Teacher Resources

Here are some suggestions for getting ready for the Quiz. If you have more ideas, send them to us at kidslitquizcanada@gmail.com.

How can I prepare my teams?

Select students who read widely, then consult the librarian, the class teacher and the parent as to the student’s avidity towards reading.
Include students with mixed reading interests in the team.
Use the pretest as a rough guide only, as formalized tests offer little indication about a student’s love of reading.

You can also:

Arrange inter-class play-offs (ask past students to act as mentors).
Establish a book club.
Invite librarians/booksellers to work with the kids.
Encourage teachers to read aloud to their classes.

Practice Questions

Kids’ Lit Quiz has practice questions available on the International site. Visit the Question Bank.

Books

One of the great things about Kids’ Lit Quiz is that there is no reading list. The Quiz is not a test that children should study for. Children are encouraged to read widely, try new genres and authors, and explore titles that interest them.

Below are a few titles that may help you with ideas for weekly meetings with your team. They contain lists of books, and information about authors. These are only suggestions. If you have a title you think should be on this list, please let us know!

The Ultimate Book Guide, Ed. Daniel Hahn et al. (A&C Black, 2009)
This book highlights some well-known books for the 10-12 age level, and each entry is cross-referenced to other books that readers might enjoy.
It can help to identify future reading, to review the basic plot of stories before a competition, or to highlight “next reads” in the same genre.

1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, Ed. Julia Eccleshare (Universe, 2009)
Some of the titles in this 960-page reference are difficult to find in Canada. Many of the write-ups, however, include interesting details about the authors or publishing history.

The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children,
Ed. Eden Rose Lipson (Harmony, 2000)
This well-organized volume divided into 6 age ranges includes emerging classics and favourites from the 1990s in its entries of award winning children’s books. It contains multiple indexes, grouping books by title, author, illustrator; age appropriateness; and special interests–from the specific (cats) to the general (family life).

Children’s Book-a-day Almanac by Anita Silvey (Roaring Book Press, 2012)
This book introduces a different book for every day of the year, with brief summaries, interesting points about the authors and comments on each title’s significance.

Book Clubs

Many schools operate book clubs either during or after school where groups of readers brainstorm categories to see how many books they can come up with, for example rats. Your school librarian will be invaluable in this respect.

Book Awards

Look at the winners of the Carnegie, The Newbery, The Caldecott and the Kate Greenaway Awards as often these get global attention. Check each country’s national children’s book awards.

Online Lists

Look for lists like The 100 Best books for Boys/Girls.

The NY Times Best Books, The Guardian’s, The 100 Best books of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 etc., the Sunday Times, the NY Library. The suggestions are endless and each country has a list.

Some Websites

www.allthetests.com www.educationquizzes.com www.funtrivia.com
www.triviaplaza.com www.learninginhand.com www.lovereading4kids.co.uk
www.goodreads.com