+11:00Introducing Monkey Baa by Daria O'Neill<i>The National Final of the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/not-long-now-2015-kids-lit-quiz.html" target="_blank">2015 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia</a> competition is to be held at the Monkey Baa Theatre Company's <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/contact-us/" target="_blank">Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre</a> in Darling Harbour, Sydney on Saturday 14 March. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Kids' Lit Quiz Australia is delighted to be associated with the <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/athome/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa Theatre Company</a> because both organisations are passionate about children's literature. Today's guest post by Monkey Baa's Development Manager, Daria O'Neill</i>,<i> outlines the effective and entertaining ways that Monkey Baa connects with young audiences throughout Australia.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Why not go along to see the National Final? Entry to see some of Australia's best readers compete for the right to represent Australia at the World Final, in Connecticut, USA in July 2015, is FREE! And it's a lot of fun. There are audience prizes (books, of course!), loads of interesting information about books you've already read and books you've yet to meet and an opportunity to see the sport of reading in action! </i><br />
<br />
<i>It's also not too late to enter the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz! The heats start in Ipswich on 5 March - mere days away - so schools in and around Ipswich, Brisbane, Orange, Canberra and Sydney should contact Nicole Deans (kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com) IMMEDIATELY if they are interested in participating in the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz. </i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Now, let's learn a bit about the wonderful work that Monkey Baa does for Australian children...</i><br />
<br />
Monkey Baa Theatre Company was established in 1997 to create captivating, vibrant and relevant theatre experiences for young people, their educators and families.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPaDw0Jq_2O94OAFPaAsZvXDbNz8a76Fi1hFvc7wN_QmcbH_oBowaMvd9OQnSRxtgXAz2tpyw6JBfqbs4E-wTDwLmGYsyZFwHf-VZEX5QEJblHh4QbhaJsCqRzCTzeUzZ1OoivaLG-qTF/s1600/peteboys-with-book-709x299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPaDw0Jq_2O94OAFPaAsZvXDbNz8a76Fi1hFvc7wN_QmcbH_oBowaMvd9OQnSRxtgXAz2tpyw6JBfqbs4E-wTDwLmGYsyZFwHf-VZEX5QEJblHh4QbhaJsCqRzCTzeUzZ1OoivaLG-qTF/s1600/peteboys-with-book-709x299.jpg" height="167" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pete boys read <i>Pete the Sheep</i> by Jackie French and Bruce Whateley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our co-Founders and Creative Directors, Sandra Eldridge, Tim McGarry and Eva Di Cesare, have since adapted fourteen classic Australian stories for the stage – from <i>The Bugalugs Bum Thief</i> to <i>Hitler’s Daughter </i>to <i>Pete the Sheep</i> – winning awards, critical acclaim and inclusion on the NSW Board of Studies, and consolidating our reputation as a theatre of excellence, producing work solely for young audiences (aged 3-18 years).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNSOQq9pTOa6c6cnbGWaceQCl-gLDwRDVZEBUXl944w2WgQQ86DsWi0HzU0SmVXn4UwfbBjhBOPuew4Fh-RTnsapYb-87YDXV9g9MeOgAbLnqi3xCyZqBZNulLJ5PAU1AMSnnIfIgmSKi/s1600/Bugalugs-Portrait-451x578.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNSOQq9pTOa6c6cnbGWaceQCl-gLDwRDVZEBUXl944w2WgQQ86DsWi0HzU0SmVXn4UwfbBjhBOPuew4Fh-RTnsapYb-87YDXV9g9MeOgAbLnqi3xCyZqBZNulLJ5PAU1AMSnnIfIgmSKi/s1600/Bugalugs-Portrait-451x578.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Based on the book by Tim Winton, you can see Monkey Baa's production of <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/show/the-bugalugs-bum-thief/" target="_blank">The Bugalugs Bum Thief</a> in Sydney in April 2015 and later on tour in other parts of Australia. Click on the link for show details.</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Here are some current Monkey Baa productions, all based on books you might also know. Details of these shows can be found at the links in the photo captions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwL3cDZNFdGKC4BgFBCcrNTtnV7tWFycX7hPi0Disss-atYo3bE69xug_78Y84BXtgNRQcF7IFl3uCnXZRgCEOsG_yR57rFG8lK6oqBmtXRIxw4OoxnFQh9Vianm1WZVSopgJ1Xh9IZHd/s1600/GRIFFIN_TheWitches_BBP_9623-728x299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwL3cDZNFdGKC4BgFBCcrNTtnV7tWFycX7hPi0Disss-atYo3bE69xug_78Y84BXtgNRQcF7IFl3uCnXZRgCEOsG_yR57rFG8lK6oqBmtXRIxw4OoxnFQh9Vianm1WZVSopgJ1Xh9IZHd/s1600/GRIFFIN_TheWitches_BBP_9623-728x299.jpg" height="163" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/show/witches/" target="_blank">The Witches</a> by Roald Dahl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9rTPg5F4k9lC7oJiocQYBu_db9h0r9bQi2_sKLbnQrPUu8QJpLU_F9rkuuk6Pvz2EI3m6yiXUeqlPvvkLGa_o-s5H3Rtcd-pmQf-Cqtz4TPEzabwPTMt5E4j3uuRHxJNPkBxDJNix5BI/s1600/IAMJACK_TIM-728x299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9rTPg5F4k9lC7oJiocQYBu_db9h0r9bQi2_sKLbnQrPUu8QJpLU_F9rkuuk6Pvz2EI3m6yiXUeqlPvvkLGa_o-s5H3Rtcd-pmQf-Cqtz4TPEzabwPTMt5E4j3uuRHxJNPkBxDJNix5BI/s1600/IAMJACK_TIM-728x299.jpg" height="131" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/event/jack-2015-australian-tour/" target="_blank">I am Jack</a> by Susanne Gervay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6OsvxSpUagYfahjDF_HL6ZT1t-oYN7v9rIOJq6umVtw1uWzHoHFbcsDhuZvltgS4F6rDtSSuaLCBSABQFDVQOem5j-cWVWb2q5FZ_g3tpKAckysO6VLdH8ZXnSlS5Uz3GJ0cUsdcp-YH/s1600/spcp_web_730x250px2-430x231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6OsvxSpUagYfahjDF_HL6ZT1t-oYN7v9rIOJq6umVtw1uWzHoHFbcsDhuZvltgS4F6rDtSSuaLCBSABQFDVQOem5j-cWVWb2q5FZ_g3tpKAckysO6VLdH8ZXnSlS5Uz3GJ0cUsdcp-YH/s1600/spcp_web_730x250px2-430x231.jpg" height="171" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/show/snugglepot-cuddlepie/" target="_blank">Snugglepot and Cuddlepie</a> by May Gibbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Monkey Baa has become Australia’s widest-reaching touring company, touring our productions nationally (and internationally); working with schools, children's organisations and arts venues from bush to coast and across the seas.<br />
<br />
We strive to ensure that young people - wherever they are located and whatever their circumstance - have the opportunity to experience quality theatre productions and arts education programs that reflect their experience of life in this country; throughout the whole of their childhood – from pre-school to high school.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>All of our children loved the stories and were absolutely spellbound by the performance.</i><br />
<i>I was so happy to see them transported into the story, making connections between what they had read and what they were watching. It made the experience so rich for them… </i><br />
<i><br />
</i> School teacher, Nungarring</blockquote>
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For many of our young audience members, a Monkey Baa performance is their first (and sometimes only) experience of live theatre. Our work invites young people to question and challenge their values, expectations and understanding of the world, and their place within it.<br />
<br />
With Patrons and key supporters including Australian Children's Laureate <a href="http://www.jackiefrench.com/" target="_blank">Jackie French</a>, <a href="http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/once/" target="_blank">Morris Gleitzman</a>, <a href="http://www.sgervay.com/" target="_blank">Susanne Gervay</a> and <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/contributors/1952/tim-winton" target="_blank">Tim Winton</a>, we are constantly looking for new Australian stories to tell - ones that will resonate and bring joy to our young audiences.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM8Okdk2YUvPQ_gjedeQDaZAfURjoWg3y-dUcHPau4YH865dLKeKR0ORLfO9RaBnR8PpsHFt3Jx7xPSFKaJwxsbvJ4-xZHkaa7alGZfHGpvAFLdjsgfoGa8k_ivhGRp0jrhyphenhyphenEKnL5nWPp/s1600/Diary-of-a-wombat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM8Okdk2YUvPQ_gjedeQDaZAfURjoWg3y-dUcHPau4YH865dLKeKR0ORLfO9RaBnR8PpsHFt3Jx7xPSFKaJwxsbvJ4-xZHkaa7alGZfHGpvAFLdjsgfoGa8k_ivhGRp0jrhyphenhyphenEKnL5nWPp/s1600/Diary-of-a-wombat.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780207199950/diary-of-a-wombat" target="_blank">HarperCollins</a>, 2002</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The kind of works Monkey Baa creates require the audience to participate, allowing the children to be co-creators. Unlike television or a large-scale theatre production, Monkey Baa's form of theatre requires the audience to be part of the work. This level of engagement creates a profound learning experience: the children literally walk out of the theatre more intelligent than when they walked in.</i><br />
<br />
Jackie French (Australian Children’s Laureate, Senior Citizen of the Year & Monkey Baa Patron)</blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKj0AB1NkJ4Py3se_bdsNckgXprHPYeJo3uFNN7H7HV9kZwslTPMQ1uM8kH9PwUh0C04mAV95KjoX2dEmurK1ra4RgR6Eo4pXkQ9FwhgiAA2csolF9ONoHpTkQi643xla1cWPerjVIBAy/s1600/146937-ml-972101.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKj0AB1NkJ4Py3se_bdsNckgXprHPYeJo3uFNN7H7HV9kZwslTPMQ1uM8kH9PwUh0C04mAV95KjoX2dEmurK1ra4RgR6Eo4pXkQ9FwhgiAA2csolF9ONoHpTkQi643xla1cWPerjVIBAy/s1600/146937-ml-972101.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/contributors/727/morris-gleitzman/books" target="_blank">Penguin Books</a>, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In 2015, our Creative Directors are starting work on five new plays - including <a href="http://www.licunxin.com/" target="_blank">Li Cunxin</a>'s <i>The Peasant Prince, </i>Morris Gleitzman's<i> Once Then Now & After, </i><a href="http://www.randaabdelfattah.com/index.asp" target="_blank">Randa Abdel-Fattah</a>'s<i> Where the Streets had a Name </i>and Jackie French's<i> Diary of a Wombat</i> - and they need your help: donate to our<a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/support/clever-monkeys/" target="_blank"> Clever Monkeys</a> campaign and nominate your own Clever Monkey (aged 3-18) to share ideas, give feedback and ensure that young people’s opinions are respected and reflected through our work.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14RyvODiQj2ZbdaV5ePTsMDNa1sX3rzU0mXQCMMgXVUbA6em8bGT-4KCHs7afuyrUObFkax49pt6clL1FI3Y8iyjeCSc2cWijBZZC7sq10XVjmjO1fu0KRj_PsSMx71w3KTjAH641MspW/s1600/9780670070541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14RyvODiQj2ZbdaV5ePTsMDNa1sX3rzU0mXQCMMgXVUbA6em8bGT-4KCHs7afuyrUObFkax49pt6clL1FI3Y8iyjeCSc2cWijBZZC7sq10XVjmjO1fu0KRj_PsSMx71w3KTjAH641MspW/s1600/9780670070541.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780670070541/peasant-prince" target="_blank">Penguin Books</a>, 2007 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PavgHpjFmd6bi-YVmbblps8miLDR-qEtIVCwoQP3IuFDzTNwIMxXzSOrBVufoTsltccg50Q-rgNDRmi2vqGQCaI7kQaiY5jxzxzinT17XBtKzm7Tcf4pIsBUVDJVZVYLmL9tgRiwLDGX/s1600/9780330425261.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PavgHpjFmd6bi-YVmbblps8miLDR-qEtIVCwoQP3IuFDzTNwIMxXzSOrBVufoTsltccg50Q-rgNDRmi2vqGQCaI7kQaiY5jxzxzinT17XBtKzm7Tcf4pIsBUVDJVZVYLmL9tgRiwLDGX/s1600/9780330425261.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780330425261&Author=Abdel-Fattah,%20Randa" target="_blank">Pan MacMillan</a>, 2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-6ui7-BjyLuI8-oUrKEbCHsMW8xYYlXZtrAbOEL2_U-53Y6rJd2rsSgeuPYNx09xggAJrDWBf0-2_Liavqupa6rVsN83LrAe2COfwPEays2olrn6VrfmZvoMzZbOTmcXTDH_7BUteCxx/s1600/Where-the-Streets-Had-a-Name.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>
<br />
<b>About the Author</b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <i>Daria O'Neill is Development Manager at the Monkey Baa Theatre Company. You can find more information at <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa</a>'s website.</i><b><i> </i></b>Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-15087451598645795022015-02-24T09:54:00.000+11:002015-02-24T19:13:32.230+11:00South African NewsOn Saturday, a team from Manor Gardens Primary School in Durban won the 2015 South African Kids' Lit Quiz decisively and, with the school's strong pedigree in the Kids' Lit Quiz, appear to be early favourites for the world title.<br />
<br />
In 2011, a Manor Gardens team won the world title by the biggest margin in Kids' Lit Quiz's 24 year history and, in 2015, two teams from the school competed at the National Final. Clearly a school with a strong commitment to literacy, Manor Gardens kids have also
provided many of the book reviews for Reading for Australia - have a
look at the left sidebar for all books recommended by keen readers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtFLfYYLIuaFLdmaBwjj_74II4zHmD97ZeINDGswtfppThgsor3rt6Ee2C0M3Jx23byJJjSmFmUM_1AB235XOwk2tdUXPq0EmXVu2xKehtwL684OWRk1bI-mQmpYhh8ioTfKOKwBGnwwx/s1600/10995786_873153966059530_8185258107702602724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtFLfYYLIuaFLdmaBwjj_74II4zHmD97ZeINDGswtfppThgsor3rt6Ee2C0M3Jx23byJJjSmFmUM_1AB235XOwk2tdUXPq0EmXVu2xKehtwL684OWRk1bI-mQmpYhh8ioTfKOKwBGnwwx/s1600/10995786_873153966059530_8185258107702602724_n.jpg" height="400" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 South African team from Manor Gardens Primary School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Best of all, Manor Gardens is a state school, showing that literary excellence as well as success at the Kids' Lit Quiz is not only for "rich kids" from private schools. As South African national coordinator, Marj Brown says,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The quiz has state and independent schools. The difference between
these can sometimes be devastating: some schools don’t even have
libraries. But as a state school, Manor Gardens’ achievement shows that
wonderful things can come from well run state schools.” </blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>There is a terrific article by Nosipho Nmgoma in Durban's <i>Daily News</i> on the Manor Gardens team. You can read it <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/durban-kids-make-it-to-us-lit-quiz-1.1822085#.VOuNEMZrh-W" target="_blank">here</a>. Congratulations to Isobel, the 2015 national team and the entire Manor Gardens school community!<br />
<br />
More on South Africa in these posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-south-africa-2014-st-johns-prep.html" target="_blank">Team South Africa 2014</a> (including a review of the 2014 Phendulani Quiz)<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/south-africa-2013-by-marj-brown.html" target="_blank">South Africa 2013 by Marj Brown</a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/africa.html" target="_blank">Africa! </a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/there-and-back-again.html" target="_blank">There and Back Again</a> (report on the 2013 World Final in Durban)<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-big-five.html" target="_blank">The Big Five</a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/prisoner-44664.html" target="_blank">Prisoner 44664: master of his fate, captain of his soul</a><br />
<br />
It's <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">Australia's</a> turn next - starting with the Ipswich heat on 5 March and concluding with the National Final on 14 March in Sydney.
Let's find our best readers to take on the South African champs!Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-86442844797948599142015-02-19T08:42:00.001+11:002015-02-21T08:04:08.401+11:00Kung Hei Fat Choi!That's what we'd say in Hong Kong where the local dialect is Cantonese or, as they say in Mandarin, Gong Xi Fa Cai! They're both wishes for a prosperous new year. Happy New Year everyone!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lunar new year display in the Elements shopping centre in Hong Kong</td></tr>
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It's the year of the sheep (or if you prefer, the ram or goat) in the Chinese zodiac, starting on 19 February and ending on 7 February 2016.<br />
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Here are a couple of photos of Chinese New Year preparations in Wan Chai markets in Hong Kong.<br />
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Chinese New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. There will be family dinners with celebratory foods, <i>lai see</i>
(red packets of new money) and lion dances to bring luck to the new
year. There will be lots of flowers - plum tree blossoms, jonquils and
other flowering bulbs and there will be lots of citrus fruit trees,
particularly cumquats. There will be fireworks over Victoria Harbour and
elsewhere in China, parades and celebrations in Chinese communities all
over the world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolves in sheeps' clothing. More from the Elements display</td></tr>
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The sheep is one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. Each animal represents a year,
starting with the rat and ending, twelve years later, with the pig.<br />
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If you know the order of the animals in the zodiac you can tell how old people are.
Most children turning 12 this year are sheep, unless they were born
before 21 January in 2004 - in which case they are horses! This is
because the Chinese zodiac works on a lunar calendar.<br />
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You can learn more about the Chinese zodiac <a href="http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/sheep.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. And because we are all about books here on Reading for Australia you can see <a href="http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1708248/six-great-lunar-new-year-story-books-children" target="_blank">this link</a> to find some recommended books for children about the lunar new year. Also, the writer Mark Twain, who wrote <i>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</i> (1876) and its sequel, <i>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> (1884) is one of the more famous literary sheep!<br />
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Thanks to Virginia Hand for the photos of Chinese New Year preparations at The Elements shopping centre and the Wan Chai markets.<br />
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Kung Hei Fat Choi!<br />
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-64739235101887880672015-02-14T11:01:00.000+11:002015-02-14T11:03:35.073+11:00Happy International Book Giving Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8BlNm9z09VW97L-ZmjFUku7Etz2FoK0FXvucbJUAqW4PPmTGi1xnASP_nAHQFbHz5WKgqloiMIe5XcIX1koT0uWXo-y3a0tk5DeQR_6xwx2HvRAdGuKuxw-FDUkat4tOszfqAVcN9zVJ/s1600/Itty_Bitty_Book_Van-30_large.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.iloveporkchop.com/" target="_blank">Fiona Roberton</a>'s poster celebrates both books and Valentine's Day!</td></tr>
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What are you doing to celebrate?<br />
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Have a look <a href="http://bookgivingday.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to see what's happening around the world and here's one local story, the<a href="http://www.ittybittybookvan.com.au/" target="_blank"> Itty Bitty Book Van</a>, Australia's only travelling children's bookshop, is visiting kindergartens in Geelong.<br />
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There are lots more celebrations of books everywhere. See what's going on near you!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJsJi8OHWNVRbU8SxBXl2ZtYzMfM_835WlDP6g0WX-HLx0PRAP0pZjXpNxmQp53DMxmOzIxOzfQTKKoJgI6qIqkYIuhHkCvN77MqxjzHC7OrQkEooQjmkiusnMpAmmFiLpQvIDzU-8BMt/s1600/ibgd15_bookmark_winners.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJsJi8OHWNVRbU8SxBXl2ZtYzMfM_835WlDP6g0WX-HLx0PRAP0pZjXpNxmQp53DMxmOzIxOzfQTKKoJgI6qIqkYIuhHkCvN77MqxjzHC7OrQkEooQjmkiusnMpAmmFiLpQvIDzU-8BMt/s1600/ibgd15_bookmark_winners.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See more <a href="http://bookgivingday.com/category/bookmarks-2/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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The aim of International Book Giving Day is to get books into the hands of as many children as possible. Definitely something we should support and celebrate!<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-19553789253933423322015-02-11T12:04:00.000+11:002015-02-13T11:43:37.654+11:00Not Long Now! 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz AustraliaWith the UK, US and Canadian competitions already decided and South Africa's about to begin, the 2015 Australian Kids' Lit Quiz is less than a month away!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIdwhVHmfVZqKlehroCSM4vdPRZaAx1J6WASCV0lwBRXvBHQ8MoTyUZXs6KzHCyu89K6gdBlgc70NnA6iFW4i-MaTDRrGExkwrkOubQp8cAAqQlL3EF6KzBFw0cxb9n0usPoJI4wu4Prh/s1600/1015588_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIdwhVHmfVZqKlehroCSM4vdPRZaAx1J6WASCV0lwBRXvBHQ8MoTyUZXs6KzHCyu89K6gdBlgc70NnA6iFW4i-MaTDRrGExkwrkOubQp8cAAqQlL3EF6KzBFw0cxb9n0usPoJI4wu4Prh/s1600/1015588_orig.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Australian team at the 2014 Kids' Lit Quiz <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">world final</a> in Falmouth, Cornwall in July</td></tr>
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<h3>
Australia</h3>
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Schools in and around Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Ipswich and Orange should contact Nicole Deans (at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com) to register their best readers for the upcoming "sport of reading" tournament. It's a great way to promote literacy in school communities and to celebrate and reward good readers.<br />
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The team (of 4 readers aged between 10 and 13 years) which wins the Australian final (to be held at <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa</a>'s fabulous <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/findus/" target="_blank">Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre</a> in Darling Harbour, Sydney on Saturday, 14 March) is invited to the 2015 World Final, to be held in beautiful Connecticut, USA in July.<br />
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Click on the links to find out more about:<br />
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<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">the 2015 Australian competition</a>, <br />
how the Kids' Lit Quiz <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/spring-has-sprung.html" target="_blank">promotes literacy</a> in schools,<br />
what previous participants and educators say about their <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/about.html" target="_blank">Kids' Lit Quiz experiences</a>,<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/stripes-and-stars-queensland-2014.html" target="_blank">Stripes and Stars</a>: 2014 Queensland heat <br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/kings-and-queens-insects-and-mice.html" target="_blank">Kings and Queens, Insects and Mice</a>: 2014 NSW regional heat (Orange) <br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/cannibalism-and-other-stories.html" target="_blank">Cannibalism and other stories</a>: 2014 ACT heat<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-day-kids-lit-quiz-came-to-south.html" target="_blank">The day the Kids' Lit Quiz came to south-west Sydney</a>: 2014 Sydney heat<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-2014-australian-final.html" target="_blank">2014 Australian Final</a> <br />
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After the jump there's more information about what's been happening around the world in the 2015 Kids' Lit Quiz - great books are being read everywhere!<br />
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United Kingdom</h3>
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Each year, the Kids' Lit Quiz calendar kicks off in the United Kingdom in November. With 18 regional heats (and growing!) the UK competition is the largest domestic competition in the Kids' Lit Quiz family. Heats are held in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with over 400 schools competing throughout the UK.<br />
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You can read more about all the 2015 UK competition heats <a href="http://kidslitquiz.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>. I've copied Quiz Master <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2014/06/tzar-retires-but-kids-lit-quiz-reign-continues.html#.U7TX0wPUxlo.facebook" target="_blank">Wayne Mills'</a> report on the 2015 UK national final below. Congratulations to Litcham School, the 2015 UK national team.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 UK national team with author Anthony Horowitz and quizmaster Wayne Mills.<br />
Photo credit: KT Bruce Photography.</td></tr>
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<i>After a see-saw tussle between several teams, Litcham School won this year's UK National Final.</i><br />
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<i>Unfortunately Ermysted Grammar School arrived late and may have challenged for the lead if their train had not been delayed; as it was, they came second. Three schools tied for third place, but in a "sudden death" play-off, this position was won by Comberton Village School. </i><br />
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<i>Today's winning team (Amelia, Sam, Eleanor and Madeleine) and their coach Cathy Berry went away with travel bags from Serco, a cheque from MLS towards their international travel, books & tee-shirts from Walker Books, teddy bears and a trophy from Softlink, goodie bags from Scholastic and MacMillan, a subscription to Discovery World by Bayard Press, opportunities to attend a SLA Training Day, the UK KLQ National Cup and an invitation to attend the KLQ World Final in Connecticut in 2015.</i><br />
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</i> <i>Our guest speaker, Anthony Horowitz, wished all the teams well and the day's proceedings were masterly conducted by Alec Williams. </i><br />
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<i>Our authors, Lindsey Barraclough, Margaret Bateson-Hill, Jo Franklin, Alan Gibbons, Frances Hardinge, Marie-Louise Jensen, Sally Nicholls, Samira Osman, Mark Robson and Teri Terry lead the teams in to the hall to their respective places. </i><br />
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<i>The venue was the magnificent Great Hall at King's College Wimbledon where we were made extremely welcome and treated to a wonderful celebration tea, which included an enormous KLQ cake. </i><br />
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<i>Many thanks to Anne Beddoe and Helen Pugh who were the local organisers, and to Jacky Atkinson, Gaynor Cooper, Barbara Hickford, and the rest of the National committee. Looking forward to meeting you all again next year.</i><br />
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<i>Happy reading, </i><br />
<i>Wayne. </i><br />
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<h3>
USA</h3>
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Next on the Kids' Lit Quiz calendar is the US competition, held at the end of January. The 2015 US national team comes from Sedgwick Middle School, Connecticut. The team won't have far to travel to the World Final which will be staged in Hartford, Connecticut in July this year!<br />
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The Kids' Lit Quiz is relatively new to the US, starting there in 2011 (it was introduced to Australia in 2012) and Sedgwick Middle School also produced the 2014 team which competed at the world final in Falmouth Cornwall last year. Here's a report from the Middletown Press on the <a href="http://www.middletownpress.com/general-news/20150208/keigwin-book-lovers-place-third-in-lit-quiz" target="_blank">2015 US competition</a>, another <a href="http://news.hamlethub.com/norfolkcanaan/life/639-botelle-school-reading-for-a-trip-to-world-finals" target="_blank">report</a> on this year's competition and a link to the Kids' Lit Quiz US <a href="http://www.reading.ccsu.edu/klq/klqus.html" target="_blank">site</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Canada</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJlS8t8VENMJEsKsMCX6vCq9qGtFhgbMBU-a8f6q9YYnySZ7AspEokbqep0xAPeu96WVPFOvqOXvndEFtswpVKdTav_IoYf9EnwJ_a7VpBuXf1P_UNjYC4PuwoErHpGYJ8muc5O3LI0fc/s1600/53451whiterockKidsLitQuiz-ng02061509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJlS8t8VENMJEsKsMCX6vCq9qGtFhgbMBU-a8f6q9YYnySZ7AspEokbqep0xAPeu96WVPFOvqOXvndEFtswpVKdTav_IoYf9EnwJ_a7VpBuXf1P_UNjYC4PuwoErHpGYJ8muc5O3LI0fc/s1600/53451whiterockKidsLitQuiz-ng02061509.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 Canadian national team. Photo credit: Nick Greenizan. PeaceArch News, 6 February 2015</td></tr>
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<br />
Decided only days ago, at the national final on Monday, the 2015 Canadian national team comes from Southridge School in British Columbia. This is a huge achievement as this is the first year that the competition has been run in British Columbia, having started in Toronto in 2011.<br />
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You can read more about the Canadian competition here, in (National Coordinator) Nancy Davidson's <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-canada-2014-in-review.html" target="_blank">review</a> of the 2014 competition and about the 2015 national team in an article from the <a href="http://www.peacearchnews.com/community/291084401.html#.VNl_5SCBUb0.facebook" target="_blank">PeaceArch News</a>, (written before they won the national title.) Congratulations to all!<br />
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<h3>
South Africa</h3>
<br />
Next up, South Africa! The heats start this Friday (the 13th!) in Cape Town and conclude with the national final in Johannesburg on 21 February. Good luck everyone!<br />
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You can read more about the South Africa and the Kids' Lit Quiz in these posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-south-africa-2014-st-johns-prep.html" target="_blank">Team South Africa 2014</a> (including a review of the 2014 Phendulani Quiz)<br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/south-africa-2013-by-marj-brown.html" target="_blank">South Africa 2013 by Marj Brown</a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/africa.html" target="_blank">Africa! </a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/there-and-back-again.html" target="_blank">There and Back Again</a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-big-five.html" target="_blank">The Big Five</a><br />
<a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/prisoner-44664.html" target="_blank">Prisoner 44664: master of his fate, captain of his soul</a><br />
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<h3>
Finally!</h3>
<br />
Here's a <a href="http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/features/storysellers?page=1" target="_blank">report</a> from The Economist on the 2014 world final in Cornwall, England, giving a good insight into the role the Kids' Lit Quiz plays in promoting reading and advancing literacy around the world in a unique, entertaining way. <br />
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It's easy for Australian schools to join the international Kids' Lit Quiz family. Simply email <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/lucky-by-nicole-deans.html" target="_blank">Nicole Deans</a> to register for Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's 2015 competition and give your students an opportunity to discover and extend their love of reading with like-minded communities of readers throughout the world.Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-83217167198151974212014-11-15T21:00:00.000+11:002015-02-13T11:56:05.508+11:00Literacy: A passion, a skill set and an asset for lifeA huge thank you to Jo Burnell and <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/" target="_blank">Kids' Book Review</a> for showcasing Reading for Australia in Kids' Book Review's November newsletter and on the main website. You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on this <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/p/kbr-newsletter.html" target="_blank">link</a> - it's FREE! - and read the whole article <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/11/literacy-passion-skill-set-and-asset.html#more" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8u7hS34PSJrgMJIKE2Dl6r2QCPkA3Cbu90OSieoS7bmGhSMliaSLrvakKvsI4lpPYQJjGPv9rP5Vj13lyP_0mipPc4aWac0ege0J2l_FdsIwx07LRyNqQeFMXh6CIMEI9Lo4FVhBj5Ve/s1600/IMG_3107-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8u7hS34PSJrgMJIKE2Dl6r2QCPkA3Cbu90OSieoS7bmGhSMliaSLrvakKvsI4lpPYQJjGPv9rP5Vj13lyP_0mipPc4aWac0ege0J2l_FdsIwx07LRyNqQeFMXh6CIMEI9Lo4FVhBj5Ve/s1600/IMG_3107-2.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda with Sunny, the <a href="http://www.spca.org.hk/en/about-us/who-we-are" target="_blank">SPCA</a> rescued dog, enjoying the Canberra spring weather, the roses and some good books</td></tr>
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<br />
Please contact Nicole Deans at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com about the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/kids-lit-quiz-australia-2015-competition.html" target="_blank">2015 Australian Quiz</a> and Linda De Silva at readingforaustralia@gmail.com to learn more about Reading for Australia.<br />
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-88290882880616772732014-10-31T12:13:00.002+11:002015-02-13T12:04:57.662+11:00Kids' Lit Quiz Australia: 2015 CompetitionIn case you missed our earlier announcement, the 2015 Australian regional heats will be held between 5 and 13 March next year. The 2015 Australian national team will be decided at the National Final on 14 March at <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/news/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa Theatre</a> Company's Lend Lease Darling Quarter <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/findus/" target="_blank">Theatre</a> in Sydney. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnA-6eNTrBFUQsdfZH5BdN74AavA7wLn2Cbge2qt-WdpssGNyhtXbROYfXC8QqV4ViYIqbN8xAyxqEjTePRgrp5ak2vcryUNjovRZuNGPSn-P9R2p_aVoAu_6UcpBJ4UY_Y9qV1XgKTv/s1600/1015588_orig+cropped+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnA-6eNTrBFUQsdfZH5BdN74AavA7wLn2Cbge2qt-WdpssGNyhtXbROYfXC8QqV4ViYIqbN8xAyxqEjTePRgrp5ak2vcryUNjovRZuNGPSn-P9R2p_aVoAu_6UcpBJ4UY_Y9qV1XgKTv/s1600/1015588_orig+cropped+.jpg" height="356" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Australian national team in Cornwall for the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">2014 world final</a></td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The 2015 World Final will be hosted by Kids' Lit Quiz, USA in Connecticut in July next year.</span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">2015 Dates, Times and Venues</span></h2>
<br />
QUEENSLAND<br />
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Ipswich heat, Thursday 5 March at <a href="http://www.iggs.qld.edu.au/" target="_blank">Ipswich Girls Grammar School</a> from 9.30am to 12.30pm.<br />
Brisbane heat, Friday 6 March at <a href="https://www.google.com.au/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=1GojVOqQCaeN8Qf9koC4Bw&gws_rd=ssl#q=bulimba+state+school" target="_blank">Bulimba State School</a> from 9.30am to 12.30pm. <br />
<br />
NEW SOUTH WALES <br />
<br />
Orange heat, Tuesday 10 March at <a href="http://www.kws.nsw.edu.au/" target="_blank">Kinross Wolaroi School</a> from 10am to 1pm.<br />
Sydney heat, Friday 13 March at <a href="http://dev.cerdon.nsw.edu.au/" target="_blank">Cerdon College Merrylands</a> from 10am to 1pm.<br />
<br />
ACT<br />
<br />
Canberra heat, Wednesday 11 March at <a href="http://www.cgs.act.edu.au/" target="_blank">Canberra Grammar School</a> from 10am to 1pm.<br />
<br />
NATIONAL FINAL<br />
<br />
Saturday 14 March at the <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa Theatre Company's</a> Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre, Darling Harbour, Sydney from 1pm to 3pm.<br />
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Registration is now open and interested schools can contact Australian National Coordinator, Nicole Deans at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com with enquiries. There's also more information on this site at <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">2015 Australian Quiz</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/p/faq-kids-lit-quiz-australia.html" target="_blank">FAQ: Kids' Lit Quiz Australia</a>. Also see this <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/09/spring-has-sprung.html#more" target="_blank">letter</a> to teachers, librarians and teacher-librarians from <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2013/06/lucky-by-nicole-deans.html" target="_blank">Nicole Deans</a> and the quizmaster and founder of Kids' Lit Quiz International, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/05/welcome-by-wayne-mills.html" target="_blank">Wayne Mills</a> explaining how the Kids' Lit Quiz can build literacy in schools in a fun and exciting way.<br />
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After the jump there's some helpful information about the Quiz from Nicole Deans as well as links to reports on the 2014 regional heats and Australian final.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy7kgbowLbTYSSFA0TXI22xvt4wU0xb5mfDZ2xoDTNNJVx8jDDTr6fwkmtmbuTvD4A5nYHF3O6Cda7POlmNQ7PhmKFuN015BiHjXYx1h8CL1HI2aRDgZlkNP4KsfFIVzJA3qvBD2Rdi-C/s1600/Orange+Heat+2014+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy7kgbowLbTYSSFA0TXI22xvt4wU0xb5mfDZ2xoDTNNJVx8jDDTr6fwkmtmbuTvD4A5nYHF3O6Cda7POlmNQ7PhmKFuN015BiHjXYx1h8CL1HI2aRDgZlkNP4KsfFIVzJA3qvBD2Rdi-C/s1600/Orange+Heat+2014+2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/kings-and-queens-insects-and-mice.html" target="_blank">Orange</a> heat</td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Helpful Information by Nicole Deans</span> </h2>
<br />
Each heat has a unique set of questions with ten short answer questions on each of ten categories with the children answering a total of 100 questions. In the heat the children write their answer as generally the answers are usually only one or two words. The children find out the ten categories when they arrive at which point they choose the category they want to be their ‘Joker’ round where they can earn double points. This became very important in all our heats, but especially in NSW where there was only a point between first and second. A wise choice for the Joker round can make a big difference!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicorGNaLgy3_bSji2kwiMNcUcj7fGQCwPX9qYcmk4xJjedpxeJa0rJD01O0nElre7RGI4xxAiiTcGsk4EB7McRhtQZAgbP4MghufXvTgsuk_MlzAefw8pMjITdSGPqnq9l1g_TVEpQQi-d/s1600/DSC04852.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicorGNaLgy3_bSji2kwiMNcUcj7fGQCwPX9qYcmk4xJjedpxeJa0rJD01O0nElre7RGI4xxAiiTcGsk4EB7McRhtQZAgbP4MghufXvTgsuk_MlzAefw8pMjITdSGPqnq9l1g_TVEpQQi-d/s1600/DSC04852.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the teams, including the authors team, at the 2014 Queensland heat in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/stripes-and-stars-queensland-2014.html" target="_blank">Ipswich</a> </td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">So how does Kids’ Lit Quiz work?</span></h2>
<br />
Heats are run locally where there is a coordinator willing to organize a venue large enough to hold a minimum of 12 teams of four students as well as ‘spectators’ that can include teachers, parents, other students and members of the community as well as authors there to cheer along their team (in the UK in 2013 they had to turn teams away as there were already over 50 teams taking part in one heat.)<br />
<br />
Wayne Mills comes along and runs each of the heats that take three hours. This ensures consistency, while at the same time, each of the heats has a unique set of questions.<br />
<br />
When teams arrive for their heats they are allocated a table and are given the opportunity to see the ten categories that the questions will be based on. (In NSW in 2012 the categories included Aliases, Bears, Birds, Book Knowledge, Cars, Dogs, Gods, Harry Potter, Symbols and Music.) The children have the opportunity to choose one category as their ‘Joker’ round where they can double their points.<br />
<br />
At the end of each round of ten questions, while the scores are being marked, Wayne asks the audience questions and a member of the audience has the opportunity to win a book or book voucher or even cash by answering a question usually based on the category the team has just done.<br />
<br />
The winning team of each round wins a book each for its members. Each team can only win a round once, so 40 children will go home with a book!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIzSHCj8aozLt_H0Ljo6fg2e1svPsf-wV9AS1RvhQ9m2XcbYNU6blL-DONcGqo4Rtsw_f_6jPBOwkdRCC6Vs27elGmI2UohJIbjBpTYJgfLwjFNGRyqPgBvb8_DNoO0UrX0nU4z0EW2S1/s1600/Winners+Sydney+Heats.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIzSHCj8aozLt_H0Ljo6fg2e1svPsf-wV9AS1RvhQ9m2XcbYNU6blL-DONcGqo4Rtsw_f_6jPBOwkdRCC6Vs27elGmI2UohJIbjBpTYJgfLwjFNGRyqPgBvb8_DNoO0UrX0nU4z0EW2S1/s1600/Winners+Sydney+Heats.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winners at the 2014 <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-day-kids-lit-quiz-came-to-south.html" target="_blank">Sydney</a> heat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The winner of each heat will be invited to the National Final and will be given some money to assist in transporting the team to the National Final.<br />
<br />
The National Final has less rounds, but more questions per round and instead of writing the answers the children press a buzzer to answer. The questions are also longer and start harder, getting easier as the question progresses, so team work is really important. The children also receive two points for a correct answer, but lose one point for an incorrect answer, so some strategic thinking comes into play.<br />
<br />
The winning team of the National Final is invited to take place in the World Final which, in 2015, will be held in Connecticut, USA in July 2015.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">So, who can take part?</span></h2>
<br />
Children in Years 5, 6 or 7 (year 8 children can be included if they are of an eligible age) from any school. Children need to be aged from 10 years to 13 years (Children need to be under 14 as of 1st July 2015) Schools can enter two teams of four students in each heat.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">How can we train?</span></h2>
<br />
Read, read, read!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtMPRQeuPipW0uXa5l4e9CjqwQ7o1xnjRBsap17AG5c0Y8A6j2ZrnRue0q4h-mLpq7dYXrw0pOgAUPef1FcYdpOlVwlZosD3gTqTjyOTsp2sDFIk-NRLGETSCwEOHpt1QGgvffiNvNuk/s1600/ACT+heat05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtMPRQeuPipW0uXa5l4e9CjqwQ7o1xnjRBsap17AG5c0Y8A6j2ZrnRue0q4h-mLpq7dYXrw0pOgAUPef1FcYdpOlVwlZosD3gTqTjyOTsp2sDFIk-NRLGETSCwEOHpt1QGgvffiNvNuk/s1600/ACT+heat05.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun at the 2014 ACT heat in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/cannibalism-and-other-stories.html" target="_blank">Canberra</a>. Copyright, William Hall Photography, 2014.<br />
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</tbody></table>
<br />
Use the pre-test questions to get a feel for the types of questions you might get asked at the heat.<br />
<br />
Start a Kids’ Lit Quiz club at your school where children can discuss a range of books and practise working in teams to answer questions.<br />
<br />
Visit www.kidslitquiz.com and explore the questions, including samples of questions asked in the Finals.<br />
<br />
Visit readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au and share your reading with our Kids’ Lit Quiz community, find out about lots of fantastic authors and ask questions of other readers.<br />
<br />
Run your own Kids’ Lit Quiz at your school and get lots of kids involved in the Sport of Reading. (The children might like to bring a gold coin to enter and this could be used to help fund entry for your team.) Some schools do this to help select their teams.<br />
<br />
Take part in the Premier's Reading Challenge and other read-a-thons to expand the range reading taking place.<br />
<br />
Explore a range of books from a range of genres including award-winning books, books that have been made into movies and don’t forget your classics including fairy tales and nursery rhymes.<br />
<br />
Have some knowledge about authors and illustrators as well as general facts about books.<br />
<br />
Give your enthusiastic readers an area to be an ‘expert’ in and get them to share their knowledge.<br />
<br />
Give children the opportunity to write their own questions to test their peers or to use in your own quiz.<br />
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And last of all KEEP READING!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj4BZRx9vCyGF_tDfkvNgpCwSO7vzZNnSBfprd4FANZUvHBJq1KVIs_Z8QBRV0IIuTuCzg2hUNpdylaUQv6OnySVakaauKVFf9ek5GutYslS_sonRtQk4fICZFRcMQIrrYqEzbRW8UhBC/s1600/DSC04927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj4BZRx9vCyGF_tDfkvNgpCwSO7vzZNnSBfprd4FANZUvHBJq1KVIs_Z8QBRV0IIuTuCzg2hUNpdylaUQv6OnySVakaauKVFf9ek5GutYslS_sonRtQk4fICZFRcMQIrrYqEzbRW8UhBC/s1600/DSC04927.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 Australian <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kids-lit-quiz-2014-australian-final.html" target="_blank">national final</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-27878156132774870202014-09-18T09:54:00.000+10:002014-09-18T10:56:31.991+10:00Book Review - City of Lost Souls<b>City of Lost Souls</b> by Cassandra Clare (Walker Books, 2013)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8vl5e1Qv8_kVHRX7YqqHNwUcsGJqf6WKkbBYpiXQ18gJBd9LcVJSu2m0mmmloshYQBDDVSX361uu9LNirIY22FbSrES0qZFk0ZLkWvdczEXWDw_yZ1Mec336gTl41bT7AOEAWI64nhg8/s1600/city+of+lost+souls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8vl5e1Qv8_kVHRX7YqqHNwUcsGJqf6WKkbBYpiXQ18gJBd9LcVJSu2m0mmmloshYQBDDVSX361uu9LNirIY22FbSrES0qZFk0ZLkWvdczEXWDw_yZ1Mec336gTl41bT7AOEAWI64nhg8/s1600/city+of+lost+souls.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
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<br />
<i>Nick, 12, Canberra</i><br />
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<i>City of Lost Souls</i> is the fifth book, in the highly-acclaimed <i>Mortal Instruments</i> series by Cassandra Clare. It is the sequel to <i>City of Fallen Angels</i>, and is followed by <i>City of Heavenly Fire</i>. The series started with <i>City of Bones</i>, and has a prequel series, entitled <i>The Infernal Devices</i>. <br />
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Set in contemporary New York, <i>The Mortal Instruments</i> series follows the story of Clarissa Fray, a teenage girl who discovers she is a Shadowhunter - a race of beings descended from angels who have sworn to destroy all demons.<br />
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Throughout the series, Clary and her Shadowhunter friends encounter vampires,warlocks, fae, demons and other mythical creatures. Because of these adventures, Clary realises that New York is city like no other, that it has many sides, and so the titles of the books all start with 'City of......' <br />
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In <i>City of Lost Souls</i>, Clary's friend Jace has been possessed by a demon and, as a result, has turned evil. Jace's possession leads to discord and tension between the group. Friendships dissolve, family members become estranged and people die; it is a city of lost souls. <br />
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Although <i>City of Lost Souls</i> is not as good as the first book in the series (<i>City of Bones</i>), I enjoyed it, and am eager to see how the series will end. I believe this book is in the fantasy genre, and would appeal to a 10+ audience. Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-44135917931581964292014-09-12T09:44:00.000+10:002014-10-31T14:55:54.522+11:00A Letter from Nicole and WayneSpring has sprung and lots has happened since I last posted.<br />
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I'll be posting some of the book news I've noted over the last month or so soon. But first, there's some exciting news on the Kids' Lit Quiz Australia front!<br />
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The 2015 competition has been announced! In the week of 5 March, there'll be 5 heats (in Ipswich, Brisbane, Orange, Canberra and Sydney) before the Australian final is held on Saturday 14 March at the <a href="http://monkeybaa.com.au/info/news/" target="_blank">Monkey Baa</a> Theatre, Darling Harbour in Sydney. There's more information at <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/p/2014-australian-quiz.html" target="_blank">2015 Australian Quiz</a> and <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/p/faq-kids-lit-quiz-australia.html" target="_blank">FAQ: Kids' Lit Quiz Australia</a>.<br />
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After the jump, there's a letter from the Australian coordinator, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2013/06/lucky-by-nicole-deans.html" target="_blank">Nicole Deans</a> and the quizmaster and founder of Kids' Lit Quiz International, <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/05/welcome-by-wayne-mills.html" target="_blank">Wayne Mills</a> to teachers, librarians and teacher-librarians explaining how the Kids' Lit Quiz competition can build literacy in schools in a fun and exciting way.<br />
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Attention: School Librarian or Head of English<br />
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Welcome to the 2015 Australian heats of the International Kids’ Lit Quiz. This is a literary quiz which aims to broaden students’ knowledge and encourage a love of reading. It is open to students aged between 10 and 13 years.<br />
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The international success of the Kids’ Lit Quiz is supported by contemporary research. The quiz stimulates wide reading, improves vocabulary and content knowledge and importantly encourages students to read for pleasure.<br />
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Because we understand that selecting a team may take time, a pre-test is made available to you that may assist your school’s selection. The pre-test is intended to be given to a team rather than an individual. All you really need, however, is a group of four students who read widely. The team then works collaboratively during the quiz to answer 100 questions in ten categories. The categories are diverse in order to cater for all reading tastes. Book prizes are awarded and there are prizes for the winning team. The event lasts for three hours, with a twenty-minute break at the halfway point.<br />
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Known as ‘the sport of reading’ the Kids’ Lit Quiz encourages students to broaden their reading and creates an awareness of genre, authors and titles. The competition is designed to be huge fun, with an element of competition, personal challenge and reward that is seldom available to children whose passion is reading. Just taking part in one of the regional heats provides important experiences that many children may not otherwise have.<br />
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The World Final of the Quiz is held in July each year. The 2015 the World Final is being held in Connecticut, USA and we would like to offer this year’s winning team from Australia an invitation to attend this event in July.<br />
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We look forward to receiving your entry.<br />
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Please do not hesitate to contact Nicole Deans, the Australian Co-ordinator, at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com if you need any further information. The Kids’ Lit Quiz website is: www.kidslitquiz.com.<br />
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Good luck!<br />
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Nicole Deans & Wayne Mills MNZM<br />
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If you want to read more about the fun reading can bring, click on the links in the photo captions, below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnA-6eNTrBFUQsdfZH5BdN74AavA7wLn2Cbge2qt-WdpssGNyhtXbROYfXC8QqV4ViYIqbN8xAyxqEjTePRgrp5ak2vcryUNjovRZuNGPSn-P9R2p_aVoAu_6UcpBJ4UY_Y9qV1XgKTv/s1600/1015588_orig+cropped+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnA-6eNTrBFUQsdfZH5BdN74AavA7wLn2Cbge2qt-WdpssGNyhtXbROYfXC8QqV4ViYIqbN8xAyxqEjTePRgrp5ak2vcryUNjovRZuNGPSn-P9R2p_aVoAu_6UcpBJ4UY_Y9qV1XgKTv/s1600/1015588_orig+cropped+.jpg" height="356" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2014 Australian national team in Cornwall for the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.tw/2014/07/its-been-while.html" target="_blank">world final</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy7kgbowLbTYSSFA0TXI22xvt4wU0xb5mfDZ2xoDTNNJVx8jDDTr6fwkmtmbuTvD4A5nYHF3O6Cda7POlmNQ7PhmKFuN015BiHjXYx1h8CL1HI2aRDgZlkNP4KsfFIVzJA3qvBD2Rdi-C/s1600/Orange+Heat+2014+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy7kgbowLbTYSSFA0TXI22xvt4wU0xb5mfDZ2xoDTNNJVx8jDDTr6fwkmtmbuTvD4A5nYHF3O6Cda7POlmNQ7PhmKFuN015BiHjXYx1h8CL1HI2aRDgZlkNP4KsfFIVzJA3qvBD2Rdi-C/s1600/Orange+Heat+2014+2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/kings-and-queens-insects-and-mice.html" target="_blank">Orange</a> heat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIzSHCj8aozLt_H0Ljo6fg2e1svPsf-wV9AS1RvhQ9m2XcbYNU6blL-DONcGqo4Rtsw_f_6jPBOwkdRCC6Vs27elGmI2UohJIbjBpTYJgfLwjFNGRyqPgBvb8_DNoO0UrX0nU4z0EW2S1/s1600/Winners+Sydney+Heats.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIzSHCj8aozLt_H0Ljo6fg2e1svPsf-wV9AS1RvhQ9m2XcbYNU6blL-DONcGqo4Rtsw_f_6jPBOwkdRCC6Vs27elGmI2UohJIbjBpTYJgfLwjFNGRyqPgBvb8_DNoO0UrX0nU4z0EW2S1/s1600/Winners+Sydney+Heats.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winners at the 2014 <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-day-kids-lit-quiz-came-to-south.html" target="_blank">Sydney</a> heat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicorGNaLgy3_bSji2kwiMNcUcj7fGQCwPX9qYcmk4xJjedpxeJa0rJD01O0nElre7RGI4xxAiiTcGsk4EB7McRhtQZAgbP4MghufXvTgsuk_MlzAefw8pMjITdSGPqnq9l1g_TVEpQQi-d/s1600/DSC04852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicorGNaLgy3_bSji2kwiMNcUcj7fGQCwPX9qYcmk4xJjedpxeJa0rJD01O0nElre7RGI4xxAiiTcGsk4EB7McRhtQZAgbP4MghufXvTgsuk_MlzAefw8pMjITdSGPqnq9l1g_TVEpQQi-d/s1600/DSC04852.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the teams, including the authors team, at the 2014 Queensland heat in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/stripes-and-stars-queensland-2014.html" target="_blank">Ipswich</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtMPRQeuPipW0uXa5l4e9CjqwQ7o1xnjRBsap17AG5c0Y8A6j2ZrnRue0q4h-mLpq7dYXrw0pOgAUPef1FcYdpOlVwlZosD3gTqTjyOTsp2sDFIk-NRLGETSCwEOHpt1QGgvffiNvNuk/s1600/ACT+heat05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtMPRQeuPipW0uXa5l4e9CjqwQ7o1xnjRBsap17AG5c0Y8A6j2ZrnRue0q4h-mLpq7dYXrw0pOgAUPef1FcYdpOlVwlZosD3gTqTjyOTsp2sDFIk-NRLGETSCwEOHpt1QGgvffiNvNuk/s1600/ACT+heat05.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun at the 2014 ACT heat in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/cannibalism-and-other-stories.html" target="_blank">Canberra</a>. Copyright, William Hall Photography, 2014.</td></tr>
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Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-71119383777743873592014-08-21T08:56:00.000+10:002014-08-21T08:56:04.362+10:00Book Expo AustraliaIf you're in or around Sydney next weekend, check out <a href="http://www.bookexpoaustralia.com/">Book Expo Australia</a> at the Sydney Showground, Olympic Park in Sydney during the weekend of 30-31 August 2014.<br />
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The organisers say, "Book Expo Australia is the nation’s largest dedicated event for authors and publishers and is the first event of its type in 20 years. We expect 10,000 visitors over the weekend, ranging from journalists, bookshop owners, book reviewers/bloggers, booktubers, teachers, librarians and families."<br />
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The event is designed to promote Australian publishers and authors and supports the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. There's more information on Book Expo Australia's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bookexpoaustralia/timeline" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page. <br />
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Check it out, book lovers!<br />
<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-66686309514797098822014-08-19T09:04:00.001+10:002014-08-19T09:13:36.135+10:00Get caught reading!In the lead up to <a href="https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/indigenous-literacy-day.html" target="_blank">Indigenous Literacy Day</a> on 3 September, the <a href="http://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/" target="_blank">Indigenous Literacy Foundation</a> is encouraging all of Australia to <a href="https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/get-caught-reading-intro" target="_blank">get caught reading</a>, a fun part of its mission to raise funds to help literacy across Australia.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugz8A9tSVTDp_AedWChnIcRWKneGZS8D_DGjFrh0xI_4Ej5oPqEnKriDp8t9p18BSBMQV-7nEJX4llBBzhO6P5s3Q-PnzapRniaAkif7z_NTzbeFFhdhYjZpOYksQOKAhe9rmzmd4enOZ/s1600/ilf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugz8A9tSVTDp_AedWChnIcRWKneGZS8D_DGjFrh0xI_4Ej5oPqEnKriDp8t9p18BSBMQV-7nEJX4llBBzhO6P5s3Q-PnzapRniaAkif7z_NTzbeFFhdhYjZpOYksQOKAhe9rmzmd4enOZ/s1600/ilf.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're never too young to enjoy books! Photo from the ILF's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndigenousLiteracyFoundation/photos/a.225996414108209.49711.220840167957167/772786916095820/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.</td></tr>
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The 2014 Australian Kids Lit Quiz national team raised funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in its own <a href="https://www.chuffed.org/project/reading-for-australia/" target="_blank">fundraiser</a> in June. Readers themselves, they are keenly aware of the opportunities reading and literacy bring and wanted to also raise awareness of the literacy needs of Indigenous communities in Australia.<br />
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As the ILF says, can
you imagine not being able to read? Not all Australians have the same
access to books and literacy resources which means many children never
learn to read. Remote Indigenous communities across Australia simply
don't have enough books, the right kinds of books or sometimes, books in
homes.<br />
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Help make a difference. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference. As little as $5 can help put books in the hands of a child.Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-8615479987466747322014-08-04T17:06:00.000+10:002014-08-04T18:01:57.965+10:00Book Review - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<b>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</b> by Mark Haddon (Johnathan Cape, 2003)<br />
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<i>by Justin, 11, Johannesburg</i><br />
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<b>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</b> is about a boy called Christopher Boone who suffers from Asperger's syndrome which means he struggles with people's emotions and is very smart. He decides to write a book which is the story about him trying to find out who killed his neighbour's dog. He also lives with his father after his mom 'dies' from cancer.<br />
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It is a truly beautiful book and is my favourite because I know how he feels because I also suffer from Asperger's and ADD. It has been made into a play and is a must read. <br />
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209757345530770778.post-67424322395196307552014-07-29T12:17:00.001+10:002014-10-31T14:45:41.163+11:00Cornwall 2014: Kids' Lit Quiz World FinalIt's been a while...<br />
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When I wrote my last post over a month ago (on Friday the 13th - in hindsight, an obviously inauspicious date), I did intend to report on the Kids' Lit Quiz world final on 8 July. However, extensive travel over the last month, with often dodgy internet connections and long summery days filled with other happenings, quickly put paid to my good intentions. <br />
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I hope that no one has been anxiously waiting for Kids' Lit Quiz news over this last month. But if you have, then wait no longer! Here, at last, is my report on the 2014 World Final in Falmouth, Cornwall earlier this month.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2014 World Champion team from the City of London School for Girls</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>Congratulations to the UK national team from the City of London School for Girls, the 2014 World Champions. <br />
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The UK team's steady progress in the first half combined with its stellar performance in round 9 (Book Titles) saw the team, third at the half time break, move past South Africa to be 3 points behind first placed Australia at the start of the 10th and final round. You can read CLSG's report on the world final <a href="http://www.clsg.org.uk/news/?pid=0&nid=1&storyid=61" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners up, Team Australia from Canberra Grammar School</td></tr>
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At the end, the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/team-australia-2014-canberra-grammar.html" target="_blank">Australian team</a> placed second by a heartbreaking two points (one correct question). After leading for the entire competition and taking a convincing 7 point lead into the 9th round, Australia was pipped at the post by Team UK's strong finish. Have a look at the Australian coach's review of the world final, <a href="http://klqteamaustralia2014.weebly.com/blog/oh-sooooo-close" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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It was a nail-biting, heart pounding competition. As with all sport, luck goes hand-in-hand with skill and knowledge. The Australian team was lucky that the round 6 topic, Mythical Creatures, was an area of expertise and less fortunate with the last topic, Toys in Books, which was their least successful round. All of the national teams were worthy contenders and, while the Australian team worked well together, it needed (but did not find) just a little more luck to maintain a start-to-finish lead against competitors of this calibre. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2htGXuzVYsHHIg1jchQAMzRwPCUQ5W3qsgc4MY1AC6zdwusCwkzWrB4EbFUmazOP_Pn1u18AgH2N2JYFPL_5A7zKUtSVHl4SqqMkNPZm477CGiIo0dkGvbuAu81L4AHaOLVS2e3IEuoi/s1600/dayofSm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2htGXuzVYsHHIg1jchQAMzRwPCUQ5W3qsgc4MY1AC6zdwusCwkzWrB4EbFUmazOP_Pn1u18AgH2N2JYFPL_5A7zKUtSVHl4SqqMkNPZm477CGiIo0dkGvbuAu81L4AHaOLVS2e3IEuoi/s1600/dayofSm.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third Place, Team New Zealand from Awakeri School</td></tr>
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New Zealand performed well in round 8 (Nursery Rhymes) to take third place after trailing early in the competition.You can find Awakeri School's account of its' team's world final experience on its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Awakeri-Primarys-Kids-Lit-Team/677168578998065?fref=nf" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.<br />
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After congratulations and commiserations were widely dispensed, everyone seemed to quickly pick up their previous conversations (mostly about books, of course) and it was on to the Gala Dinner and the other entertainments of the week. As is the Kids' Lit Quiz way, the kids (from every team) bonded over their mutual love of books and, at the week's end, email addresses were exchanged and plans made to keep in touch. <br />
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We are enormously proud of our team and congratulate all the national teams on their performances too. As author <a href="http://www.timbowler.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tim Bowler</a> said at the World Final, we acknowledge and celebrate your reading skills and, regardless of your results on the day, in our eyes you are all winners because you are readers. <br />
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For more information on the 2014 world final, please also see:<br />
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The <a href="http://rsgclib.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Canadian team's blog</a>;<br />
Kids' Lit Quiz <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KidsLitQuizCanada?fref=ts" target="_blank">Canada's Facebook</a> page; and<br />
Kids' Lit Quiz <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KidsLitQuizSA?fref=ts" target="_blank">South Africa's Facebook</a> page.<br />
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The week in <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/cornwall-2014.html" target="_blank">Cornwall</a> was the prize for each national team and it was jam-packed with activities designed to interest and excite these young readers. Have a look at the links provided above and you'll see how much the children enjoyed the thoughtfully constructed program Cornwall 2014 provided. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the achievement of some of the world's best readers.<br />
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Huge thanks to the UK national coordinator, Jacky Atkinson, the UK Kids' Lit Quiz committee and the Cornwall committee (especially Megan and Katherine whose warm welcome and care was appreciated by everyone) for putting together such a wonderful program and then hosting and organising the large contingent throughout the week. <br />
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Also, many thanks to everyone who supported Kids' Lit Quiz Australia's fundraiser for the Australian team and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Our principal sponsors' logos are at the top right sidebar and all sponsors, supporters and donors are listed on the <a href="http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/sponsors.html" target="_blank">Sponsors</a> page. Thank you all.<br />
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In other Kids' Lit Quiz news, quiz master Wayne Mills has some exciting plans for the international Kids' Lit Quiz competition now that he has retired from the University of Auckland where he was a senior lecturer in Education. See <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2014/06/tzar-retires-but-kids-lit-quiz-reign-continues.html#.U7TX0wPUxlo.facebook" target="_blank">here</a> for details.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7RAh0-UFR7aWk4_hyphenhyphenJkFt3FUROAw7I-8mzFBbEaC5u3oWG39G4Ul6kuUTOmV0T-3WQsNWZ1WC3sWCROs_YRJK7yY_bJDkhJJVSaKF6UQjyv3rtPf7dy56EU39ieyNVfI2Id0IrNFgyL-/s1600/harry1st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7RAh0-UFR7aWk4_hyphenhyphenJkFt3FUROAw7I-8mzFBbEaC5u3oWG39G4Ul6kuUTOmV0T-3WQsNWZ1WC3sWCROs_YRJK7yY_bJDkhJJVSaKF6UQjyv3rtPf7dy56EU39ieyNVfI2Id0IrNFgyL-/s1600/harry1st.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i> in traditional Chinese characters (Scholastic)</td></tr>
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<h2>
Looking for a book to read?</h2>
Finally, if you're looking for something to read, here are some of the books we brought home with us. (Don't you bring back 15 kilos of books when you travel?!)<br />
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<i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i> (in traditional Chinese characters), purchased from the rather wonderful <a href="http://www.eslitecorp.com/EN/content.aspx?no=2.1.0" target="_blank">Eslite</a> book store in Taipei which is open 24 hours a day. We visited at about 10 pm and it was packed with book lovers. It has a great selection of English and Chinese books as well as books in other languages, including a large Japanese section.<br />
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<i>The Midnight Picnic</i> by Lauren St John (Orion, 2014)<br />
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<i>Counting by 7s</i> by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Scholastic, 2014)<br />
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<i>The Puppet Boy of Warsaw</i> by Eva Weaver (Phoenix, 2013). This book was purchased from a news agency at Frankfurt International Airport on our way home. Did you know that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Book_Fair" target="_blank">Frankfurt Book Fair</a> is the world's biggest trade fair for books ?<br />
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<i>Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend</i> by Matthew Dicks (St Martin's Griffin 2012). Signed by the author, our copy was a gift from the US team at the World Final. Thank you!<br />
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<i>People's Republic</i> (CHERUB series) by Robert Muchamore (Hodder, 2011)<br />
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<i>Skulduggery Pleasant, Armageddon Outta Here</i> by Derek Landy (HarperCollins, 2014). The latest in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, this copy was purchased at Heathrow Airport after the World Final.<br />
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<i>Far Rock Away</i> by Charlie Fletcher (Hodder, 2013)<br />
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<i>Mister Creecher</i> by Chris Priestley (Bloomsbury, 2011)<br />
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<i>The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane</i> by Kate Di Camillo (Candlewick Press, 2006)<br />
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</i> <i>The Wishbird</i> by Gabrielle Wang (Puffin, 2013)<br />
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</i> <i>The Eye of Minds</i> by James Dashner (Doubleday, 2013)<br />
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Happy reading, everyone!<br />
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<br />Reading For Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466154076967874427noreply@blogger.com0