Did you know that Naxxar is home to two rival witch families? Good witches and bad ones, Ta’ Petut and Ta’ Totall – an old rivalry, theirs.
This is the premise of the children’s series Is-Shahar ta’ Petut by Clare Azzopardi.
The first book in the series, published last year, Ghand Rebus Totall, gave rise to a great deal of curiosity thanks to its exciting mix of magic, friendship and its quaint Maltese setting. And for all the fans of that first adventure, Merlin Publishers have just published the second book in the series: Il-Wied tal-Lupu l-Ahmar.
Young Pinzett, ever the curious girl, quizzes her grandmother about the old rivalry that exists between the witches’ families. Grandma and Pinzett’s mother, though reluctant at first, cave in and tell her a tale of old magic rivalry. And so in this second book we read of how this epic war started, and why the baddie – Rebus Totall –wants to get rid of all the witches of Ta’ Petut at all costs.
In this second book we read of how this epic war started
Meanwhile, Pinzett and her friend Sam – a boy from a non-magical family – share a secret. In the first book they had managed to steal a small phial containing a mysterious red liquid, a potion that the wicked Rebus Totall had concocted to destroy all the Ta’ Petut witches. Pinzett hid it and kept quiet about it. And since, of course, one thing leads to another, their exploration in the valley Tal-Lupu l-Ahmar brings them face to face with even more magic and danger.
Is-Shahar Ta’ Petut is a new series about witches and wizards living side by side with mortals in a Maltese town, and the magical adventures they get up to. Il-Wied tal-Lupu l-Ahmar is the second book in this series, after Ghand Rebus Totall.
The Is-Shahar Ta’ Petut books are ideal for children aged eight years and over, since the books are written in short chapters, with a font big enough for children who have started gaining confidence in reading Maltese on their own. Deandra Scicluna’s beautiful, vibrant illustrations make reading the stories even more enjoyable.
Is-Shahar ta’ Petut 2 – Il-Wied tal-Lupu l-Ahmar is written by Clare Azzopardi, illustrated by Deandra Scicluna and published by Merlin Publishers in flexi-binding, making it more durable in children’s hands. It is available for sale from all leading outlets or directly online from merlinpublishers.com.