We asked our authors from around the world to share their thoughts on why they write, why they read, and the books that have influenced them.
Here’s what they had to say.
Tell us why you read and share your favorite books! Join the discussion @HarperCollins on Twitter using #hc200.
Kelly Sturgiss
I write for kids because each book builds kids’ intelligence. It’s muscle-building for the brain.
I write for kids because for a short while they become each character, and grow in empathy and understanding.
I write for kids to show them not what they might want to be when they grow up, but to help them find the answer to the question “How do I want to live?”
I write about history so our young people learn that every generation faced challenges, and survived. Humans are good at challenges. We are not good at boredom.
I write for kids because the best way to inspire kids to fight for a good future for our planet is to help them love it, from wombats to the stars. Humans are the species that tells stories, whether they be novels or physics theories.
But, mostly, I write, for adults as well as kids, because my life was shaped by books. I have a “three books a day” habit. I was born with a brain that seizes, stores, analyses, and correlates data, then forms it into the age-old pattern of a storyteller. What else could I be, but a writer?
