The Book Rebels

Adventure
Coming of age

Welcome to Banalia, the beach of clandestine readers.

Pierluigi’s parents are in a strangely good mood, because they’ve just decided to go to Banalia for their next holiday: it’s not too far away but not too close, either; enjoyable but not unforgettable; and with a beach, but not a particularly beautiful one. So why go there then? Pierluigi can’t understand it, and what’s more, he’s bored there. Really bored. And so are his new friends: the silly identical twins Edoardo and Everardo, and brave, green-eyed Margherita. Until the day they discover something weird about Banalia: children are ABSOLUTELY BANNED FROM READING BOOKS. At first it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the four are soon involved in top secret missions, hangouts in secret forts, escapes, chases, stealing books (in fragments!), and even prophecies. Because reading, of course, is one of the most exciting activities of all.

A novel, child’s play, created from the imagination of two great friends in work and in life, united by their love of books – because reading is the key to freedom and happiness.

“Reading a good book or rather, a book we enjoy, makes us happy. And children have the same right as anyone else of any age to be happy, here and now.” – Luigi Spagnol

Publisher: Salani
Target: 8-10
Year: 2022
Author
Pierdomenico Baccalario

Pierdomenico Baccalario has been writing children’s novels since 1997, when he won the Il Battello a Vapore literary prize with La strada del Guerriero (The Way of the Warrior) using his neighbour’s name. Since then, his bestsellers have been written under as many pseudonyms (the best known being Ulysses Moore and Irene Adler), translated into more than thirty languages and published with major Italian and foreign publishers. He has collaborated with Lucca Comics & Games for more than twenty years, has written for Repubblica, and is a columnist for the newspaper Corriere della Sera’s La Lettura literary supplement. In 2014, he founded the Book on a Tree creative agency in London.

 

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Author
Luigi Spagnol

Luigi Spagnol was an Italian editor and translator, known for revolutionizing children's publishing. He began his career by translating works by authors such as P.G. Wodehouse and A.A. Milne, before becoming president of brands like Salani, Vallardi, and Ponte alle Grazie. He discovered and brought to Italy international successes such as Harry Potter and Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, and launched authors like Philip Pullman and David Almond. His passion for children's literature allowed him to leave behind one of the most appreciated catalogs in the world, which continues to inspire readers of all ages.

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