Category Archives: Work Experience

An Interview With: Sara Peak, Work Experience Student

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Sara, a year 10 student at Saint Peter’s Girls’ School, talks about books, her experiences at Wakefield Press, and the differences between boys and girls reading

What is the first book you ever read?

At the risk of sounding generic, the first book I ever read was Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Before this, I lamented reading, but I was immediately drawn into the whirlwind of escapades at Hogwarts, and after reading the Harry Potter series, I started consuming literature at what my parents refer to as an alarming rate. As before this, all I had read were the picture books and young children’s novels given to me by my teachers, so Harry Potter showed me that books are more than a chore and are actually an adventure.

What attracted you to doing work experience at Wakefield Press?

Since I started reading, books have been an enormous influence in my life. When friends were few and far between, I always knew that I would have friends in books, and that they would guide me through anything I had to face. It seems only natural to me that I would take this passion for literature with me throughout my life and working as an editor or publisher is the perfect way to do this. I was attracted to doing work experience at Wakefield Press as I wanted to see what it would be like to work in the publishing industry, particularly in a local business, and determine whether publishing is something I’m actually interested in.

At the end of your work experience, what are your thoughts about working in publishing?

I think that I would absolutely love working in publishing. Being able to see publishing in action really highlights for me the incredible process that books go through before they arrive on the shelves, and then into my hands. I would love to be a part of this magical journey, and help make the books that I adore.

Do you think boys read differently from girls? If so, how? If not, why do you think so many people believe that?

I think that, to an extent, boys do read differently to girls, as boys and girls are raised extremely differently. From the moment they’re born, boys are encouraged to want to read about superheroes and fast cars, while girls are encouraged to read about fairies and princesses. While many people do break free from these stereotypes that are impressed on us since birth, it still has great influence over our reading choices into our later life. However, this is not to say that boys and girls read completely different books, but different books are marketed to boys and girls. I firmly believe that if boys and girls were raised the same way, reading habits would not vary among genders.

 What’s the last book you read for fun? What was fun about it?

I recently finished The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee. It is the second in the series, the first being The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. What I love about these books is that they really question what we have learnt about our history. As our history books are predominantly filled with straight, white men, reading historical books filled with queer people, people of colour, and strong, powerful women really turns history on its head, particularly as the author made the novels as historically accurate as possible.

What’s the last book you read and hated? What did you hate about it?

While I hate to hate books, I really despised Stephen King’s IT. In my opinion, the book is absolutely massive, and it has no reason to be. It was excessively long, with waffling descriptions that were completely irrelevant to the plot line. While there were many genuinely brilliant moments, they were far between, and reading the rest of it simply wasn’t worth it.

How do you find out about books you want to read?

I’m a prolific social media user, and I spend hours scrolling through bookstagrams and the #LoveOzYA tag to find new releases that interest me. I’m also well known in my local bookstores for showing up and looking through all of the new titles that interest me, and spending the vouchers I culminate every birthday, Christmas and Easter on them. As a member of two different book clubs, I also read the new releases that we look at every month.

Name a book or books that changed the way you think- in any way at all, large or small.

A book that changed by way of thinking was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It changed the way I considered by privilege, and my activism. Although my white privilege was something, I was always vaguely aware of, I never truly considered what it meant and how it impacts not just my life, but the lives of many other people of colour until I read this book. This book is absolutely essential in shaping the way we think about racism, particularly the institutionalisation of it.

Based on what you see around you, do you think teenagers read more or less than they used to?

I think that teenagers read more than they used to, but in much less conventional ways. With social media increasingly becoming the most-used way to share information, photos are not the only thing shared. People are able to express ideas and writing via blogs, websites, tweets, captions and multiple other platforms. However, in regard to books, I think there always has been and always will a much smaller group of readers. Perhaps this group has expanded or decreased over time, I don’t know, but to me, it always remains very similar.

Who is your favourite author and why?

It definitely depends on the day and the mood! If I’m feeling romantic, then I love Jane Austen; nostalgic and I love F. Scott Fitzgerald; upset and I love both Mackenzi Lee and Becky Albertalli; inspired and I love Margot McGovern and Christina Lauren. I know this isn’t a very good answer, but I love all of these amazing authors, so if you want anything to read, check them out.

If you were banished to a desert island and could take three books with you, what would they be and why?

I would definitely take The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is my favourite book of all time, as it’s commentary on capitalism, love and the American dream is absolutely genius. The way Fitzgerald wrote about Gatsby from Nick’s point of view allows the readers to admire Gatsby as Nick does, and as Nick claims to remain impartial and un-judgmental, his judgements on the situation away the author far more than if Gatsby had made his justifications himself. Thinking of another two books is harder as there are so many books I would want to take. I would take The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace, which is a beautiful book of poetry about being a girl growing up in a world in which we’re told that we’re to be saved by men. Lastly, I would take Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, as it’s such a perfect coming-of-age that I know I could read it over and over without ever getting sick of it.

Keep an eye out for Sara’s other blog posts, coming soon!

Are you interested in completing work experience at Wakefield Press?  Contact maddy@wakefieldpress.com.au for more information.

 

 

 

An interview with: Layla Moseby Read, work experience student

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Layla Moseby-Read, a year 10 student at Scotch, recently completed a week of work experience at Wakefield Press. Layla comes from a strong publishing background; her dad’s book, Dear Grandpa, Why?, was published by Wakefield Press earlier this year.

Layla Moseby Read, work experience student

What is the first book you ever read?

The first children’s book I ever read properly myself was called A Year on Our Farm by Penny Matthews. I had actually won the book at school and I think that I was about five or six years old when read it. The first sort of novel that I can remember reading was Geronimo Stilton Christmas Catastrophe by Elisabetta Dami.

What attracted you to doing work experience at Wakefield Press?

I wanted to do work experience at Wakefield Press because I have always had a keen interest in English, and for as long as I can remember I have loved to read. At the start of this year I had to complete a test called the Morrisby test that assesses all of your strengths and weaknesses through a variety of different investigations. It collaborates all of the results and gives you a few ideas around potential career options that you would suit. For me my number one suggestion was an editor so I wanted to get a bit                       more of an idea about this job and if I wanted to pursue it in the future, and that’s why I chose Wakefield Press.

At the end of your work experience, what are your thoughts about working in publishing?

I really enjoyed doing work experience here and I do think that it is one of my higher ideas for a career. I really liked the environment that is associated with editing and publishing and how relaxed yet productive Wakefield Press is. This sort of flexible and strong work ethic really suits me, and I like the idea of working in a job like one at Wakefield Press. If I did go into a career to do with publishing there are so many different jobs within publishing and I think that this would help me to get on the right track but not have to be locked down into a specific role just yet.

Do you think boys read differently from girls? If so, how? If not, why do you think so many people believe that?

I think that boys and girls don’t necessarily read differently but there are different expectations for books that they should read. There are definitely books that are specifically aimed at each gender and I think this impacts the way boys and girls read. In our society it is typically thought that girls read more romance or classics whereas boys are more into the action and adventure side, but this is not necessarily true. So, I don’t think that boys and girls read differently but just they read different types of books.

 

What’s the last book you read for fun? What was fun about it?

The last book I read for fun was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and it was about a middle age lady suffering from a mental health issue. I believe that it was a ‘fun’ book for me to read because it was really intriguing and there was this big mystery throughout the entirety of the book. This drew me in and kept me hooked the whole time. It is also something a bit different to my typical reading style so I enjoyed the unpredictability and uniqueness about it.

What’s the last book you read and hated? What did you hate about it?

I can’t remember ever reading a book and hating it but I do remember starting the book Maze Runner and disliking it enough to not finish it. It’s not that it was written badly it’s just that it’s not really my preferred style and genre. It was also a bit unrealistic and incorporated too much science fiction to suit me. I prefer books that are true-to-life or that are partially based on past events.

How do you find out about books you want to read?

To find books that I want to read I either choose books that were suggested to me by friends or family members, or I take my time browsing the library or bookstore reading the blurbs of books to find one that I think sounds good. My mum is often the main way I find out about new books because she reads quite often and knows what sort of books I like and enjoy reading.

Name a book or books that changed the way you think- in any way at all, large or small.

When I was around 12 I read the Once series and this really opened my eyes to how horribly innocent people were treated in WWII. By reading about what Jewish people went through, it made me realise again how lucky I am to not be faced with that much hardship or distress in my life.

Based on what you see around you, do you think teenagers read more or less than they used to?

I think that there are quite a few teenagers that still do read a lot but because many different influences, like technology, it’s not as much as what it used to be. I believe that not everyone has to love reading or read every day just that they have to be able to read quite extensively and understand what they are reading. Reading is still in the school curriculum so I believe that most teenagers still read books even if it is the one that is assigned to them in class.

Who is your favourite author and why?

I don’t really specifically have a favourite author and it really changes the older I get. A few years ago I really enjoyed Robyn Bavati’s books and although I still, do my reading style has matured. If I had to pick an author now it would probably be Sunni Overend because her books are enjoyable to read and I think that they have a good plot line.

If you were banished to a desert island and could take three books with you, what would they be and why?

I would probably take Pirouette by Robyn Bavati, Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Dangers of Truffle Hunting by Sunni Overend. Pirouette has been one of my favourite books for a long time and it is a pretty easy book to read and that is what I like about it. Both Animal Farm and The Dangers of Truffle Hunting are books that haven’t read yet but have wanted to for a long time. I have read other books by Sunni Overend, so I think that I will enjoy this one, and Animal Farm is a classic, with an allegorical style that interests me.

Want to complete your work experience at Wakefield Press?

Email Maddy to get the ball rolling.