Happy birthday to us!

It isn't only World Book Day on March 6: the Guardian children's books site turns three years old today! To celebrate we asked one of our first ever members, Lottie Longshanks – who has written over 50 reviews for us – to tell us what impact the site has had on her life, and her reading.

Lottie: I joined the Guardian children's books website when I was seven years old and now I'm 10. My profile says that my favourite writers were: Jacqueline Wilson, Michelle Magorian and Michael Morpurgo. I'd only just started reading long books then but I remember the titles that made me like these writers. They were Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson, Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian and Little Foxes by Michael Morpurgo.

Why did I like these books so much? They are all about real people and their lives and although they all have great sadness in them, they also all have hope that their lives will get better.

Later on I asked Michael Morpurgo about why he writes about people who are sad or disabled. He said: "I know the sun will rise in the morning, that there is a light at the end of every tunnel. Wherever my story takes me however dark and difficult there is always hope and redemption, not because readers like a happy ending but because I am an optimist at heart." I have listened on the internet to Michael Morpurgo talking, and when I read his books it is almost as if I can hear his voice.

One of the first things I did for the site was to ask Jacqueline Wilson some questions for World Book Day 2011 when the website was launched. I felt very nervous. Looking back at the video of that interview you can see how nervous I was because my fingers were tapping the chair all the time. Jacqueline Wilson was really kind to me though and I felt very important as I walked behind her on our way back to St Pancras station.

Since then, being a member of the site has been one of the best things in my life. I look forward to the newsletters, I like reading the reviews that other children write and it's great to see my own reviews listed by my profile so that my family can read them, even my auntie and uncle who live in Oman.

I also like looking at the questions people send to Julia Eccleshare, the Book Doctor and once or twice I have sent a suggestion for her to answer.

Over the last three years I have written about 50 reviews, most of them of lovely books that have been sent to me by the Guardian.

I can remember one girl in my lower school who was a bit of a show off, and whenever I recommended a book to her she would say, "Oh I've already read that!" She did the same thing when I recommended Sky Hawk but I was able to say: "Well that's strange, because it hasn't been published yet!"

I still enjoy books by the three writers that I liked when I was seven, in particular the Hetty Feather books by Jacqueline Wilson, partly because she is such a strong character, but also because I love history.

Michael Morpurgo's Shadow will be one of my favourite books as long as I live. I got so angry when I read that children could be sent back to a country where they didn't feel safe that I did some research about Yarlswood Detention Centre.

I have also just finished reading Just Henry by Michelle Magorian and although I didn't enjoy it quite so much as Goodnight Mr Tom, it is still an excellent book and I learned a lot about what life was like for my grandparents when they were growing up after the war.

If you've read this far you can probably guess that the books I still enjoy most are about real people and their lives, but thanks to the Guardian children's books site, I have been introduced to authors that I might never have heard of otherwise.

Top of the list are Gill Lewis's three books about children who try to protect wildlife that is in danger: Sky Hawk, White Dolphin and Moon Bear.

They are beautifully written and show how even children can play their part in caring for the environment and the creatures in it. I was lucky enough to do an online interview with Gill Lewis and I loved reading her answers to my questions.

I have also been introduced to David Almond's books. Two of them have recently been on the long list for the Guardian children's fiction prize and I really hoped that My Name is Mina would win. Mina is my favourite character in all the books I have read and I still remember her and think about her a lot. Some of my other best loved books are: Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones because it was really gripping and so good in its historical setting, The Last Wild by Piers Torday – although impossible things happened in it there were such strong messages about the environment I am really hoping for a sequel, I also enjoyed the first two books in the History Keepers series by Damien Dibben and most recently My Brother's Shadow by Tom Avery.

My list could go on and on but to sum up I think that I am, more or less, the same person that I was in 2011 with almost the same taste in books, but I have had so many fantastic opportunities to read newly published books, to write reviews, to have my stories and poems added to the web site for anyone to read that I have become much more confident.

It was great fun interviewing Rebecca Stead, this year's winner of the 2013 Guardian children's fiction prize and I hardly felt nervous at all. Thank you so much Guardian children's books for making all these things possible.

Thank you LottieLongshanks - and all our wonderful site members! - for all of your commitment and for helping us to make Guardian children's books the wonderful book haven it is today.

For all you budding bookworms reading this who aren't yet a member, what are you waiting for? Do come and join us – if you have any questions (and of course to send your reviews!) email childrens.books@theguardian.com