Merlin Library are holding a range of activities to mark World Book Day throughout April.

Events kicked off with a creative writing workshop conducted by Trevor Zahra at St James Cavalier on 31 March.

On Saturday, the much-anticipated Sqaq l-Infern by Simon Bartolo and Loranne Vella will be launched.

All children aged 12+ can attend the launch event, which is an exciting treasure hunt followed by a party in a secret location.

The only way of obtaining a free invite to the party is to reply correctly to the riddle found on Merlin’s website (www.merlinlibrary.com).

The big day for World Book Day celebrations is Sunday, when St James Cavalier is organising a full day of events to celebrate the world of books.

Merlin will be present at all the children’s events there.

On World Book Day (23 April) Merlin is launching its biggest campaign ever, Il-Ktieb Tezor – a non-profit-making campaign through which Merlin, together with local councils from Malta and Gozo, are endeavouring to give a pack of books, absolutely free of charge, to every child starting kinder classes.

The concept behind the campaign is to excite young children about the beauty of books, even before they can read – the pack also includes a custom-made booklet to help parents make the most of the free books in the pack, and to explore and play with their children in the world of books.

Il-Ktieb Tezor is modelled on the successful UK campaign, Bookstart, with which Merlin’s Il-Ktieb Tezor is affiliated.