Catherine Fisher’s favourite teen read was Alice and Wonderland.
She told the BBC, “It was zany and surreal and it didn’t make sense. It was magical.
“[Reading] is important for life – the better your vocabulary is, the more you are able to converse with other people.”
Vox pop: What was your favourite teen read and why?
Bryan Watkins, 29, artist, Cardiff
“On the Road. You’re just taken along and you’re not quite sure where you’re going with it. Reading helps you communicate better because TV and film are all very much the same.”
Taida Mandeya, 28, lawyer, Zimbabwe
“The Secret Seven. It’s a big adventure that you think you’re a part of. Reading broadens your horizons and makes you think outside the box.”
Alison Wright, manager, 52, Cardiff
“The Secret Garden. It had a happy ending and a glorious garden. Reading is vitally important because it builds emotional, vivid language and we’ve got a very rich language.”
Olivia Carroll, 26, solicitor, Northern Ireland
“The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I just enjoyed the make-believe. Reading is a good pastime, it broadens the mind and increases education.”
Carl Willis, 21, recent graduate, Cambridge
“James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl imagines a different world where you can hide from reality. It’s really good to be literate and if you don’t read, you forget stories.”
Bridget Keehan, 44, theatre director, Barry
“Animal Farm. The idea of revolution and the imaginative way in which Orwell constructed the story, I just thought was fantastic. Reading opens out your world and you get a chance to imagine life from other perspectives.”
Leticia Cometta, 23, cinema worker, France
“Les Misérables. I liked the drama. Reading the books from your country gives you a national identity. If teenagers read more they wouldn’t make so many spelling mistakes in texts and on Facebook and MSN.”
Dyfed Thomas, 42, accountant, Cardiff
“The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. It struck a chord as a teenager, a 13-year-old boy as the subject, in the first person. Reading is a really good idea but it’s difficult to get teenagers enthused about books. It’s just knowing the right books.”
Literature Wales campaigns to promote youth literacy
Wales’s first Young People’s Laureate was named this month as part of a campaign to promote youth literacy in the nation.
Catherine Fisher, an award-winning children’s author and poet from Newport, was announced as laureate on Tuesday October 18.
Literature Wales’s acting chief executive Lleucu Siencyn says, “We wanted to create a post that was specifically for teenagers. They’re certainly more difficult to reach and writing is way in which teenagers can express themselves.”
The 54-year-old former teacher and archaeologist is best known for her 2007 science fantasy novel Incarceron, which has been optioned by Hollywood and is set for release in summer 2013. Siencyn says, “Taylor Lautner is rumoured to be playing the lead. It’s the next Twilight. It’s gonna be big!”
Catherine Fisher’s favourite teen read was Alice and Wonderland.
She told the BBC, “It was zany and surreal and it didn’t make sense. It was magical.
“[Reading] is important for life – the better your vocabulary is, the more you are able to converse with other people.”
Vox pop: What was your favourite teen read and why?
Bryan Watkins, 29, artist, Cardiff
“On the Road. You’re just taken along and you’re not quite sure where you’re going with it. Reading helps you communicate better because TV and film are all very much the same.”
Taida Mandeya, 28, lawyer, Zimbabwe
“The Secret Seven. It’s a big adventure that you think you’re a part of. Reading broadens your horizons and makes you think outside the box.”
Alison Wright, manager, 52, Cardiff
“The Secret Garden. It had a happy ending and a glorious garden. Reading is vitally important because it builds emotional, vivid language and we’ve got a very rich language.”
Olivia Carroll, 26, solicitor, Northern Ireland
“The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I just enjoyed the make-believe. Reading is a good pastime, it broadens the mind and increases education.”
Carl Willis, 21, recent graduate, Cambridge
“James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl imagines a different world where you can hide from reality. It’s really good to be literate and if you don’t read, you forget stories.”
Bridget Keehan, 44, theatre director, Barry
“Animal Farm. The idea of revolution and the imaginative way in which Orwell constructed the story, I just thought was fantastic. Reading opens out your world and you get a chance to imagine life from other perspectives.”
Leticia Cometta, 23, cinema worker, France
“Les Misérables. I liked the drama. Reading the books from your country gives you a national identity. If teenagers read more they wouldn’t make so many spelling mistakes in texts and on Facebook and MSN.”
Dyfed Thomas, 42, accountant, Cardiff
“The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. It struck a chord as a teenager, a 13-year-old boy as the subject, in the first person. Reading is a really good idea but it’s difficult to get teenagers enthused about books. It’s just knowing the right books.”