In our Teen Advisory Board’s last meeting for 2019, the hilarious Will Kostakis visited the teens to talk about his career as an author. First up was his journey to publication at age nineteen. He had the teens in hysterics as he showed them his author photo of a precocious young author and his many stories of growing up as a young gay man with strong Greek family ties.

He talked about how it was important to put these aspects of himself in his latest book, Monuments, the first in a series of fantasy novels set around schools in Sydney, which have ancient gods interred beneath them. His novel has a hilarious camp humour and Will himself was hugely funny as he talked about writing, visiting schools and his theories on the worlds of Star Wars and Harry Potter. The teens had a great time with him and were often laughing so much they were crying. One of our favourite visitors to the board this year!

Check out Will’s latest novel, which was one of Readings best young adult books of 2019, and you can listen to an interview with Kostakis about his writing career and book here.

Below are some rave reviews of Will and Monuments from the teens.

Teen reviews of Monuments by Will Kostakis

‘A great book for any fan of Percy Jackson and people who are obsessed with mythology like I am. Plus LGBTQ+ representation. Fantasy with a mix of humour and teenagers making very, very dumb decisions.’ – Siena

‘Will was one of the wittiest and well-spoken authors I’ve talked to. My cheeks hurt from laughing so much and the wonderful insights he gave us about writing and the book industry really helped me understand more about the world of young adult books.’ – Ananyaa

‘Will Kostakis is just a person who you naturally gravitate towards - his personality fills the room and his contagious laughter spreads happiness, whilst his warm vibes instantly put me at ease. He is an eloquent speaker who is able to artfully delve into the more deeper topics, touching on loss and how it has affected his writing process – all the whilst keeping his sense of humour and never failing to make us laugh. There wasn’t a dull moment with Will in the room and it was an honour to be able to listen to him speaking during the Teen Advisory Board as well as his conversation later that night at Readings Kids with the talented Amie Kaufman.’ – Carolyn

‘So hilarious and fun! The Readings Teen Advisory Board has probably never laughed more. Will Kostakis is one of the best presenters I’ve seen. 10/10’ – Amy

‘Will Kostakis is funny, clever and clearly passionate about his writing. Monuments is a fantastic book for any tween or early teenaged reader!’ – Riley

‘You know when something is so funny your stomach hurts after laughing so hard? Well after meeting Will I think I might have abs because he is the funniest, most relatable writer I’ve ever met. And it shows in his new book Monuments.’ – Chenuli