A €5 book voucher for all students participating in the Malta Book Festival

The Malta Book Festival is an opportunity to develop the basic skills related to the appreciation of books and reading, the capacity to choose books of one’s liking and familiarise oneself with the offer from local publishers.

Since the 2020 Malta Book Festival will be held online, the National Book Council will be capitalizing on the opportunity to facilitate the local publishing industry’s transition into the online retail sphere. Maltese publishers’ online shops are up and running and books are available for purchase in an easy and accessible way via websites and smartphone applications. The NBC and all virtual exhibitors of this year’s festival are determined to provide our audience with an online holistic experience made of books, literature and reading – a first for the Maltese islands! Have a look at the short animation we have prepared for this year’s MBF edition, based on Dr Seuss’ characters adorning this year’s poster. A book voucher is usually allocated to each and every student that is registering to participate in the Malta Book Festival. The National Book Council will be increasing the usual €3 book voucher to €5 to be emailed to each and every student participating in the festival, redeemable from all the online stores of festival exhibitors and publishers.

The virtual exhibitors of the Malta Book Festival are: AVC www.agendabookshop.com Miranda Publishers www.mirandabooks.com/

https://www.octavo.app/en/store

Sensiela Kotba Soċjalisti www. bdlbooks. com/ publisher/ sensiela- kotbasocjalisti/

One of the NBC’s priorities has always been the promotion of books and reading with the younger generation. Like every year, some events have been curated especially for students. With no restrictions to limit the number of registrations due to space constraints, this edition will see the whole student population of Malta and Gozo potentially benefitting from the 2020 Malta Book Festival online cultural and fun activities, including theatrical performances, readings and meetings with guest writers and the book voucher.

The Malta Book Festival will be reaching school classrooms in Malta and Gozo with age-appropriate theatrical shows streamed online. The shows in Maltese are based on this year’s Terramaxka-winning books and performed by a professional team of actors led by Antonella Axisa. The performance in English is by special guest Eran Katz, the renowned memory trainer and bestselling super-memory-skills Israeli author.

All college principals and heads of school in Malta and Gozo have been sent a circular with details on how to register to these activities and book vouchers. If you are a head of school or a teacher and you have not received the circular, but would like to register your students to participate in the events and avail of the €5 book voucher, please contact the NBC at simona.cassano@ktieb.org.mt to receive all the information. Registrations are open until 23 October.

We hope that the Malta Book Festival provides teachers, students and their guardians with an incentive to further familiarise themselves with the participating exhibitors at the festival and their online stores.

The Malta Book Festival remains the most prestigious and important book-related event in the Maltese educational and cultural calendar with a programme that will feature virtual book launches, readings, meetings with authors, poetry readings, talks, discussions and seminars, and a number of events featuring local and international authors. Sir Salman Rushdie, one of the most celebrated authors of our time, will be the festival’s special guest.

The Malta Book Festival 2020 – virtual edition – is taking place between Wednesday, 11 and Sunday, 15 November. For the latest updates, visit the NBC’s Facebook page or website: www.ktieb.org.mt