Alas, it was a question about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that kept four Dunedin North Intermediate pupils from winning the 2026 New Zealand Kids’ Lit Quiz national final in Wellington.
They were runners-up, just one point behind the winners, Christchurch school Heaton Intermediate.
It was ‘‘heartbreakingly close’’, DNI principal Heidi Hayward said.
Team member Charlie Seal said they went into the final with a strategy — if you're not 100% sure of the answer, don't buzz in.
‘‘There’s a part of the competition where they start off with really obscure facts about a book and they keep giving you facts until someone guesses what the book is.
‘‘First person to buzz in gets the points.
‘‘A lot of teams managed to lose points from buzzing when they were unsure.
‘‘We actually knew the answer, but we weren’t totally sure, so we didn’t hit the buzzer.
‘‘If we had, I feel like we would have won.’’
Despite finishing second, fellow team member Mila Hinch said they had no regrets.
‘‘I'm not as disappointed as I thought I might be.
‘‘We're really proud of our team. We're all just really happy we actually even got to the nationals.’’
The quartet said they had worked hard in preparation for the competition and each read about four to six books every week, so they had an extensive knowledge of literature in a range of genres.
Unfortunately, the fab four would not be able to have another shot at victory next year because the competition was only for 10-13 year-olds, Charlie said.
‘‘There's no Lit Quiz for high schoolers. That’s a bit sad.
‘‘I mean, it was really fun. I think it's been a really good opportunity for us, because it gives those kids that are perhaps more academically structured a chance to really have a go and compete in something that they find fun and that they're good at,’’ he said.
‘‘All we can do now is just keep reading.’’
Ms Hayward said she was ‘‘incredibly proud’’ of the team’s ‘‘amazing effort’’.
‘‘To compete at this level and come within one point of the national title is outstanding.
‘‘This competition is a fantastic celebration of reading and a lifelong love of literature.’’
The annual Kids' Lit Quiz was founded by New Zealand quizmaster Wayne Mills.
Quizzes are held across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The winning team from each national final competes in the World Final, which will take place on July 10, in Paihia, Bay of Islands, New Zealand.
