Like pages in a hurricane, brains were speedily fluttering for bookish answers at a local school on Tuesday.
Each year in B.C. the Red Cedar Book Awards calls on kids to read a number of books by Canadian authors picked out for the event, then vote for their favourites. This year, 12 books made the list.
School District 57 does things a little differently than elsewhere in the province. Teachers and librarians add to the excitement by holding a game show-style tournament to test kids' comprehension of the Red Cedar books, and prizes await at the conclusion.
This year, Polaris Montessori Elementary School was the host. Thirty-five teams of three students each were challenged to answer questions about quotes, characters and plot from the 11 books.
"It's all about Canadian literature," said Vanway elementary teacher-librarian Tina Cousins, the master of ceremonies for the Red Cedar Battle of the Books. "We purchase those books for our school libraries, the students read the books, and if they read five or more they get to vote on their favourites."
There's nothing like the spirit of competition to get people engaged and involved, and that includes reading. Cousins hasn't heard of another district in B.C. that takes it to this level - a live event styled on the team trivia show Reach For The Top. It starts at the school level where classroom teams vie for the right to be the one or two squads (depending on the interest level across the district) that go on to the main event.
"We've had to limit it to 30-35 teams per year because there is so much interest," Cousins said. "Anytime you get kids interested in reading, that is a win, and anytime you can get them interested in reading Canadian authors, that is another level of success."
Sometimes an author or two will join the event. Noted Canadian writers like Deborah Ellis and Richard Skrimger have even come to Prince George to meet the students, thanks to Red Cedar events of the past. In this year's case, Polaris school principal Tim Yule was the published writer of presence. He penned the critical thinking stimulation book Sasquatches From Outer Space published by Prometheus Books.
Teams in this year's final round came from the host school Polaris, Beaverly, Vanway, Cedars Christian, Lac des Bois, Quinson and Southridge. After 24 questions were asked (for each question the team members quickly confer then hold up the card indicating the book title they believe to be the correct answer), the bronze medals went to Quinson and Southridge (tie), the silver went to Polaris, and the gold went to Lac des Bois.
All the finalists received gift certificates for Books & Company, to further their contact with reading.
Aliah Turner, 10, spoke for her fellow Lac des Bois winners Avery Molland and Pareesa Jones.
"It was nerve wracking. Some of the questions are way above my head, but I was with such intelligent girls, they were such great teammates, I was honoured to be among them," said Turner, who read seven of the 12 books (the teammates share the reading load). "Reading the work of Canadian authors is amazing and reading about Canadian things is even more amazing. I read a lot, but I go slowly, I like to comprehend what I'm getting from the book, and I also like to write, but I find that hard, in a way. But when I read it gives me inspiration to write."
It also gives teachers and librarians inspiration to help their students climb to the top of the literary Red Cedar.
