most Nicholas Sparks‘ Bestselling books have been turned into blockbuster movies, but one holds a special place in his heart.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about the adaptations he’s made over the years, the 58-year-old North Carolina author notes: A Walk to Remember It stood out from the rest when it came to fan favorites.

“The thing I see most A Walk to RememberHe says the following about the 2002 movie: Mandy Moore And Shane West. “When my kids were growing up, they hadn’t read a novel of mine yet, and they were like, ‘Oh, can we see what you’re doing?’ they would say. I would say, ‘I arranged the movie for you.’ And I had five kids, so I had to watch this over and over again because I was going to show it to them again. That movie was great. It just works.”

But he also adds that Notebook is another “iconic” adaptation, noting that it will likely “stand the test of time.”

think about A Walk to RememberSparks notes that one of his favorite memories from filming was working with Moore and West on set.

“They were very excited,” he said of the young stars. “Mandy was a very nice young lady. My son was 10 years old at the time and when he saw Mandy he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. “He was 17.”

His son actually had a small role in the movie. “He actually appeared in the final cut of the chapel scene earlier in the film,” he says. “He looked absolutely miserable and I said, ‘You did a great job singing in church, son.’ ‘This is exactly what the kids look like.’ ”

He adds that he still keeps in touch with West and Moore. “We’re still good friends,” he continues. “It was great to see where their careers went and what they did. “It’s a movie that works on levels that are difficult to understand.”

Over the years, the ending of the book and how it was adapted into a movie has been a major topic of discussion among fans. While the movie gives Jamie a definitive ending, the book leaves events more open to interpretation.

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According to Sparks, there was an intention behind this: to give readers hope. Although the book was inspired by her sister’s death from a brain tumor, she notes that she became quite attached to Jamie throughout the writing process.

“It was interesting, throughout the writing of the novel I was sure he was going to die, and then when I got to the pages where I had to write him, I thought, ‘Oh, he’s so sweet. ‘ I just didn’t have the courage to write it,” he explains. “So I left it more vague and mysterious because it could go either way.”

We talk exclusively to PEOPLE about her latest novel Counting MiraclesSparks notes that one of the best parts of his career has been reaching new audiences through different mediums, whether film adaptations or Broadway productions.

“I’m very happy about it because I think the story is good if I can see the story, and I want as many people as possible to be familiar with the story,” he explains. “A lot of people watch movies or tune in to cable. They’ll see something I’ve done on TV, or they’ll see a show on Broadway, and there they’ll experience my story in a different medium. But it’s still the story that I think is worth telling in the first place.”

“No matter how people discover them, I hope they enjoy them from now on, think they’re worth their time reading, and ideally — in a perfect world — you hope they enjoy it so much, they say, there’s someone else on this,” Sparks continues. “That’s what I hope for.”