Answers from Mrs Eyres

What was your favourite book when you were a child?

I don't know if I can just pick one. I loved anything by Enid Blyton, especially the Adventure series. I think the books that stayed with me were ones that weren't just written for children: The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham and Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, which I read when I was about twelve. Narnia books were great, too. 

If you could be a character from a book, who would you be?

I always wanted to be George, from the Famous Five, because she owned Kirrin Island. I would love an island with a ruined castle and secret caves! I'd quite like to be in a scary book, so maybe I'd be Coraline? Although it might be too scary to have parents with button eyes. Okay, final choice: I'd be Harry Dresden, from the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, because he's a private investigator in Chicago, who also happens to be a wizard. But then there's Lucy, from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, too... Maybe I need to give up on normal life and just be in stories. 

What sort of books do you like reading now?

I like books that are a bit out of the ordinary, where strange things happen. I'm hoping that, one day, I'll open the stock cupboard door at school and walk into Narnia. 

Who is your favourite author?

Neil Gaiman, without question. His children's books are brilliant, and his books for older readers are incredible. My favourite is Neverwhere, about a city under London filled with strange, and sometimes terrifying, characters.

Are there any picture books that you would recommend?

Anything by Anthony Browne or Colin Thompson. I can study those illustrations for ages and still find something I'd not noticed before. 

If you wrote a book, what would it be about?

I think it would be something in the fantasy genre. Maybe a Terry Pratchett type of thing, like The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky. I'd like to write for older children / young adults, because I think a lot of those books can be more imaginative than 'normal' books for grown-ups. 

If you could pick one book to read to your class, what would it be?

I'm going to cheat here, and choose a series... or two. Either A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, because the books are full of puzzles and daftness, or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, which is funny and clever and because Elm Class deserve to know the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.