It's always exciting to receive a nice review of a book that you have written - and it's especially joyous when the review has been written by a young reader. I've been really impressed at all the kids out there who'd been setting up their own review websites and blogs - either on their own or with a group of friends - to tell the world all about the books they've been reading.
One young reviewer who has been kind enough to review both Adventure Island and The Phoenix Code (and I didn't even bribe him with a lifetime supply of Aunt Kate's jam tarts) is eleven-year old Jed Owens. Jed is a massive mystery fan, and also a talented wildlife photographer.
I asked Jed if he would mind being interviewed for my blog. Here are his answers to my questions.
1. How long have you been writing your blog?I've started my blog quite recently, on the 20th of December last year.2. How do you decide which books to review?I review books I like and have just read, and sometimes take notes while I'm reading a book that I'll want to review later on.3. What are your favourite books?I've got a few favourite books, but the best mystery book ever is the Phoenix Code. I also like Sherlock Holmes, and Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Adventure series, and the Adventure Island series.4, What's the best/worst thing about writing a book blog?The best thing about writing a book blog is that when you review books you have just read, you get to say what you think of them, and it's really good fun to have something like this to do.The worst thing is that it is so easy to not write enough reviews, and not write on your blog for ages.5. What advice would you give to other young readers who might be thinking of starting a book blog?Free websites like Wordpress have default website themes so you don't need to design the website yourself, and they also make writing posts easy, so all the behind the scenes stuff is quite simple. One of the hardest things is posting reviews often and consistently- I am terrible at that!- but it is good to do it in the long run.6. Do you have any favourite blogs that you like to follow?I don't really follow any blogs except yours!
Thank you for answering my questions, Jed! Good luck with your blog. If there are any other young book bloggers out there who'd like to be interviewed, please do get in touch!