Reading competition in Buseck: tension and talent on stage!

Reading competition in Buseck: tension and talent on stage!

On February 22, 2025, the exciting reading competition of the German book trade took place in the library of the integrated comprehensive school Busecker Tal. Around 20 school winners of the sixth years from the city and the district of Gießen competed against each other. The competition, which was moved several times under the influence of Corona pandemic, finally offered the students the opportunity to demonstrate their reading arts and measure themselves at the regional level. The jury consisted of Ralph Kohlheyer, Hannah Brahm, Tabea Knispel and Eva Salzmann, who evaluated reading technology, interpretation and selection of the text passages.

The result of the competition was unclear due to the high performance of the participants. Many students showed impressive skills so that no single winner could be crowned. However, all 20 participants received a certificate of participation and the book "The Wonderful Talents of the Calendario Siblings" by Louisa Söllner as a gift. Greta Hedrich from the Liebig School, which reached the highest score in the city of Gießen, was particularly emphasized. At the district level, a jump between Nele Schlapp from the Clemens Brentano European and Lasse Harbich from the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer School had to be carried out, in which Lasse Harbich emerged.

results and qualifications

Greta Hedrich and Lasse Harbich qualified for the district decision, which still has to be scheduled, but is planned for spring. The Gießen city library has already been requested as an event location. There is a consolation price for Nele Schlapp: it will take part in the Gießen picture book festival on June 28th.

Reading times in the competition were set on an election reading of three minutes and a compulsory reading of two minutes. The election doors that the participants selected were:

• Greta Hedrich: "The Little Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Lasse Harbich: "White Fox. The call of the moonstone" by Chen Jiatong
• nele Schlapp: "PS: You are the best" by Natalie Buchholz

The mandatory reading for all participants was "res will go home" by Jasmine Warga, while for the jump -off "Not Chicago, not here" by Kirsten Boie had to be read.

district of Gießen and beyond

In the district of Gießen, the competition not only has a face in Buseck, Janne Ole Klotz from the comprehensive school Schwingbach Hüttenberg and Zoe Jäger from the Martin Luther School Marburg also qualified. They achieved the best results in the region and have qualified for the state decision by video. The jury, which rated these contributions, also consisted of Ralph Kohlheyer, Sascha Feuchert and Janine Clemens.

The 61st reading competition starts with regional decisions. A total of almost 7,000 school winners from all over Germany take part and present their skills in various event locations organized by bookstores, libraries and schools. All participants not only receive certificates, but also book gifts, while the winners are also awarded book checks and an annual subscription to the magazine "Dein Spiegel".

The event in the Busecker Tal library was therefore not only a local event, but also part of a nationwide competition that promotes reading and language skills in children. [Giessener-Anzeiger] reports that the competition is an important platform for young talents and has also mastered the challenges of pandemic in recent years. Ricker’s Buchhandlung, Lernkiste GmbH and other local institutions contribute to the promotion and organization of such events to support and maintain reading culture.