An interview on literature is a rather specific thing. Since the children I work with usually have a very unusual, non-traditional background compared to standard education, I first try to find out in what circumstances and in what way they’ve encountered literature — whether they’ve attended any additional classes. Expats often look for language instruction for their kids, where they might read in some structured way, or join theatre clubs.
Then we clarify what’s stored in their “reader’s subconscious”: which names, which texts, which books are on their shelves. In short — what is their relationship with reading? I usually ask about preferences in world literature, what they normally read, and in which language. If they feel like reading an English book — will it actually be in English or in their other native language? In some cases, I give them a text to read.
Most often it’s an absurdist poet from the 20th century, because I want to see whether the child catches the nature of comic writing. Comedy is the hardest thing — serious themes are easy to spot, but humour is trickier. If a student can pick up the humour in such texts, then I know they’re essentially at a native-level understanding: there’s no need to go line-by-line explaining meaning and intonation. That’s what a typical literature interview looks like.