The Inky Award judges have 20 books to read in two months and the shadow judges had a month to read two books each… so I set them some extra work! I asked them to tell us a bit about themselves so we can get to know them a bit better. Curious about who is hard at work creating the Inky Awards shortlist? Learn more about them in our Meet the Judges series.

Today we meet shadow judge Fraser (Wurrook)

My favourite book when I was little:

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson. This book (coincidentally named as it is) was also my favourite book when I was very young.

Most unusual place you might find me reading:

The most unusual place you would find me reading (and it’s very unusual) is upside down on the couch. You’d be surprised at how comfy it is!

A book I have read that I wish more people would read:

One of my favourite books is Eragon by Christopher Paolini. As far as I know, I’m probably one of the few people who have read this amazing (and very long) fantasy novel. Eragon is followed by a series of equally long books that I also loved. It was recommended to me by one of my friends who knows how much I love reading.

A book cover that I love and why:

This is a tough question, but my favourite book cover would probably have to be the one for a book called Pax by Sara Pennypacker. The cover is very simplistic, but at the same time, reflects a bit of sadness. It shows a fox watching the sun rise over fields with roads criss-crossing over it. The fox has it’s back to the cover, which emanates a feeling of loneliness, but also peacefulness. After reading the book, the cover shows that human’s advancing civilisation is pushing animals out of their home.

My controversial opinion about books/reading:

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Well, in literary terms, I disagree. In a bookstore, the cover is the first thing that brings your attention the book. If the cover has a bland image or something that looks boring on it, it will most likely be put back on the shelf, and that could be where it stays for the rest of its life. The cover is one of the most important features of a book.