King Theoden rides into his last battle. The swords flash, the flags wave and the horse of the ruler of Rohan gallops away from all the other riders in the army...

No, we're not at the movies. The scene from the third volume of the epic "The Lord of the Rings" is being read to us - but so vividly, so colorfully, as if we were actually watching moving pictures.

On this morning in the library, six pupils from the two sixth classes at Steinbach Grammar School are competing to see who will represent the Phorms as the school winner in the regional reading competition. In the first round, the participants present a three-minute passage from a book of their choice. In addition to the text selection, the jury also evaluates the reading technique and interpretation. Do they read confidently and fluently? Is the reading always as lively and nuanced as King Theoden's ride into battle?

In the second round, the three most convincing readers must prove that they can also master an unfamiliar text. German teacher Hannah Zänglein has chosen passages from Cornelie Funke's "Tintenherz".

The jury had a tough time. In the end, the three finalists were so close together that it was almost impossible to make a decision. In the end, Sina from the ranks of the sixth graders wins by a very small margin. The applause from her classmates is huge. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the regional final!