Tony C Cutajar

At the end of September 2009 Tony C. Cutajar published this book written mainly for children in their last years in the Primary School. It is his eighth story of the Mystery Series published by Klabb Kotba Maltin. A class of pupils are studying Maltese history in connection with the bastions, towers and other fortifications around the island. The main gate in the Cottonera bastions, known as Notre Dame Gate or Bieb is-Sultan, is associated with a very old legend which says that in the direction which the statue of the Grand Master atop the building is looking at there is a hidden treasure. It’s a mystery how nobody ever succeeded in finding this treasure. The pupils compete between themselves in trying to solve this mystery. After a lot of adventures, one of the girls manages to find it by chance and becomes a heroine overnight.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is an emotionally charged piece of literature that inspires thought and difference of opinion. Written by the Irish author John Boyne (born 1971), it is a book of unrivalled educational value and should be required reading on every school curriculum. In March this year it exceeded one million copies sold worldwide. In Spain it has been the best seller, was the biggest selling novel in 2007 and has sold over 800,000 copies in Spanish. It holds the record for the longest ever No. 1 in the Irish bestseller chart, 66 weeks and still going, over two years after publication.

The book was winner of the Irish Book Award Children’s book of the year, winner of the Irish Book Award Listener’s Choice book of the year and winner of the Bisto Children’s book of the year. It was shortlisted for the British Book Award, the Borders’ Original Voices Award (USA), the Ottakar’s Book Prize (UK), the Paolo Ungari Prize (Italy), the Berkshire Book Award, the Sheffield Children’s Book Prize, the Lancashire Book Prize and the Irish Novel of the Year Award. Finally it was longlisted for the 2007 Carnegie Medal.

This powerful, timely and unsettling novel has been translated into 32 languages and now even in Maltese by the popular author of children’s books Tony C. Cutajar.and published by Klabb Kotba Maltin under the title of IT-TIFEL BIL-PIGAMA RRIGATA. It should shortly be on the stands at the same time as the release of the film (Mirmax/Heyday) which was written and directed by Mark Herman and released abroad only some months back.

The Independent (UK) describes this extraordinary yet simple story as “A fine addition to a once taboo area of history packed with overtones that remain in the imagination” It stays just ahead of its readers before delivering its killer punch in the final pages.”

In February 2008 we are having two new books written by Tony C Cutajar. One is ZGHAZAGH FIL-BIBBJA to be published by the Media Centre, dedicated to all teenagers and young adults. It recalls famous personnages in the Bible? who in their youth lived an interesting or unusual life and who showed great faith in God. The second book is IL-MISTERU TA’ MIZRA L-FERHA to be published by Klabb Kotba Maltin. This is one of a long serious of mysteries for children and young adults being published by the Klabb these last few years. The author has? written a number of them and hopes to have another mystery this year.