I've always been a big reader - it runs in the family. I read pretty much every genre, but my particular favourites are sci-fi and fantasy, with the occasional thriller, historical fiction or YA novel thrown in.
I picked this up when I was about 9 or 10, and I immediately fell in love with it. I have all three of the books, and I don't think I'll ever get rid of them. The book just really stood out to me, the idea of the school, and the songs. Even now I can remember the beginning of the book in great detail, although I haven't read it for years - though writing this makes me feel like re-reading it.