Four Durban children have discovered that Dr Seuss was right: reading can take you places you have never been before.
Twins Saneha and Tejal Rajoo, 12, Ezrah Katz, also 12, and William Humphrey, 13, of Manor Gardens Primary School, are going to Connecticut in the US next month to compete in the international Kids' Lit Quiz.
The four read their hearts out to beat 130 schools to become the national champions.
Tejal yesterday joked that their winning formula was a "trade secret".
The Kids' Lit Quiz was started in New Zealand in 1991 by Wayne Mills, a lecturer in children's literature at the University of Auckland.
Youngsters can be quizzed on any book in the children's literature genre, with six teams facing seven questions in 10 categories, including dystopian novels, folk tales and mythology.
The participants are known to astonish the adult audience with their vast knowledge of authors, settings, titles and openings, often on books that precede their birth by several decades.
Participants press a buzzer before answering, but points are deducted for incorrect answers .
William, whose knowledge of authors added to the team's scorecard in the national final, said his favourite part of the experience was the actual quiz, while Ezrah enjoyed the many hours spent reading in a corner of the school library to prepare for the competition.
The quartet were chosen to represent Manor Gardens after a test proved they were the most well-read pupils.
