SCHOOLCHILDREN will do battle using their literary knowledge for a chance to go fly to New Zealand.

Pupils from schools across Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties will join the regional heat of this year's Kids Lit Quiz at Cokethorpe School near Witney on Thursday, November 30.

A total of 28 team from the south east will attempt to answer 100 questions on children’s literature divided into ten categories.

Although the subjects change each year, previous contests have included poetry, authors, titles, settings, characters, and nursery rhymes.

The competitors will be cheered on from the sidelines by a host of children's authors including Cas Lester, Jamie Anderson, Jo Kendrick and Julia Golding.

The writers themselves will also form their own team to see if they can match the kids' wits.

The Mayor of Witney, chairman of Oxfordshire County Council and assistant director of the school library association will also attend the heat from 2.30pm.

The winners on November 30 will go through to the national final in London on Tuesday, December 5.

The National Winners will then go on to New Zealand in July 2018 to compete in the World Finals.

The 2017 World Final, which took place in Toronto, Canada, was won by St John's College from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The international competition has been run for years by Oxfordshire's own Jacky Atkinson, a former employee at Cherwell School in Oxford.