Seaside holidays have never been enough for me: I have always longed to live by the sea and, even as a child, I sought out stories in romantic seaside settings. So I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up writing such a story myself.

The inspiration for Summer's Shadow came from a place in Cornwall that I first visited in 1993 and to which I have been going back every year since. Summer's Shadow is, I hope, the perfect holiday read, and the following are some of the best holiday reads I myself have enjoyed. Some of them are for younger readers, some are for fans of YA. Many of them are set in Cornwall and all of them have had an impact on my own writing over the years.

1. My Friend Whale by Simon James

This picture book was a favourite of my children when they were tiny. The illustrations give off a whiff of sea salt as soon as you dive into the story. It is a bittersweet tale which makes us think about our place in the world and how we are caring for our planet and the creatures on it.

2. Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo

One summer we took the ferry from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly, where this book is set. We read this before we went. The island of Samson is said to be cursed because the men who lived there once massacred a pod of narwhales and took their horns to sell them. Morpurgo captures the magic of the islands beautifully. The children and I were swept away by this: another sad story of the impact of man on Nature.

3. The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton

No list of seaside reads would be complete without a book by Enid Blyton. I devoured her books when I was young, despite (or because of) a school ban on them. I introduced my children to this book as bedtime reading on holiday. It is a tradition that we reread it every year as it gets us in the mood for our own beach adventures.

4. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

The Dark is Rising series had me hooked as a 10-year-old reader. This book is set in Cornwall and draws on the ancient myths and legends surrounding King Arthur. An ancient manuscript is found in the holiday house in which the characters are staying. Their summer holiday quickly turns into a Grail Quest, with all the dangers and mysteries that go with that. It has stayed with me for years and I recently re-read it. I was happy to see it can still work its magic on me, 30-something years on!

5. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

My father gave me this book when I was about 10. He would agree with Ratty from Wind in the Willows – "There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats" – and he passed on his love of boats to me. Ransome's book held a key place in my childhood reading experience and I dreamed of having the freedom and adventure that the Walker children have on the water.

6. Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John

It is wonderful when your children get to the stage where they recommend books to you. This how I came across this Laura Marlin story. It is a modern classic – a tale of smuggling set on the Cornish coast, just as much a romp as any Enid Blyton story, but brought right up to date with St John's fresh style and modern characters. Laura Marlin is a likeable Tomboy who appeals to both boy and girl readers. It's great to see that a good old fashioned mystery story like this has an audience today.

7. What I Was by Meg Rossoff

This is a YA novel, but an unusual one: it written from the point of view of an old man looking back on something which happened to him in boyhood. The descriptions of the sea and the effect the landscape has on the characters is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a lyrical story, and a real page-turner with a twist which made me gasp aloud.

8. We Were Liars by Emily Lockhart

A group of teenagers spend every summer together on a private island owned by their family. The story is told by Cady, a damaged character who is trying to piece together the events of one particular summer when everything changed for her and her relatives. All she can remember is she was found one night, drowning in the sea. This American YA novel is another suspenseful page-turner. Again, there is a twist which had me going back through the book to see at what point I should have guessed the outcome of the story.

9. Undertow by Joanna Nadin

This compelling YA novel, set in Cornwall in a small seaside town, deals with some huge themes: depression, family secrets and difficult relationships. It is a perfect summer holiday read for teens full of suspense and angst with a gripping plot. My daughter and I fought over this: I bought it for myself but in the end I had to let her read it first on the understanding that she was not to give anything away! The only trouble with this as a holiday read is that it is guaranteed to make you completely anti-social as you will not want to put it down.

10. The Beach by Alex Garland

This novel was published as an adult read, but it is definitely a crossover title which fans of YA fiction will enjoy. I read it when it was published, which was shortly after I had left university, so I empathized with the main character who is a student. I have not been fortunate enough to go backpacking in Thailand looking for an isolated beach untouched by tourism, but I can dream – isn't that what reading is all about anyway?

Anna Wilson's book Summer's Shadow is available from the Guardian bookshop now.