World Book Week 2018 - Simone Spiteri

Simone Spiteri, whose debut novel for children hit the book stands last November during the Malta Book Festival, kindly accepted San Anton's invitation to come and speak to the Grade 8 students.

Il-Vjaġġaturi taż-Żmien is the first instalment in the Il-Vinkulari series. It's the story of Maia and Alex, two cousins who were born on the same day at the same exact hour. They were also raised together but now that they have reached their eleventh birthday, they are privy to this great family secret. And now they have a mission: they have to travel back in time, and in just 24 hours Maia and Alex must...

Ms Spiteri's adventure is set during World War Two which means that she had to do a ton of research in order to make sure that the historical facts are precise. Even though Vjaġġaturi is first and foremost a novel and not a history book, it is still essential for a writer to weave a credible backdrop against which the story is set.

The many illustrations which pepper the book have also been meticulously researched. Artist Moira Scicluna Żahra based her drawings on real photos of Malta at the time, adding that vibrant touch to what is already a gorgeous publication.

The students loved every minute of Ms Spiteri's presentation and quite a number of them purchased the book. If only they had a time-machine and could travel forward in time to get hold of Il-Vinkulari 2...

 

 

World Book Week - Clare Azzopardi



Clare Azzopardi, one of the most prolific and most popular authors, visited San Anton School to meet with the Grade 4 students.

Ms Azzopardi introduced her friend Lupu Lupettu to the students even though a substantial number of them knew him already, having read the books. The adventures of the energetic wolf are written by French author Orianne Lallemande, and Ms Azzopardi translated them into Maltese.

The Grade 4 students were then treated to two stories, this time from picture books penned by Ms Azzopardi. The first one was Mingu, the tale of a family who finds an injured flamingo that was shot by a hunter. The second was Il-Qtates ta' max-Xatt, about an elderly couple who feed a colony of cats.

Finally, Ms Azzopardi was kind enough to sign the children's books. It was a great day for the Grade 4s, one that they won't easily forget.

*This visit was made possible thanks to Merlin Publishers.



World Book Week - Antoinette Borg



Antoinette Borġ has taken the local literary scene by storm. Her debut novel, Fittixni, was a runaway critical and commercial success, not only with children (its intended target audience) but also with adults. A few months after its launch, Ms Borġ was announced as one of the two winners of the Literary Contest of Novels for Youth, organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb. So it was a great honour to have her over at San Anton School to meet the Grade 9 students.

Fittixni is a story whose plot hinges on intertextuality. It is not a requirement to be familiar with the other text that acts as counterpoint to Ms Borġ's novel (Fr Wistin Born's Is-Salib tal-Fidda) in order to fully understand what's going on - however it was quite fitting that Ms Borġ's presentation was peppered with personal anecdotes that shed light on the creative process which culminated in Fittixni.

Ms Borġ was helping her son with a school project involving three Trevor Żahra novels, and after (re-) reading them herself, she got an idea for her own story. After much deliberation and mulling over, she finally sat down and started writing.

The students were given an assignment related to a major theme of the book, getting in touch with one's roots. They wrote a brief biography of an ancestor and some of them were lucky enough to read it in front of Ms Borġ and the rest of the Grade.

It was a memorable event that both the teachers and the students thoroughly enjoyed.

*This visit was done in conjunction with Merlin Publishers.



World Book Week - John Bonello



John Bonello, the award-winning author of titles such as the Il-Logħba tal-Allat trilogy and Irvin Vella: Investigatur Virtwali, popped over to meet the Grade 8 students.

The first book of the Irvin Vella series is used as a class reader and it was a runaway success. The children absolutely love it, and the titular character, with his insatiable appetite for anything that comes out of a kitchen, is very endearing.

Mr Bonello spoke to the students about what inspired him to write the first adventure of Irvin Vella, and also disclosed some 'secrets' about the second book, published last November. He also treated them to an exclusive reading from the as yet unpublished third instalment in the Irvin Vella series.

The Grade 8s had a school assignment to tie with Mr Bonello's visit. They were given the beginning of a mystery story which they had to finish off themselves. Their efforts were put up on a board and some of them were read out in front of Mr Bonello and the rest of the Grade.

*This visit was possible thanks to Merlin Publishers.



World Book Week - Rachel Portelli

 

The Grade 5 students had a very special guest for World Book Week: Ms Rachel Portelli from Merlin Publishers. Ms Portelli spoke to the children about the varied and exciting world of publishing.

The students had a first-hand account of all the steps that a manuscript goes through after it's been submitted to the publisher. Some might think that it's a pretty straightforward process - author to publisher to printer to bookshop; but it's not that simple

Ms Portelli presented a very interesting analogy between films and books. They share similar characteristics (such as characters - actors, authors - scriptwriters, director - publisher, etc) and each of these requires the dedicated input of several hard-working individuals.

Ms Portelli peppered her talk with lively readings from Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Clare Azzopardi. It was a fun and informative session that the children thoroughly enjoyed.

*This visit was made possible thanks to Merlin Publishers.