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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 THIS WEEK 39 RELUCTANT readers, and how to entice them to read. That's a huge challenge for anyone faced with a child who doesn't seem to enjoy reading, who finds it a chore and who claims that there is simply "too much text" in a novel for them to read. En- ter graphic novels, or comics as we often refer to them (the terms though not interchange- able are often used to refer to the same format). By their own nature, graphic novels are highly visual – an extended picture book, as it were, since the story is told through pictures. Graphic novels are also very fast- paced, because the story is essentially stripped of all de- scriptive prose and all that's left is the dialogue. This makes for very fast reading, and reading a graphic novel does not seem as daunting as reading a "regular" novel. Of course there are legions of graphic novels fans who are not reluctant readers, and who enjoy the narrative technique of the genre for its own sake. Merlin Publishers have just published their first ever graph- ic novel – a story in Maltese, for children aged 8 upwards. Save Samyo City, written by debut author Sherise Bugeja and illus- trated by Andrea Meli, tells the story of Craig, a typical Maltese boy who loves playing compu- ter games. His latest craze is the game 'Save Samyo City', and everything starts going hay- wire when he presses a button in the game and magically finds himself transported inside the game. Suddenly, he is playing his favourite game not from the comfort of his own living room, but right in the front row, hav- ing to enlist the help of his real- life friends and risking his life to save the game characters from their evil nemesis and to help Tamara. Research shows that boys es- pecially are susceptible to be- coming reluctant readers, and the same research tends to show that these same boys are more likely to pick up and read a graphic novel than any other form of reading. Save Samyo City will appeal to both boys and girls, and the fast action of the computer game story is bound to keep readers hooked until the last page. Save Samyo City is available from all bookshops, or directly online from www.merlinpublish- ers.com BEDTIME reading to and with children has long been one of the best ways to get children into the reading habit, as early as possible in life. It's never too early to start enjoying a book – yet only too often that book is an English one, because quality Maltese picture books are hard to find. Merlin Publishers has long been working on increas- ing the range and variety avail- able, with books by key authors including Trevor Żahra and Clare Azzopardi. Adding even more to that range, Merlin has just published four new picture books in Mal- tese, as part of their Id-Dinja Tiegħi range for pre-school and early learning. Stunningly il- lustrated and with detail-rich stories that stimulate a child's imagination, these are already proving to be hits. This new set of picture books serves the dual purpose of be- ing stories to be read to children when they are still extremely young (even at 2 and 3 years of age), as well as to be read by the children themselves as they grow a bit older and start to read their first few sentences. This ensures that the Merlin picture books offer unrivalled value for money as they can be used again and again, and brought back off the shelves a few years later for more fun reading together. The first picture book in the series is Lupu Lupettu Kull Ku- lur, and is the simplest of the four. Lupu Lupettu is tired of the way he looks and decides to change his skin colour – and each day of the week he tries on a new colour. This book is a perfect way of introducing, through story, the concepts of colours and days of the week. Kukku l-Kukkudrill Kantant is the next in the series. Ani- mals, much loved by children of all ages, are the protagonists in all of these picture books, and here we meet the rock- star croco- dile Kukku, whose up- coming con- cert is marred by a bout of t o o t h a c h e . The theme here is health and dental hygiene, once again providing an opportunity to talk about dentist visits in a positive non-threatening way. Next up is Rosetta Banana Tinten jew Tfuħ? where Rosetta is faced with her new classmates shunning her and keeping her out of their group. A new friend of course comes to the rescue, and friendship and the accept- ance and beauty of diversity are key topics. Serafin il-Prinċep-Denfil is the lovely story of a young mische- vious dolphin whose playing pranks on all his ocean friends comes back to haunt him when he lands himself in a spot of trouble. His friends nobly come to the rescue, and humility and respect are the themes running through this story. These new Merlin picture books come in sturdy vinyl covers, en- suring that they are long-lasting in the hands of young children. The Id-Dinja Tiegħi picture books are available from all bookshops or directly online from www.merlinpublishers.com ALFRED PALMA KARMENU Mallia is one of Malta's most prolific writers and poets, apart from being the local President of the Esperanto Society. The recent publication of his triptych under the com- mon name 'Patrijotti u Ġakbini' clearly shows his ability to han- dle a novel-length narrative. Furthermore, he stands out in his unique ability to meld fact with fiction, in the process col- ouring actual history with high- ly pleasant and credible stories, which always go hand-in-glove with whatever period of history he may be treating. He has done so once again in this his newest publication: Biża' u Kuraġġ. Against the nightmarish backdrop of the Second World War (1939-1945), Mallia creates a most touching and immediately captivating love story, that is at once em- pathic both with those horrific days and the reader himself. Celestine and Fredu Flores, both from Birgu, are young and very much in love. The girl how- ever ends up marrying Dr Bru. Shortly after, Celestine dies. Dr Bru takes under his wing his brother's daughter, Miriam. While a refugee at Ħal Qormi, Hilda, Fredu's sister, meets Miram and Dun Belinn, and Fredu eventually sets his eyes on Miriam and marries her. But will things go smoothly for the loving pair from there on? And for all those concerned? What part will Advocate Bast- jan – nicknamed 'Il-Lellekkin' – play in the inevitable intrigue that crops up? And here is exactly were Mal- lia shows his unique treatment of quite a simple plot and an even simpler love story. The characters he creates are alive, pathetically human, real, cred- ible; they become one with the raging inferno unleashed over Malta during those sad, bitter and tragic days, and the reader will be so impressed as to al- most believe that the characters themselves are as much a part of history as were the attack on HMS Illustrious and the provi- dential Santa Marija Convoy of 1943, which episodes the author pens down in the most beauti- ful descriptive manner. As is his wont, Mallia often relieves dramatic moments, or depressing situations, with heavy doses of humour, which he always does very wittily and at the right moment, so as not to create any sudden release on the prevailing tension. Another masterstroke of the novel is the way that the author treats the most intimate mo- ments between one character and another with an absolutely adult approach, so as to add more realism to the situation and draw the reader more inti- mately into the story. As with each novel forming part of 'Patrijotti u Ġakbini', this is a thick, very well printed book, intended for the lover of local history, as well as that of the Maltese novel at its best; or for both. And, whatever their penchant, both will enjoy a very pleasant and interesting read. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 39 THIS WEEK Love in the blitz Merlin strive to resurrect bedtime reading tradition Biża' u Kuraġġ: A Maltese novel by Karmenu Mallia BDL, 2013; 382 pp Local publisher releases first graphic novel