What was Harry Potter's mother's maiden name?
Stumped? The 48 pupils who participated in the Otago heat of the Kids' Lit Quiz had no trouble answering that question and 99 others yesterday.
In its 18th year, the quiz was aimed at promoting recreational reading for young people and rewarding more able readers in a similar way to students shining in sport, quizmaster Wayne Mills said.
His role ensured he kept up with popular children's books, reading more than 1000 to create the questions. The "hottest" book in New Zealand at present was Twilight, he said.
The favourite question category for year 6, 7 and 8 pupils was Harry Potter, because "they think they are all good at it", Mr Mills said.
After three hours of intense competition, which had the teams of four hunched over answer sheets in the Dunedin North Intermediate hall, Tahuna Intermediate 1 was named the winner.
"We almost forgot how to breathe," team member Grace Cook said.
They won $400 and will compete in the national final on June 14, in Auckland.
The winning team will receive $10,000 and be invited to compete in the world final in Johannesburg on August 3.
Kavanagh College came second in the Otago heat, with Tahuna Intermediate 2 third.
For the record: Harry Potter's mother's maiden name was Evans.
