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Southridge Kids’ Lit champs to take on world

Four students to head to Connecticut next week for World Cup of Reading.
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Southridge students Armaan Randhawa

A group of avid readers from Southridge School are set to take on the world.

Southridge’s four-person team of reading enthusiasts – Grade 7 students Serina St. James, Sarah Tisdale and Armaan Randhawa, and Grade 6 student Stephanie Lee – leave July 4 for New Britain, Conn., where they’ll compete at the World Cup of Reading.

The foursome qualified for the international competition back in February, after winning a national Kids’ Lit Quiz title in Toronto.

Now, the Canadian champs will face off against reading teams from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa.

At Kids’ Lit events, teams are asked questions relating to children’s literature, and awarded points based on correct answers. The topics are wide-ranging, and include everything from classic literature, Shakespeare, comic books or popular works such as the Harry Potter series.

Southridge teacher Joyce Chong said her team isn’t quite sure what to expect at the World Cup, but knows they’ll be prepared.

“School is done now, so they’ve been at home for a bit, but I told them to just read what they liked. There’s no sense in cramming at this point, so just read what you want to read.”

In addition to taking part in the competition, which begins July 8, the students will meet their competitors from across the globe, and also take part in a number of other activities, including a visit to the Mark Twain House and Museum in nearby Hartford, and a chance to meet authors at an event in New York City.

“We don’t know what the competition will be like, but they’ll go and try their best and see what happens,” said Chong. “They’re really excited.”