Today we welcome Emma Adams, author of the YA novel The Puppet Spell, to Twilight Sleep! Emma and I were chatting via Twitter one day about the best books we read as children. I thought that favorite children’s books – whether read as a child or not – would be a great idea for a guest post, so Emma agreed to stop by and tell us about hers!
- Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne – A classic from my childhood, and the first book I remember my parents reading aloud to me.
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame – Another classic. I loved the TV series, too!
- The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson – I was quite a bit older when this came out, but it’s the sort of thing I’d have adored when I was little. It’s a really clever story with a great rhyme scheme – great for reading aloud!
- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Goes without saying, really!
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – Carroll is a genius. A mad genius, admittedly, but the Alice books are fantastic.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – I also like the BFG, Matilda…pretty much all of Roald Dahl’s books!
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney – These books are hilarious. They’re cleverly illustrated with appeal to kids of all ages, and I’m unashamed to say I enjoy them even at the age of 21!
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – This is a fantastic story for children and adults alike. Love it!
- The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan – Even though these are technically children’s books, I absolutely love this series!
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman – I read this series when I was quite young, but they’re actually quite sophisticated for children’s books. This is one of my favourite series to reread!
About Emma Adams
Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy and paranormal novels for young adults. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also wrote various novels and short stories. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).
Now a reluctant graduate, Emma can usually be found in front of her writing desk. Her debut novel The Puppet Spell, published in 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, inspired by her lifelong love of the fantastical, mythology, and video games. Emma also writes urban fantasy/supernatural novels for older teens and adults. Her next book, Darkness Watching, is the first in the upper-YA/New Adult Darkworld series, and will be published in 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press.
And there you have it! You can read more about Emma and her book The Puppet Spell in this interview she did with Twilight Sleep!
So, Emma and I want to know: are any of these some of your favorite children’s books as well? If not, what are? And did you read them as a child, teen, or adult?
Giveaway
Emma has graciously offered to provide a giveaway for those interested in reading HER book! You can use the widget below to enter for the chance to win an e-copy of The Puppet Spell! This giveaway is open to international entries. Contest ends July 12, 2013 at 12:01am CST. The winner will be contacted via email on July 13, 2013. Good luck!
Hi. My name is Shannon and I like books. And photography. And video games. I use this space to talk about books and particpate in badassery. You can read a bit more about my awesomeness and how Twilight Sleep came to be (the name has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, contrary to popular belief) on the about page. :]
16 Comments
Disquietus
July 1, 2013 at 7:51 pmHis Dark Materials was the first book series I ever truly fell in love with. To this day I read them once a year, no matter what. And I will read anything Rick Riordan writes. And HP goes without saying of course. I need to read The Graveyard Book still.
Shannon
July 3, 2013 at 2:16 pmWow, that’s interesting that you re-read them so often! I have so many TBR books and so little time that I can’t really afford to re-read. The HP series are the only books that warrant a re-read once every year and 1/2 or two – and I usually listen to the audiobooks.
The Graveyard Book was SO GOOD. You should definitely check it out soon. It was my first Neil Gaiman book and I fell in love.
Disquietus
July 3, 2013 at 2:54 pmIt pretty much happens every winter when I inevitably get sick. Total comfort reads. I always want to re-read HP, but every time I think about it I get overwhelmed. The last time I read them was right before the Deathly Hallows release. American Gods was the book that made me fall in love with Gaiman.
Emma Adams (@ELAdams12)
July 3, 2013 at 4:42 pmHDM is an amazing series – one I never get tired of rereading! Same with Harry Potter.
Erin Albert Books
July 1, 2013 at 9:52 pmSome of my favorites as a kid: Wind in the Willows, Charlotte’s Web, Ramona series, Fudge series, All Roald Dahl (particularly The Witches), and How To Eat Fried Worms. LOL!
One of my absolute FAVORITE series that I read as an adult: Percy Jackson and The Olympians as well as Heroes of Olympus. Rick Riordan…I bow to his greatness.
Shannon
July 3, 2013 at 2:18 pmOMG, I remember How To Eat Fried Worms!!! Wow, I hadn’t even *thought* about that book in years! Oh the memories. I was a Ramona fan as well. I also really liked the Nancy Drew books…and the Hardy Boys, because I was a tomboy so I read the “books meant for boys” too.
Disquietus
July 3, 2013 at 2:56 pmNancy Drew was the best! I had the whole series and gave them to my cousin the last time I moved. She just turned 9 so she’s the prefect age for them.
Erin Albert Books
July 3, 2013 at 5:47 pmThey now have Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew which gives younger kids a taste of Nancy Drew before they move into the “older” version. So cool! :)
Erin Albert Books
July 3, 2013 at 5:46 pmLOL! I hadn’t thought about it in forever either until I saw it at the bookstore. It’s a movie now too!!! Ah yes, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys! Also good ones!!
Disquietus
July 3, 2013 at 2:57 pmCharlottes Web! I love that so much. The Ramona books were great too.
Emma Adams (@ELAdams12)
July 3, 2013 at 4:43 pmLove Roald Dahl! And Rick Riordan is a genius.
Erin Albert Books
July 3, 2013 at 5:47 pmEmma– I have a HUGE writer crush on Rick Riordan. He’s THE MAN!!! :)
Shannon
July 4, 2013 at 3:00 pmOoo, yes – Rick Riordan is the man!! And Charlotte’s Web!! Oh the memories…
Does anyone remember being REALLY young and reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?? Or Rikki-Tikki-Tavi??
Erin Albert Books
July 4, 2013 at 4:27 pmYES!! Rikki-Tikki-Tavi!! I watched the movie too. It may have been the start of my snake phobia… ;)
mrsteveesq
July 3, 2013 at 2:45 pmWind in the Willows is the book that reminds me of my childhood. I had an audiotape of it, read by Kenneth Williams. He was amazing. Also, no one seems to remember Captain Beaky & His Band but they were great too.
Shannon
July 4, 2013 at 3:01 pmI’m definitely going to have to check out Wind in the Willows – I can’t believe I’ve never read it!