The preliminary round of the National Library’s Annual Champion Readers Competition commenced Wednesday at the library’s conference hall.
The competition, sponsored by Digicel, is being held under the theme ‘Empowering the nation through literacy’. It began with the written and oral segments. The contestants were assessed according to fluency and dramatic effect. “The competitors must be able to bring the story to life by how it is read; thus helping the listeners to picture the scene,” the competition’s coordinator Margaret Eastman said.
The contestants in the 11-12 category were given the books Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole to read; while those in the 12-14 age group were asked to read The Cloud with the Silver Lining, and The Basket with Flowers. Those in the 15-17 age group were required to read Jane’s Career and Full Circle; while those in the 18-25 category had to read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Humming Bird Tree. The required reading in the 26+ category was Annie John and the Catcher in the Rye.
The participants must gain 80% and over in order to qualify for the semi-final, which would be held on July 27, and the finals, to be held on August 18.
The readers competition has been an annual feature since 1993.
