Big Island’s top student readers test their memory, teamwork in annual Quiz Bowl

Some of the Big Island’s best student readers are coming together to see if their memory and diligence can defeat other teams in a competition focused on books.

About 90 Big Island students are testing their memories about 30 books in the fifth annual Heluhelu Quiz Bowl at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Kahilu Town Hall in Waimea.

There are 15 teams of fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade readers working together to see which team can answer the most questions correctly. Teams consist of either single grade levels or mixed grades from public and private schools across the island.

“The Quiz Bowl was created for kids that have reading tattooed on their forehead,” said David Giff, chair of the Heluhelu Quiz Bowl steering committee. “They are avid readers who happen to be quite competitive.

“Our intention is to provide a fun yet thoughtful competition about reading. There is such a wonderful wealth of contemporary literature for children in these elementary and middle grades.”

The Heluhelu Quiz Bowl only uses contemporary books published within the last five years. The selections each year are a blend of American Library Association Newbery Medal winners and Honor winners, the Hawaiʻi State Public Libraries Nēnē Award books (nominated and voted on by the children of Hawaiʻi), as well as highly reviewed titles chosen by the steering committee.

“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback about the books from teachers and students,” Giff said. “Students appreciate reading something they can easily relate to that touches on relevant themes. They are learning about several different subjects and also learning how to talk with each other about what they learned while reading something.”

The 30 books chosen this year:

• “Across So Many Seas” by Ruth Behar (Grades 5-6, 2025 Newbery Honor)
• “Black Star” by Kwame Alexander (Grade 5 and up, Coretta Scott King Honor)
• “City Spies” by James Ponti (Grades 3-7, 2024 Nēnē Award)
• “Clairvoyance” by Kristiana Kahakauwila (Grades 3-7, 2025 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book)
• “Continental Drifter” by Kathy MacLeod (Grades 3-4, graphic novel, 2025 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature winner)
• “Eagle Drums” by Nasugraq Rainey Hopson (Grades 4-6, 2024 Newbery Honor)
• “Elf Dog and Owl Head” by M.T. Anderson (Grades 3-7, 2024 Newbery Honor)
• “Finding Junie Kim” by Ellen Oh (Grades 3-7, recommended by Christina Soontornvat)
• “Grounded” by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, S.K. Ali (Grades 3-7, recommended by Christina Soontornvat)
• “Invisible” by Gonzalez, Epstein, & Pien (Grades 3-7, 2024 Nēnē Graphic Novel Award)
• “Kwame Crashes the Underworld” by Craig Kofi Farmer (Grades 4-6, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award)
• “Lei and the Fire Goddess” by Malia Maunakea (Grades 3-7, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year)
• “Lola” by Karla Arenas Valenti (Grades 3-7, 2025 Pura Belpré Author Winner)
• “Mabuhay!” by Zachary Sterling (Grades 3-7, graphic novel, 2025 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book)
• “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” by Chanel Miller (Grades 2-6, 2025 Newbery Honor)
• “Mexikid” by Pedro Martin (Grades 5-9, graphic novel, 2024 Newbery Honor, 2024 Pura Belpré Medal)
• “One Big Open Sky” by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Grades 3-7, 2025 Newbery Honor)
• “The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II” by Candace Fleming (Grades 3-7, Robert F. Sibert Honor)
• “The Eyes and the Impossible” by Dave Eggers (Grades 3-7, 2024 Newbery Medal)
• “The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn” by Sally J. Pla (Grades 5-6, 2024 Schneider Family Book Award)
• “The First State of Being” by Erin Entrada Kelly (Grades 3-7, 2025 Newbery Medal)
• “The Liars Society” by Alyson Gerber (Grades 3-7, recommended by student)
• “The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams” by Daniel Nayeri (Grades 3-7, 2024 Newbery Honor)
• “The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity” by Nicholas Day with art by Brett Helquist (Grades 5-9, 2024 Sibert Medal)
• “The Night War” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Grades 4-7, from two-time Newbery Honor winner)
• “The Secret Language of Birds” by Lynne Kelly (Grades 3-7)
• “The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman” by Gennifer Choldenko (Grades 5-6, Best Book of 2024, per several review publications – 2024 Golden Poppy Book Award, Middle Grades)
• “The Wrong Way Home” by Kate OʻShaughnessy (Grades 5-6, 2025 Newbery Honor)
• “Holes” by Louis Sachar (Grades 5-6, 1999 Newbery Medal)
• “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell (Grades 3-7, 1961 Newbery Medal)

“Most teams share the load over the year,” Giff said. “In a team of five, they may each read six books. We have had some teams where all the kids read all 30 books because they love reading and are that competitive funnily enough.”

During the Quiz Bowl, students in each team sit together to discuss the questions and come up with a final answer to write down and hand to an impartial table judge. If students have questions about the way the question is worded, they can take it to the Quiz Master for clarification.

Every year, the Quiz Master has been an author of a book read by the students, and this year it is Kristiana Kahakauwila, author of “Clairvoyance,” which is an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book for 2025.

According to the “Clairvoyance” summary, Clara attains the ability to hear what boys are thinking and hopes her newfound powers will reverse her ex-best friend’s betrayal. However, she ends up making a mess of everything and finds that she must fix her mistakes as she tries to figure out old friendships and new ones.

“‘Clairvoyance’ is a great read for kids in the middle school age range, but the best part, in my opinion, is [Kahakauwila’s] use of English, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Pidgin,” Giff said. “For her, she wanted to make the statement that there are three official languages in Hawaiʻi and show kids that all three languages are valid.”

After the competition, students will get a signed copy of the book and will take a photo with Kahakauwila. The winners also will receive a free zip line experience provided by Hawaiʻi Forest and Trail.

Last year, the Quiz Bowl was won by Paʻauilo, but they will not be returning since it was a team of seventh graders.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to expand the Quiz Bowl to high school ages, but we do encourage students to see if they can replicate the Quiz Bowl at their respective schools,” Giff said.

The Heluhelu Quiz Bowl is funded by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and sponsored by the Friends of the Library Waikōloa Region. More information on the books and other opportunities through Hawaiʻi County libraries is available online.