Over the next few weeks we’re participating in a work experience program with students from high schools across Melbourne. Here, Estelle Sutherland tells us about her favourite books.

How would you describe your taste in books? Do you like romance or adventure, science fiction or history, etc?

Some of my favourite genres are adventure, fantasy and, in particular, historical fiction. I love reading historical novels because they can introduce me to so many different places and eras, and allow me to learn about what everyday life was like for people living in the past. I enjoy books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Book Thief and the Luxe series, all of which are set in different times and locations.

Recently, I have been exposed to many more dystopian novels as they are becoming increasingly popular in young adult fiction, including titles such as Divergent and The Hunger Games. These books can be interesting but I find that they can end up all blurring into the same story line, with a divided society striving for perfection but falling short in the eyes of the protagonist.

Tell us about one of your favourite books. When did you first read it? Have you read it more than once? Did you have a different favourite book before now?

It is difficult to narrow down my favourites to just one, but a book that I particularly enjoyed was The Woman in Black, a gothic horror novel that I read during the school term.

This book introduced me to the horror genre, and I think that it is really well written; the descriptions in the book really set the scene for a scary mood! The unique setting of an ancient house surrounded by marshes in an English village bent on superstition gives the storyline a new dimension as the protagonist can only leave the house when the tide is low – forcing him to face his fears in the house. I found the book both thrilling and creepy and I think that all age groups would find it enjoyable.

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

I do share books with some of my friends – we recommend them to each other and discuss which ones we liked. One occasion in which I have liked a book but my friend hasn’t was Animal Farm by George Orwell, which we had to read for school. As I enjoy history, I found this book a really interesting and informative allegory for the Russian Revolution and I thought that the use of animals as symbols for major figures during this event was the perfect way of showing the repercussions of the Russian Revolution in more simple terms. On the other hand, my friend found this book dull and thought that it was difficult to make connections with any of the characters.

Melbourne has a lot of different literary festivals. Which international authors would you like to see come to one?

I would love to see Maggie Stiefvater come to Melbourne and hear about her inspiration for her novels such as Shiver, a romance novel which I really liked. I think that her books are really well-written and I enjoy seeing the development of the characters throughout the novel. I would also love to see Cassandra Clare at a literary festival because I love all of her characters and have reread her books so many times!

What is a book you’d love to see made into a film?

I would love to see The Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare made into a film.

The City of Bones has already been adapted into a movie, but I actually preferred the Infernal Devices series because of the time period and the relationships between the characters throughout the whole series. I would love to be able to see how the characters would be interpreted in a film and if how I imagined them aligned with how other people saw them.