The youngest team on the world stage
The Kids’ Lit Quiz is basically the Olympics for bookworms. Teams of four aged between 10 and 13 years face off in a trivia showdown that covers loads of different literature genres.
The team from The King’s School, Tudor House were actually the youngest team in the whole competition but they didn’t let that hold them back.
Year 6 students Maya and Alexis, Year 5 student Maddie, and Year 4 student Lyndon were up against bigger kids like high schoolers with a few extra years of reading under their belts, and they still came out on top.
The competition even went right down to the wire, but our Highlands superstars held steady, and clinched victory in the tie-breaker against the South African team.
Legends!
Maddie said the moment felt life-changing, like one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to her. “I kept saying, ‘Oh, so we actually won?’”
Her teammate Lyndon was over the moon too. He described it as “very thrilling,” adding that all their hard work had finally paid off. “I felt astonished, I didn’t think we were going to win,” he said.
Behind the scenes prep
So how do you even train for a global lit quiz?
The team met weekly in the library with their teacher librarian, Mrs Eleanor Foster, where they practised buzzer rounds, read widely across different genres, and even studied footage of past world finals.
Head of The King’s School, Tudor House, Adam Larby, said the prep was serious but still fun.
“Like any team preparing for a big competition, the team did a lot of training. Lots of reading, practice questions, watching videos of previous World Finals and liaising with other schools who had been to the World Finals were all part of the process.”
That teamwork paid off. The students discussed, debated, and justified their choices before buzzing in. Smart strategy kiddos!
Big support from home
The whole school community had their back from the get go. Parents, staff, and classmates followed along with updates after every win, from the Illawarra Regional Final in April to the Nationals in Sydney in June, and finally, the world stage in Johannesburg.
When they got home, The King’s School, Tudor House put on a celebration to remember, with a convertible car, handmade posters, balloons, and the whole school lining the driveway for a ticker-tape parade.
“It was a real blast for everyone and hopefully a very special moment for the team,” said Adam. “I am not aware of students achieving success of this kind on the world stage in the school’s 128-year history, so it is a monumental moment for our students and the Tudor House community.”
Favourite moments and tricky questions
Of course, the quiz wasn’t all smooth sailing. Maddie remembers being stumped by a book that had different names in different countries, while Lyndon found the Publishers round the most challenging.
But there were highs too. Lyndon recalls the very last question that got them into the tie-breaker.
“It was about The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling, which I’d read only recently, so I was able to answer the question pretty confidently.”
Outside the competition, the trip to South Africa was packed with highlights. The students loved the chance to explore the culture and spot incredible wildlife on safari, though they reckon the competition itself topped everything.
The celebrations didn’t stop with the win. The children were rewarded with a formal Gala Dinner, complete with fancy outfits, and a dessert bar stacked with cake and lollies.
Inspiring the next chapter
“This achievement will continue to strengthen and inspire our students in their reading and scholastic pursuits,” said Adam. “A little primary school in the Southern Highlands winning a global competition, it sounds more like a fairytale. We’re all so proud.”
And if you ask Lyndon why he loves books so much, it’s pretty clear why this team came out on top.
“Every book is a new adventure. I’ve always loved reading; my parents read to me every night when I was little and I just always loved books. I still read for about two hours a day. It really is something I love.”
We’re giving three big, big cheers to Maya, Alexis, Maddie, and Lyndon, four amazing Highlanders who showed the world that big ideas, brilliant teamwork, and a love of stories can take you anywhere.
Well done!