Kids aim to defend title by the book

How well do you know your literature? Remember, no Google allowed.

Name the author of the books in the Lorien Legacies. Which famous children's book author named a character after his now famous granddaughter? What is the name of the school bully at Springfield Elementary School?

These are the type of questions a team of four bookworms from St John's Preparatory School can expect at the Kids' Lit Quiz World Championships on July 8 in England.

Sean Morrison, Justin West, Max Milella (all Grade 7) and Andi Qu (Grade 6) said they were excited to represent South Africa at the "Olympics of Reading".

They have adopted West's seven-month-old sister Rebecca as their "mascot" and believe they have the smarts to win .

"I am a bit nervous, but I know we are going to win," Qu said.

Morrison said: "We may as well leave the cup here."

South Africa is the reigning champion of the quiz after a team from the all-girls Roedean School emerged the victors at last year's world finals in Durban.

The St John's Preparatory School quartet - aged between 11 and 13 - jet off to Falmouth, England on Sunday.

The other teams competing in the competition are from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore and the US.

The competition was started 22 years ago in New Zealand by University of Auckland senior lecturer of Children's Literature, Wayne Mills. The participants can be questioned on any book written for children in English.

The team's passion for reading has seen them hide novels inside their workbooks to read while in class. With naughty smiles, West and Qu said: "But we achieve more than 90% in maths. When we have time, all we do is read."

Confident of their prospective success, librarian Nicky Sulter, who coaches the team, said this was St John's first team to win the national contest, after coming second or third in the past five years.

In case you were wondering, the answers to the questions above are: Pittacus Lore, Roald Dahl (Sophie in Big Friendly Giant) and Nelson (Muntz).