Emma Burley from Debenham High School is the winner of Suffolk Libraries’ 2017 Book Mastermind competition.
Emma triumphed over seven other students from across the county at the annual event, which is designed to test secondary school students on their knowledge of books and general knowledge.
Book Mastermind, organised by Suffolk Libraries’ Literacy, Books and Reading Team for Schools (LBaRT), is in its 22nd year. Entrants from schools across the county competed in area finals in March to qualify for the final which was held in Stratford St Andrew. To win the final, pupils from each school had to answer questions on their chosen book and then a series of general knowledge questions including a picture round.
Other schools whose students made the final included Farlingaye High School, Pakefield School, Ipswich High School, Sybil Andrews Academy, Thomas Gainsborough School, Ixworth Free School and Ormiston Sudbury Academy.
Following the competition, children’s author and illustrator Dave Shelton and Suffolk children’s author Ruth Fitzgerald gave talks about their writing and having their work published.
Ruth Fitzgerald is the creator of the Emily Sparkes series. The first of these, Emily Sparkes and the Friendship Fiasco was shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards in 2016. Dave Shelton won the 2013 Branford Boase Award for his witty and imaginative debut novel A Boy and a Bear in a Boat and shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Prize and the Carnegie Medal in 2016 for Thirteen Chairs.
Krystal Vittles, Suffolk Libraries Development Manager and Children and Young People’s Lead, said: “Book Mastermind is such a great event and the standard was so high this year with all the students showing a superb knowledge of books. The event is a great celebration of books and hopefully many young people will go back to their schools having been inspired by our guest authors.”
The event was supported by the Suffolk Book League and The Halesworth Bookshop sold books to attendees on the day.