Hi there,
Great to see you here!
My very first interview is with Mae and Lily, both fifteen year old girls. I’ve condensed some of what they said so you don’t hear too many questions or comments from me.
First of all, welcome Mae and Lily!
You’re here to tell us about the books you like. So, what makes you choose a book?
Mae: First of all, it’s the cover - the colour and the illustration.
Lily: Me too. I hate yellow covers. Or pink.
Mae: Yeah, I prefer a darker colour. But not black or brown.
Lily: Pink is a bit too girly. I hate those books that have sort of flouncy females looking over their shoulders at you on the cover. My mum reads them all the time!
Mae: Oh, yeah, Chic Lit. But some of them are OK.
Lily: I’ve never got into any of the ones my mum reads. Anyway, after the cover, I look at the blurb, I like quite a lot of different kinds of books. I like romance, especially with some magic involved.
Mae: But more grown up magic, say like Harry Potter.
Lily: Or Greek gods, like Perseus. I like those.
Mae: I like films like that, too. You can sort of imagine yourself in them.
Trish: Do you prefer to see the film and then read the book or the other way around?
Lily: Book first.
Mae: Yes, book first. I might not read the book if I’ve already seen the film.
Trish: A lot of writers would be sad to hear that! What about the length of a book?
Lily: Mmm, not too long but not too short either, say about 350 -400 pages. But not with really small print. I like to be able to read it easily without squinting!
Mae: I don’t like books to be too long, but I like a series with the same characters, maybe a bit older or having a new adventure.
Lily: Yeah, I like a series, then you have something to look forward to when you’re getting near the end of a really good book.
Mae: If it’s a really good book I can read it again and again!
Lily: No, I can’t. I know what happens!
Trish; So, what books would you recommend to others of your age?
Mae: I’d recommend PS I Like You by Kasie West. It’s about a romance that grows between a boy and a girl at school, but they don’t know who the other one is. They start to communicate by writing on a desk top at school. Slowly they begin to tell each other more about themselves.
Lily: Mine is Soul Beach by Kate Harrison about a girl whose sister is murdered then Alice gets a strange email to join a virtual world of Soul Beach, which is a beautiful hot tropical island resort and Alice can talk to her sister again. There are two more books in the series, too. Which I haven’t read yet. What would you recommend, Trish?
Trish: One of the best YA books I have read recently is The Hit by Melvin Burgess. It’s about a pill called Death, that will give you one perfect week, full of energy, purpose and optimism. But after a week, you die with no hope of survival. I found it really exciting!
Thank you, girls for a really interesting discussion! I’m getting my Kindle out now to take a look at the books you recommended!
I hope you all enjoyed our chat. Don’t forget it if you’d like to share your reviews or be interviewed, just get in touch with me at writeon64@hotmail.com
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