National Co-ordinator, South AfricaMarj Brown is Head of History at an all girls school in Johannesburg, SA, called Roedean. She brought the quiz to SA in 2004, after seeing it in Yorkshire, UK. After fundraising and spreading the quiz slowly, it operates in 8 regions in SA. SA has hosted the International finals twice.
Marj has many passions in life, but reading and History are two of them, and as a teacher she feels reading is important for many cognitive reasons, but also as a much needed escape for everyone.
SA has many challenges in terms of literacy, and thus there is a limited pool of schools that can enter the KLQ. (About 90% of SA schools do not have functioning libraries). She thus started a literacy quiz, called Phendulani, and she fundraises to donate books and run a literacy quiz in schools that are disadvantaged. This quiz now reaches over 100 schools in SA. Kids' Lit Schools are twinned with disadvantaged schools, and help run the quiz.
National Co-ordinator, SingaporeJohanna is a librarian with the National Library Board in Singapore. She is part of the Read[at]School team, a school outreach programme that aims to make reading and learning exciting for students aged 7 to 17. She is glad that the Kids’ Lit Quiz rewards children for reading and is a motivation for them to continue enjoying stories of every kind. As National Co-ordinator, she looks forward to being a part of the enriching experience that KLQ is for all participating children.
National Co-ordinator, NigeriaMaluchi Chukwuemeka is a voracious reader who obtained a bachelor of Arts degree in English and then proceeded to obtain a post graduate diploma in Mass Communication. Her love for reading and children made her think of organising an African literature quiz for children, and she went on a search to get ideas on the startup. She then discovered the Kids' Lit Quiz and fell in love with it. She believed that it would give Nigerian children a broader worldview in literature, increase their reading for pleasure and expose them to other cultures by way of interacting with other national reading champions and by travelling to the international competition. She assumed national coordination of the Kids' Lit Quiz in 2017. She's married with three children.
National Co-ordinator, USADan Donshik has been involved with Kids' Lit Quiz since 2012 when his son Andrew won the US competition and traveled to New Zealand for the World Final. He is a business owner and software consultant and an avid reader. He is an advocate for children's literacy and is excited to be a part of the Kids' Lit Quiz.
National Co-ordinator, ThailandFor more than 20 years, Angela Hilderbrand has been sharing her passion for teaching and reading with students in both the USA and abroad. Her journey as an educator has led her through various roles: a classroom teacher, a Title 1 reading specialist, a library teacher, and head of a primary library in a vibrant international school community. Holding a Master of Education and library certifications from the United States, Angela is dedicated to one simple but powerful mission: to spark a love of reading in every child she teaches. Her greatest joy is watching students discover the magic of books and become confident, lifelong learners
Kidpublish is a children's book publisher, publishing books written by young authors (aged 6 - 15 years old). Annually we run a writing competition and storytelling festival in English and Bahasa Indonesia. We also collaborate with schools and bookstores in promoting skill development in reading and writing. We run many writing and illustrator workshops, summer programs and book launches throughout the year.
National Co-ordinator, AustraliaElli Lightbody is a passionate teacher and facilitates the gifted program at Kingswood College in Melbourne. Elli grew up around libraries and is passionately obsessive about reading and opportunities to encourage students to find their passion in reading. Elli works with a fantastic, dedicated National Kids Lit Quiz committee that aims to introduce a love of learning and literature to our future leaders.
National Co-ordinator, UKChris Lindop is Head of English at Bilton Grange, with teaching experience in the UK and internationally. He firmly believes in the value of reading, as it not only takes our imagination on an adventure, but also shines a light on the world we live in, our society and what makes us human. He is delighted to be relaunching the Kids’ Lit Quiz in the UK, giving young readers the opportunity to collaborate, compete and celebrate their knowledge of books — embracing the idea of reading as a sport.
National Co-ordinator, CanadaChris has been a teacher and Principal in the Toronto District School Board for over 20 years. He has a passion for books which he developed at an early age. He studied English and Philosophy at the University of Toronto and has Specialist Qualifications in Reading and Drama.
He first volunteered with Kids’ Lit Quiz Canada in 2012 and he joined the Board soon after. He loves how the quiz motivates children to read and encourages book clubs to form in schools across the country. He also loves how this Sport of Reading recognizes and celebrates students in such a fun and unique way.
National Co-ordinator, Hong KongAnnie Tam is the National Coordinator of the Hong Kong Kids’ Lit Quiz. She has over 25 years experience as an English teacher and Teacher Librarian in both local and international schools. She holds an MEd from the University of Melbourne and an MEd in Teacher Librarianship from Charles Sturt University.