New THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA trailers!

Two of the most popular comic titles will soon hit the cinema screens. Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are sure to be great hits with superhero action film fans.

New Books for the Library!

The nice people over at AUDIO VISUAL CENTRE have donated a number of awesome books to the library. The titles are varied: sports, history, science, entertainment, astronomy, biology. They are beautiful books (as one expects from DK) that will enrich the library's reference section and are sure to prove invaluable to the students.

The Gypsy

Esmeralda and her puppy were hiding in the bushes, hoping that the angry crowd would go away. They were after the girl because they wanted to put her to death.

Esmeralda was a gypsy and people believed that all gypsies were thieves. But Esmeralda was not a thief and in order to earn pennies she organized shows and dances with Yuri. This angered the people so they decided to kill her, which is why she was hiding. There, in the bushes she stayed, until Mr. Dobblin spotted her.

She took her bundle of clothes and whispered to Yuri: “Someday this will end. The sooner we go, the sooner it will happen.”

They reached a field of wild horses. She looked for her horse, Bluebell.

Luckily she found him, and lifted herself up. Yuri and her bundle of clothes were with her and so they galloped off. Only when they reached France did they stop for a rest.

She knew she was safe here. In France they were celebrating the birthday of Captain Grainger, a famous captain who fought and won a battle against gypsies.

Actors and dancers were invited to perform. Esmeralda, who knew nothing of the captain’s hatred towards gypsies, wanted to join in the celebration and so she danced along with the French. She made a show that included singing, dancing and some tricks she had taught to Yuri.

Claude, one of Grainger’s friends, fell in love with the girl. They became good friends but she loved the captain and not Claude. The captain was in love with her too and soon enough, proposed to Esmeralda.

They were married and lived happily but one day the servant of the captain heard Esmeralda tell her awful tale to herself, while riding on a horse. The servant told the captain about it and the captain forgot all about his love for Esmeralda.

She was taken to prison with all the other gypsies. They were going to cut her head off.

She was puzzled and no longer loved the captain. But she didn’t stay in prison for long as Claude rescued her.

He bought a piece of land where they hid and built a high wall which only he knew how to go through. Then, together with Esmeralda and Yuri, he built a house. Claude took care of the two. Yuri guarded the house from wild animals and he slept on a cushion next to Esmeralda. Esmeralda made crafts that Claude sold at the market for 10 gold pieces.

Esmeralda started loving Claude the way he loved her. But alas, one day Grainger found Esmeralda. He grew suspicious seeing Claude selling all those crafts at the market, and followed him to the house. The captain arrested the three of them and wanted to have them hanged. But before the hanging, Esmeralda asked the people:

“Why should I be hanged. I did not steal, like the other gypsies, and I’ve been a good wife to the captain, but in his hatred, he forgot how to love.”

The people realised how unfair the captain had been to his wife and was punished. As for Claude, he married Esmeralda and the two of them and Yuri lived in their house. The wall was removed.

With all the money they earned from selling crafts, they bought a lot of new furniture.

They continued selling crafts and started making up shows.

Christina Camilleri

Horrid Henry Film!

A live feature film (in 3D!) chronicling the adventures of our favourite naughty boy is in post-production. This means that Horrid Henry's first foray into film is ready and the technicians are adding the finishing touches. It should be out for Summer. :)

Here is what the people at IGN MOVIES have to say about it:

The film sees Horrid Henry, Lord High Majesty of the Purple Hand Gang, waging his ever constant battle against the tyranny of adults, only this time it seems the adults really are out to get him!

Horrid Henry was created by author Francesca Simon and is the most successful children's literary character in the UK after Harry Potter, with book sales of more than 16 million.

(Trailer below is courtesy of TrailerSpy.)

Free Books!

Thanks to AGENDA's Books for Schools initiative, the library is now 203 books richer!! The shelves are teeming with information about far-off lands, domestic and exotic animals, awesome inventions, fascinating science and history. Also, tales of adventure, fantasy, horror, suspense and humour. Below is a taste of the stupendous books that are now part of San Anton's library!

The Three Promises

Once there were three beautiful sisters: the youngest, Koseyapea, was the most beautiful and generous creature under the sun. Her elder sisters were jealous of her.

Their jealousy made them unkind and unfair and they never kept their promises .

One day Eleanor, their mother, said that she would give her most treasured jewels to the daughter she was proudest of. The first sister, Gold Eyes, went out to the woods to ask Spring for help.

When she reached the deepest part of the forest she cried:

“Spring, Spring, come help me

And a good friend to you I shall be

If you grant me this wish

Three promises will be yours “

Spring came to see what this young maiden wanted and promised to grant her wish. Gold Eyes wished for a huge piece of land, in which she would organise grand balls and parties .

After Spring gave her the land, she told her:

“ Promise me you shall share with me some food from the land ,

Promise to say I gave you the land if anyone asks were you got it from

And lastly, be grateful that I did so”

Gold Eyes gave her word and went home. The same thing happened with Silver Eyes, the second sister who wished for a jewelery shop. It also happened to Koseyapea, who wished for a farm.

It didn’t take long for the two elder sisters to break their promises. Koseyapea remained faithful to Spring .

Spring made Koseyapea a goddess, and her sisters regretted that they hadn’t kept their promises.

Christina Camilleri

The Baby Monkey

Once upon a time there was a baby monkey. His name was Cheeky. His mum and dad were called Cheechy and Cheeko.

One day two men came to the forest where Cheeky, Cheechy and Cheeko lived. And those two men worked at the zoo. They wanted three monkeys. So they went hunting till they found the three-monkey family. They caught them with a net and then they put them in a box. They put the box in the truck. The monkeys were afraid but luckily Cheeky had very long nails so he could use them to escape through the hole.

When they got out Cheeko and Cheechy gave a slap on the men's faces with their tails. The two men became unconscious so the truck was out of control. So Cheeky decided to drive the truck himself. He quickly jumped into the driver's seat, took hold of the steering wheel and began driving. After a while he stopped the truck leaving the men unconscious locked in a box.

The monkeys got out through the windows and started swinging happily from one tree to another. They were free again.

Three months later Cheeky went to school and made lots of friends. He told them all about what happened. The other monkeys all stared at Cheeky because they had never heard anything like that. When school was over, he didn't want to leave because he had so much fun. But when Cheechy and Cheeko told him that they had bought lots of bananas he wanted to leave. When they got home and Cheeky saw the mouth-watering bananas he wanted one immediately. He took one and started peeling it.

When he finished eating it, he told his mum and dad that he made lots of new friends at school. Cheeko and Cheechy were so proud of Cheeky that they gave him another banana. Then he told them that he made lots of paintings at school. So they gave him another banana. He told them that his best friends were Bingo, Bango and Jango.

Next day when he was at school, he heard a noise coming from outside. He looked out of the window and saw two men in a truck. Cheeky recognised them. They were the two men who had captured him and his parents. So he told his friends to go and help scare the two men away. So they jumped on the truck and frightened the men. The men went away and were never seen again. So he went home and told his parents and they lived happily ever after.

by Ylenia Coleiro

MERLIN LIBRARY have kindly donated a SIGNED (!) copy of Darren Shan's latest book called The Thin Executioner:

Jebel Rum is a thin, scrawny boy. His father is the famed executioner in the city where they live. When Jebel is humiliated in public, he sets off on a quest to gain great strength and invincibility. If successful, he will be able to compete in a gruelling contest to prove himself and replace his father as the wielder of the axe. Failure, on the other hands, means certain death.

To win the favour of a fire god, Jebel must make a human sacrifice. He finds a slave who is willing to pay this grisly price, and the pair set off on a trek through lands deadly and unwelcoming. In the course of their travels they will encounter hatred, bigotry, slavery, death and a whole lot more. It is the nightmarish adventure of a lifetime…

(Source: Darren Shan's site)

Thanks! :)

Clare Azzopardi żżur San Anton

Clare Azzopardi, waħda mill-iktar awturi maħbubin, żaret San Anton fil-1 ta' Diċembru. Iltaqgħet l-ewwel mal-istudenti tal-Grade 10 u kellmithom dwar il-ktieb tagħha li ħareġ is-sena l-oħra, Il-Każ Kważi Kollu tal-Aħwa De Molizz. Il-ktieb jirrakkonta l-ġrajja ta' żewġt aħwa, Saver u Klawdjo De Molizz, li għandhom mibegħda kbira lejn tfal intelliġenti. Tant ma jistgħux għalihom li jiffurmaw aġenzija għat-twaqqigħ tal-iskejjel: kull m'għandhom bżonn huma l-firem ta' diversi studenti u l-iskola ssir frak. Pero' l-affarijiet ma jmorrux kif basru fil-bidu...

Clare qrat xi siltiet mill-ktieb u wara l-istudenti kellhom l-opportunita' li jistaqsuha domandi, dwar l-istorja tal-aħwa De Molizz, dwar il-karriera tagħha bħala kittieba u anki dwar xi xogħol li qed taħdem fuqu bħalissa.

Immedjatament wara ġew il-Grade 6. Clare ippreparat xi affarijiet fuq is-sensiela ta' Jake Cassar, it-tifel li flimkien m'oħtu Melanie, jivvjaġġa ta' sikwit fir-Renju tar-Re Pankrazju IV. Hawnhekk ikollhom diversi avventuri u jiltaqgħu ma' kreaturi bħall-furuni u s-sriek.

Wara li qratilhom xi siltiet mill-kotba u rrispondiet għall-mistoqsijiet li kellhom, Clare għamlitilhom eżerċizzju ċkejken. It-tfal kellhom stampa ta' sħabha li fiha kellhom ipinġu l-affarijiet li l-iktar jieħdu gost jaħsbu dwarhom. Meta lestew, il-librerija mtliet kollha sħab bil-ħolm tal-istudenti.

Fl-aħħarnett, Clare ġentilment iffirmat il-kotba tat-tfal u wegħdithom li la jkun hemm avventuri oħra ta' Jake Cassar, terġa' tiġi żżurhom!

Din iż-żjara ġiet organizzata minn MERLIN LIBRARY.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The first part of the final Harry Potter film adaptation is finally out! Check the trailer of the film below!

Visit the Official HARRY POTTER site.

First pictures from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is surely one of the most eagerly awaited films. It is going to be in two parts and although everyone has read the book, the film production is being quite secretive about it. However a couple of pictures have been leaked from the set and they look mighty interesting! :)

Photos taken from the Oclumencia site.

World Book Week 2010 - Lauren St John

Lauren St John's visit was originally planned for World Book Week. However, seeing that Eyjafjallajokull (aka the Iceland volcano) decided otherwise, the visit had to be postponed by a couple of weeks.

In the meantime the students had much to keep them occupied. The school participated in a model competition aimed at raising awareness about endangered animals, an initiative coordinated by Lauren and Merlin Library. The Grade 8s took this task to heart and submitted three models: a panda, a tiger and a snow leopard. The models were then exhibited at St James Cavalier which at the time was hosting the first ever Children's Literature Festival. Some of the students, accompanied by the school librarian, attended this event in which they also got to meet, virtually (by means of a webcam), Lauren.

This did not mean that they were denied the opportunity to meet her in person. The children were really looking forward to her visit and, right enough, a fortnight later, Lauren visited the school. The students were in awe: you could hear a pin drop. They were completely absorbed by the tales of Lauren's youth spent in Africa surrounded by many exotic animals. She also told them of her work towards relocating zoo animals back to their natural habitat, and raising awareness about species that risk extinction.

Lauren also spoke about her books, four titles collectively known as the White Giraffe series. These were inspired by tales of her childhood, reworked and reshaped with heavy doses of imagination. They feature the adventures of Martine, who after the demise of her parents, goes to live with her grandmother in Africa. The books are spiced with drama and adventure, making them veritable page-turners.

Lauren St John is a truly inspiring person. Besides being an author, she also finds the time, energy and commitment to promote an extremely worthy cause. It was great getting to know her.

Visit LAUREN ST JOHN's site

World Book Week 2010 - Rita Antoinette Borġ

Local author and story-teller Rita Antoinette Borġ visited the school and had a session with the Grade 4s and 5s. Ms Borġ started off by introducing Pepito, a cheerful and colourful parrot who lives in South America, and who loves to share his knowledge of geography and animals with children.

Next came a story session, during which Ms Borġ read one of her stories, Taqsamx it-Triq Fuxa! The children were engrossed as Ms Borġ narrated the adventures of little Fuxa who discovered that crossing a busy road is far from easy! The students loved the particular format of the flip-over books, where the same story is told in both Maltese and in English.

Ms Borġ also spoke to the students about the importance of reading. Besides it being a great past time, it also helps with getting ideas for stories and learning new words.

Click HERE to visit Ms Borġ's website.

World Book Week 2010 - Marianne Tabone

This year's World Book Week kicked off with a visit by Marianne Tabone, a local author whose books chronicling the adventures of Anġlu Piżellu are quite popular among the students. Ms Tabone started her session by talking about herself, what inspires her and how important it is for writers to keep on reading as much as possible. She also mentioned some characters from her childhood who, with a bit of tweak here and there, found themselves sharing the lively angel's adventures.

After her talk, Ms Tabone allowed a few minutes for questions, an opportunity upon which the students pounced. They asked a myriad of questions but the one which seemed to interest them most regarded the ever elusive issue of ideas: where do these come from? Ms Tabone answered that one can find ideas anywhere, you just have to look around. A quirky gesture or a random comment from a stranger can be enough to spark off an idea for a character or a story.

Ms Tabone concluded her session by reading one of her stories to the students.

Awesome Film based on Awesome Book

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole is an epic fantasy about owls who live during a time when humans have gone extinct. Owls can read, write and do other things that were previously done by humans. It is the tale of Soren who, together with other owls, is captured by the evil Skench and forced to do things against his will. He manages to escape and on his journey he makes new friends. Together they are looking for a mythical tree and once they find it new enemies emerge...

It is an awesome series of books and a must-read for fantasy lovers. It is coming out as a film (based on the first three books) on September 24th 2010...

Review by Ariane

Official Site for the Books

TRAILER:

Percy Jackson Film Preview

Merlin Library were kind enough to supply the school with 15 free tickets for the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief film preview. The lucky winners, whose name was pulled out of a hat (or rather, a box) had a whale of a time. These are some of their comments:

I really enjoyed the film. Percy Jackson was my favourite character. I loved it when he fought against the hydra and then when he went to Las Vegas. The scene of Camp Half-Blood is very cool too. I really enjoyed this film and wouldn't mind watching it again.

Timothy

I liked the movie because there are two worlds and one of them is full of Greek gods. Many people don't know about it. Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon and he goes on a quest to bring back his mother and to bring back Zeus' lightning bolt. It was a very exciting story.

Matthew

Percy Jackson is a teenager who goes on a quest with his friends. They have special powers and they need to save Percy's mother from an evil Greek god. But the gods think that Percy is the lightning thief. It turns out he's not.

Max

I think that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief had amazing graphics! Also I think that if I was in the movie I would have loved to try and throw Poseidon's trident. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was such a good movie that I want to read all the books and watch the next movie!

Paul

The film is adventurous and based on Greek mythology. Zeus' lightning bolt is stolen and Percy Jackson blamed for the theft. In the meantime his mother is kidnapped and Percy has to go to the underworld to save her. He needs to find three objects to get out of the underworld.

Rebecca

I really liked the film because it was adventurous. My favourite part was when Percy Jackson fought against Medusa. It was funny when Medusa's head was cut off but her eyes kept turning people to stone!

Christian

Percy Jackson is a very interesting and adventurous movie. It is one of the best films I have seen so far. Percy Jackson is a boy who is half human and half god as he is the son of Poseidon. This is what I found really interesting.

Emma

Percy Jackson books and film official site.

The Grand Prix Final (Story)

Fifteen years ago, my brother had gone to hospital because he was in a bad car crash!

It was the Grand Prix Final and he was the driver with the best chance to win. But in the last few seconds, someone crashed into his car from behind.

Now, it is my turn to take his place in the Grand Prix Final. I have a chance of winning, just like he had.

I was very careful so the same thing wouldn't happen to me. I kept checking my rear view mirror. There was this driver who was coming closer to me. I recognised that he was the brother of that other driver that crashed into my own brother!

I made sure that I wouldn't fall for the same trick so I swerved to the right and put him off track.

It paid off cause I won the race! I dedicated this victory to my brother.

Paul - 7.1

Hetty Feather

Despite her being a very prolific author, Jacqueline Wilson still manages to elicit a sense of excitement whenever one of her books is due to be released. Hetty Feather proved to be no exception.

This time round, Jacqueline Wilson's story takes us to London during the year 1876. Hetty is still a baby when her mother leaves her on the doorstep of an orphanage. However she must first live with a foster family before she is old enough to go to school. Hetty goes to live in the countryside where she spends a large amount of time with her 'brothers' Gem and Gideon. One day a travelling circus passes by and Hetty is mesmerised by the show.

The time comes when Hetty has to go back to the orphanage and she finds it really difficult to adapt to this kind of new life, involving school and terrible lunches. There is one positive side to this - now she can start looking for her real mum.

Jacqueline Wilson official site

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Author Rick Riordan's series of books featuring Percy Jackson are amongst the most popular titles with children. The thrilling adventures of this young boy as he tests his wits and courage against mythological creatures, have captured the imagination of many.

The story is as follows: Percy Jackson is always up to mischief and trouble, and in fact has been expelled from several schools. One fine day, during an outing, one of his teachers turns into a monster and tries to kill him. However he manages to stay alive thanks to a pen that magically transforms into a sword. Understandably, this disconcerts Percy quite a lot and a string of similarly odd occurrences does nothing to dispel his nervous mood. Going back home offers no solace either as his mother is at the moment living with this despicable man known as 'Smelly Gabe'. Some time later she is kidnapped by a minotaur. Percy does not know what to do but one of his friends, Grover, who turns out to be a satyr, takes him to Camp Half-Blood, which is a training ground for demigods. And the adventure continues.

As you can see, Percy Jackson's stories are breathtaking and leave one craving for what's coming next. Once you start reading a story, you simply MUST keep on at it till the very end. So imagine the reaction of many at the news of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief being turned into a movie! The trailer has been released and it looks awesome. The director, Chris Columbus, is the same one behind the first two Harry Potter installments. So this should be extremely good. :)

Percy Jackson Official Site

Rick Riordan

Author Visit

Ms Faye Cukier visited San Anton School to promote and talk about the book she's written called Fleeing the Swastika, a gripping true tale of her youth spent travelling all over war-torn Europe.

World War Two was a gruesome chapter in the history of the Twentieth Century. There was the rise to power of the Third Reich which eventually led to the beginning of a terrible war that embroiled all the countries of the world. However, as time goes by, events tend to move farther and farther away from memory. Sometimes this is beneficial, at other times it's not. Very few persons who lived through this terrible ordeal are still alive, and therefore it was quite a privilege to have the author of Fleeing the Swastika coming to school.

Ms Cukier is a charming and elegant lady of Jewish origin, whose gentle manners belie a difficult past replete with adventure and hardship. She remembers vividly the hasty moving from one city to another in order not to be discovered by Nazis during World War Two. But things had not always been like this.

Ms Cukier's life started full of promise. Her father was a successful businessman who could afford to raise his family in relative comfort. However, as the Nazi government gained in popularity, the Cukiers found it more and more difficult to get by. This forced Ms Cukier and her mother to leave Germany for Brussels. They made their move just in time as a few months later saw The Night of Broken Glass, in which Jewish homes, shops and synagogues were demolished.

Life in Belgium wasn't easy either. First of all Ms Cukier was told that she had to wear the Jewish yellow star, something she refused to do. However, acting upon the suggestion of a friendly policeman, she dyed her hair blonde so as not to look Jewish. During this time she also got involved in the diamond trade in order to help her family survive. It was an arduous period in which Ms Cukier had to be constantly on the alert.

But with the end of the war, her family was liberated and eventually got her lifelong dream of going to America. Still, some sad moments persisted as Ms Cukier had friends who had perished in the streets and in concentration camps. And this was one of the reasons why she ventured to write this book - as a tribute to all those who suffered during such a terrible war.