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THIS WEEK BOOS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 OCTOBER 2019 6 I have been working as a school librarian for nearly 15 years and every time during those 15 years when I have told people about my profession, I have received the following comment: "Oh! So you must like reading then!" They are right. I have always been into read- ing from a young age. I remem- ber taking a stack of books just before bedtime and my mother would patiently read each book before I would finally fall asleep. I also remember being part of a mail-order book club, and every Wednesday my father would give me three picture books, which would keep me occupied for a whole afternoon. As I grew older I started realis- ing that I preferred books which were not set in reality, but con- tained fantastical elements. I liked E.B. White's books (which featured talking animals), Dr. Seuss' metaphorical tales (with their M.C. Escher-esque back- grounds were also a big hit with me), and last but not least Astrid Lindgren's surreal Pippi Long- stocking stories. When I was ten I was gifted an encyclopae- dia containing profiles and ori- gin stories of every character in the DC universe. By the start of my teens that doorstopper of an encyclopaedia was barely recog- nisable due to my overuse of it. In other words, reading for me was an escape. I preferred to go to different lands, meet strange creatures and encounter bi- zarre situations. I was obsessed with mythology, adored C.S. Lewis' Narnia books and later on read abridged versions of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne's novels (I have now read the original texts). Not to mention Roald Dahl, whose stories of witches (The Witches), giants (The BFG) and children with telekinetic powers (Matilda) fascinated me. One pivotal moment was reading Aldous Huxley's Brave New World in senior school, leading to a love for dystopian literature which is still present to this day, and reading clas- sic science-fiction novels, with Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Alge- rnon being a favourite. From that point on, I have read mostly dystopian fiction, occasionally branching out into other literary styles. Through- out the 80s and 90s children's fantasy was also doing relatively well, with Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series, Brian Jacques Redwall books, and Diana Wynne Jones' Howls Moving Castle. In 1997, a little unknown book called Harry Potter and the Phi- losopher's Stone hit the shelves. By the third book of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, author J.K. Rowling became a superstar. The liter- ary event kickstarted a slew of children's fantasy books rang- ing from Philip Pullman's ongo- ing Dark Materials books, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, and also Kali Wallace's magical works. Kali will be one of the guests at this year's book festi- val. Her book Shallow Graves, about a zombie heading out on a journey in order to find her killer, is totally addictive, and in- cidentally a personal favourite. It was in the midst of this fertile moment in children's literature that I was hired as a librarian, foolishly thinking the job would solely consist of me recommending books to chil- dren. Later on, through further studies and experiences, I dis- covered that school librarian- ship has many aspects that are equally crucial, but one of the perks of the job is seeing a child who starts off not liking reading and ends up devouring books, or past pupils thanking me for teaching them research skills, or simply witnessing students dis- cover a new author by browsing through the shelves. The newest addition to chil- dren's fantasy and one I will be definitely recommending to students is Dave Rudden, whose Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy is gaining more fol- lowers and rightfully so. These books focus on Denizen, a boy who discovers that his role in life is way more important than he thinks. Without giving too much away, the trilogy is packed with clever plot twists and is unpre- dictable from beginning to end. At times it's also quite humor- ous and contains some refer- ences to mythology, film and tv shows. Rudden will be also a guest at this year's book festival and (self-promotion moment) I will be interviewing him on 7 November. Reading for leisure is primar- ily a form of escape and this inevitably means that there are people who share the same view as authors, who create fantasy worlds to facilitate escapism. Despite what critics say about reading becoming increas- ingly difficult for children due to distractions such as tablets and games, it is still possible to engage children and help them develop a love of reading – and novels provide just that little help by creating a gateway into a different world. Besides being a school librarian, all-round-bookworm Robert Pisani blogs at TheBobSphere, where he invites readers to send him any book queries or suggestions. Robert Pisani will be interviewing celebrated Irish author of 'Knights of the Borrowed Dark' fantasy trilogy Dave Rudden at the Malta Book Festival on Thursday, 7 November 2019 at 7pm. They will discuss fantasy literature and Dave's numerous appear- ances in schools talking about becoming a writer and over- coming bullying. This year's Malta Book Festival will be held on 6–10 November at the Mediterranean Confer- ence Centre, Valletta. To find out more visit ktieb.org.mt. A school librarian recommends Robert Pisani takes a look at fantasy literature for children and teens at the Malta Book Festival Dave Rudden: His whose Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy is gaining more followers WITH the participation of guest au- thors, publishers, and all those working in the field of books and writing, the Malta Book Festival annually puts up a rich programme of events and activities. Literary Speed Dating is a new oppor- tunity for all those of you interested in the world of publishing to get to know these people better, ask the questions you've been meaning to ask, or establish new professional relationships. You will have the possibility to engage in conversation with your favourite au- thor, pitch your project to a local pub- lisher, or discuss ways to make inroads in the book industry with an estab-lished professional. The format is a 15-minute one-on-one meeting with an author or industry pro- fessional of your choice. Throughout the Festival, publishers, proofreaders, local and international writers, illustrators, and more will be dedicating an hour to a literary speed dating session which will be taking place at the Authors' Hub, Sacra Infermeria Hall. Please make sure to book your meeting in advance! Visit www.ktieb.org.mt to book your meeting with this years' par- ticipants. Wednesday 6 November 17:30-18:30 - U.S. writer Kali Wallace 17:30-18:30 - Journalist and writer Teo- dor Reljic Thursday 7 November 17:30-18:30 - Publisher Audrey Cassar (BDL Distributors, Malta) 17:30-18:30 - English editor Elizabeth Cortis (Proofreading Malta) 18:30-19:30 - Printing professional Franco Portelli (Gutenberg Press, Malta) 18:30-19:30 - Illustrator Marco Scerri (Malta) 20:00-21:00 - UK writer Jon Courtenay Grimwood Friday 8 November 17:30-18:30 - Publisher Joanne Micallef (FARAXA Publishing, Malta) 17:30-18:30 - Publisher Tony Ward (Arc Publishers, UK) 19:00-20:00 - Publisher Sarah Davis- Goff (Tramp Press, Ireland) 19:00-20:00 - Irish writer Dave Rudden Saturday 9 November 10:00-11:00 - Publisher Gordon Pisani (Kite Group, Malta) 12:00-13:00 - Illustrator Steve Scicluna (Malta, Spain) 17:00-18:00 - Printing professional Da- vid Camilleri (Gutenberg Press, Malta) 18:00-19:00 - Maltese writer Loranne Vella 19:00-20:00 - Maltese proofreader and translator Kevin Saliba The 'Literary Speed Dating' will be held during the Malta Book Festival, for Wednesday 6 November to Saturday 9 November at the Authors' Hub, Sacra Infermeria. Literary speed dating with publishing professionals 2019 Malta Book Festival Kali Wallace's Shallow Graves, about a zombie heading out on a journey in order to find her killer, is totally addictive