Bookwandering with Anna James

My guest this week is Amelia Tait, journalist and author of Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler, her brilliant middle grade debut. Amelia chose Meg Cabot’s iconic 2000 novel The Princess Diaries and we talked about the enduring appeal of diary style books for tweens, Amelia’s own diaries, and of course the Anne Hathaway film. You can find Amelia's and my own books on my Bookshop page:...

My guest this week is Lily King, author of several books including Euphoria, Writers & Lovers and Women’s Prize shortlisted Heart the Lover. Lily chose Judy Blume’s 1972 novel It’s Not the End of the World and we chatted about why it was the book that made Lily want to be an author, the magic of Judy Blume, and why it’s all about emotion not plot when Lily’s writing.  You can find Lily's...

My guest this week is Alice Slater, former bookseller, and author of Death of a Bookseller and Let the Bad Times Roll, which is out now in paperback. Alice chose Melvin Burgess’ seminal 1996 YA novel, Junk. We talk about looking at older books through a modern lens, unlikeable characters and second album syndrome as novelists.  You can find Alice’s and my own books on my Bookshop page: ...

Former children's laureate and poet Joseph Coelho joins me to talk about Raymond Brigg's beloved Christmas classic, The Snowman. We talk about festive traditions, some of Brigg's other work including When the Wind Blows, and about the importance of poetry for young people. You can find a selection of Joseph's books along with The Snowman and my own work at:  https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/book...

Debut novelist Rochelle Dowden-Lord joins me to talk about Kasper in the Glitter, Philip Ridleys' gloriously odd 1994 children's book that's illustrated by Chris Riddell. We talk about the importance of weird children's books, researching wine, and have a frank chat about our experiences of being published while working in the book industry. Please note this episode contains an instance...

Lioness captain Leah Williamson and her co-writer and cousin Jordan Glover join me this week to talk about The Lord of the Rings. We talk about how Leah takes inspiration from Aragorn as the England captain, fancy dress family parties, and the Lost Lionesses of the 1971 Women’s World Cup who inspired their most recent book.   You can find The Wonder Team series, The Lords of the Rings an...

Bestselling author and founder of the Women's Prize Kate Mosse joins me this week to talk about Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 classic, The Secret Garden. We talk about pirate queens and little princesses, spiky girls and gardens, and how Kate chose who to include in her anthology. You can find Feminist History for Every Day of the Year, The Secret Garden and my own books at:  https://uk.book...

Award-winning writer and playwright Piers Torday joins me this week to talk about The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. We discuss talking animals, whether the book can be read through a queer lens, and how children's fiction has evolved over the last hundred years. You can find Midnight Treasure, The Wind in the Willows and my own books at:  https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/acaseforbooks T...

Bestselling author of books for children and teenagers (and my best friend) Katherine Webber joins me to talk about the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce, officially known as the Song of the Lioness Quartet. We talk about age gap romances, why maps are brilliant as a read and tricky as a writer, and mermaids.  Captain of Fates, a standalone spin-off from the Twin Crowns series, is out now. Y...

Climate justice activist, speaker and writer Mikaela Loach joins me this week to talk about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the YA dystopian phenomenon. We talk about how the series radicalised Mikaela, reluctant heroes and different ways of resisting justice. (There are spoilers for the original trilogy, but none for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes or Sunrise on the Reaping.)&nb...

Actor, comedian and writer Harry Trevaldwyn joins me to talk about Twilight, Stephenie Meyer's iconic 2005 YA vampire novel. We talk about Harry's obsession with the book as a teenager, the spirit of Georgia Nicholson, hoa hoa season and why it's so vital to have queer YA love stories.  Harry's debut YA romcom, The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is out now.  You can find Th...

Award-winning author Rachel Khong joins me to talk about Half Magic, Edward Eager's 1954 fantasy classic about a family who find a coin that grants them half wishes. Rachel is the author of Goodbye, Vitamin and most recently Real Americans, which is out now in paperback. We talk about Eager's love of E. Nesbit, why Rachel went back to Half Magic when writing Real Americans and how t...

Bestselling author Jessie Burton joins me to talk about A Traveller in Time, Alison Uttley's 1939 time slip novel about a girl who falls back to Tudor times. Jessie is the author of many books including The Miniaturist, The House of Fortune, and Medusa. Her debut children's novel, Hidden Treasure, is out now.  We talk about both being deeply weird about history as kids, the books refusal to d...

Comedian, writer and podcaster Cariad Lloyd joins me to talk about Jane Austen. Cariad is the co-creator of Austentatious, the improvised Jane Austen play, the host of Griefcast, and Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club with Sara Pascoe. She’s also the author of The Christmas Wish-Tastrophe, amagical middle grade Regency story. We started with Pride and Prejudice but cover&nbs...

Theatre producer and friend of the pod Brian Hook joins me to talk about the first three books in Ursula K Le Guin's Earthsea series. Brian is the co-owner of Hartshorn Hook which has produced shows including Immersive Gatsby, Choir of Man, Amelie the Musical and Immersive Peaky Blinders. Brian and I are both huge fans of Earthsea and we chatted about why it means so much to us, bookish tattoos, a...

Laura Wood joins me to talk about Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Laura is the bestselling author of several books for children, teens and adults including newly released Under Your Spell, Laura's debut adult romcom. Laura's choice was Gail Carson Levine's 1997 classic Ella Enchanted and we chatted about retellings, library book limits and the Anne Hathaway film adaptation.  Y...

In episode ten, Jay McGuiness joins me to talk about Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings.  Jay is a member of boyband The Wanted and previous winner of Strictly Come Dancing but also the author of Blood Flowers, his debut YA novel, which is out in February and available to pre-order now. Jay’s choice was David Eddings’ 1982 fantasy book Pawn of Prophecy, the first book in the Belgariad ser...

In episode nine, C Pam Zhang joins me to talk about American classic A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Pam is the author of Booker Prize-longlisted How Much of These Hills is Gold and this year's Land of Milk and Honey, one of my favourite books of the year. Pam's pick was A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's beloved 1962 award-winning novel which kicked off the Time Quintet. We chat...

In episode eight, Sophie Dahl joins me to talk about a mutual favourite, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. Sophie has written books across ages and genres - novels for adults, non-fiction food writing and most recently children's fiction including her two Madame Badobedah picture books illustrated by Lauren O'Hara. Sophie's pick was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, set in...

In episode seven, Nikita Gill joins me to talk about JM Barrie's beloved children's novel Peter Pan.  Nikita is a poet and has published several books of poetry including These Are the Words, Great Goddesses and Fierce Fairytales. She's also one of the most popular poets on Instagram, with over 750k followers at @nikita_gill. We chat about some of the more tricky and Oedipal element...

Kate DiCamillo joins me to talk about Mary Norton's 1952 children's classic, The Borrowers.  Kate is the beloved and multi-million bestseller of many books for young readers and one of only a few authors who have won the Newbery Medal twice. Her most recent book is the immediate New York Times bestseller, The Puppets of Spelhorst. We chat about the borrowers decorating habits, stories wi...

In episode five, Kiran Millwood Hargrave joins me to talk about Garth Nix's 1995 fantasy classic, Sabriel.  Kiran is the award-winning and bestselling writer of several books for adults and young people including The Girl of Ink and Stars, The Mercies and most recently the start of brand new fantasy series, In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen. We chat about magical bells, how Kiran uses book...

In episode four, Jeffrey Boakye joins me to talk about Louis Sachar's beloved 1998 novel Holes.  Alongside his broadcast and education work, Jeffrey is the author of several works of non-fiction about teaching, race and music. He’s also the author of Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer, his debut children’s novel which came out earlier this year. We chat about Jeffrey teaching the novel to young p...

In episode three, Eliza Clark joins me to talk about Terry Pratchett's 1989-1990 Nome trilogy which kicks off with Truckers. Eliza is the author of cult classic and BookTok sensation Boy Parts, soon to be on stage at the Soho Theatre. Her newest novel, Penance is a brilliant meta true crime novel set in a Yorkshire seaside town. We chat about the enduring appeal of tiny people and big food, preten...

In episode two, Angie Thomas joins me to talk about Mildred D. Taylor's 1977 children's classic, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Angie is the author of publishing sensation The Hate U Give, her debut YA novel inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement which was later adapted into a film starring Amandla Stenberg. As well as other YA books she's the author of new children's fantasy series, Nic Blake...