Over the next few weeks we’re participating in a work experience program with students from high schools across Melbourne. Here, 15-year-old work experience student Anna Louey tells us about her favourite books.

How would you describe your taste in books?

As a bibliophile, I enjoy reading books from all different genres as I believe they all hold individual value. However, I particularly enjoy contemporary coming of age novels as I find their simplicity powerful. Such novels do not need made-up monsters or fairies to make them exciting. Instead, they are able to attract emotion from their readers through their relevancy and moving literary techniques. At the same time though, I really do love dystopian novels. The societies that dystopian authors invent are incredibly creative and original. In addition, they are able to feature a range of themes, from romance to self-discovery.

Tell us about one of your favourite books.

One of my favourite books is The Catcher in the Rye as I found it really amusing and entertaining. At the same time though, it deals with powerful themes such as the loss of innocence, truth and sexuality, which are all relevant to young adults. I read it a few years ago but reread it this year as I am actually studying it in English. I am looking forward to deconstructing and discussing the novel even more as I feel that J.D Salinger has created a truly beautiful piece of writing. Before this novel, I had a number of favourites, and I will continue to have a number of favourites. It would be impossible to choose my all-time favourite novel as there are simply too many wonderful literary creations out there.

Do you and your friends share books with each other? What is one your friend has liked, but you haven’t?

My friends and I are constantly discussing our latest readings, good or bad. Overall, we read quite similar young adult novels. The majority of the time we hold the same opinions on books. For example, we may all agree that a novel was extremely cliché or had a great idea but was badly executed. Nonetheless, we are have individual opinions, which is why we hold contradicting opinions of books at times too. My friend recommended Fateful by Claudia Gray to me, which was a novel that she really enjoyed. Essentially, the novel’s plot is of werewolves on the Titanic, which I thought was a fascinating twist. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with the characters from Fateful like my friend did. I felt that the story line was too drawn out and lengthy and the romance between two characters was not convincing enough.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. If you were going to buy a book for your mum what would it be?

Since my mum’s English isn’t the best, she probably wouldn’t understand a novel. For this reason I would give her Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing as it is a picture story book. Even so, it is still able to hold a really powerful message on belonging. I feel that my mum would really enjoy the beautiful, incredibly detailed illustrations and the love Shaun Tan has put into it.

What is a book you’d love to see made into a film? Who would play the lead role?

I would love to see The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer be made into a film. The novel features a female protagonist who is trying to discover more about a freak accident that killed all of her friends but left her mysteriously unharmed. Although I did like the book, the main reason I would like for it to be made into a film is actually because I am curious to see how it would be done. The novel was not only dark and eerie, but also confusing. There were many twists that left you at the edge of your seat and your mind ticking. However, if it were made into a film, I hope the directors wouldn’t primarily focus on the romance (although it was somewhat important and sweet), but rather the plot. In terms of the lead role, I think it would be cool for her to be played by Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries.