More than 700,000 books were borrowed from Malta's public libraries over the past year, with children and young people accounting for most of the loans, as the National Reading Marathon marked its 10th edition with an initiative encouraging students to explore stories from different cultures.

The 10th edition was launched at San Ġwakkin Primary School in Marsaskala, part of St Thomas More College, by Education and Sport Minister Byron Camilleri and former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. This year's theme is 'Surrounded by Stories'.

The initiative brings together students from eight schools and aims to encourage them to share experiences, discover different traditions and develop respect, empathy and inclusion through reading.

During the launch, pupils presented work inspired by the theme and took part in discussions with Reading Ambassadors. Camilleri and Coleiro Preca also joined students in reading sessions intended to encourage them to explore books and make reading part of their everyday lives.

Camilleri said reading helped children discover new worlds, expand their vocabulary, develop their creativity and gain confidence in expressing their ideas. He stressed that reading should become a lifelong habit rather than an activity limited to school projects.

He also highlighted investment in public libraries and the resources available to children and young people. Almost 40,000 new books were added to library collections over the past year, while Malta and Gozo have almost 60 public libraries, in addition to the Central Public Library in Floriana. These offer free borrowing services for books in Maltese and English.

Coleiro Preca called for continued support for the initiative, saying stories could bring people together despite their differences and help children develop respect, empathy and a sense of inclusion.

She said every child should feel that they belonged, were heard and could recognise diversity as a strength.

Students who took part in the launch also spoke about the importance of reading. Ella Ellul, from St Joan Antide Primary School, said she enjoyed mystery, humorous and fantasy stories, as well as non-fiction books. She explained that reading helped her come up with ideas when writing.

Martha Vella, a student at Tarxien Primary School within St Thomas More College, said reading encouraged children to think more deeply and helped them build a good vocabulary.

The National Reading Marathon was first held in 2018 through an initiative by the National Literacy Agency and the President's Trust, under the patronage of Coleiro Preca.

During the 2025/2026 scholastic year, students also had the opportunity to meet residents at St Vincent de Paul long-term care facility, using reading and storytelling to build connections between generations.

This year's edition continues to explore how stories can bring people together by encouraging pupils to discover and share stories from different cultures.

The initiative is organised by the National Literacy Agency, together with The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and The Malta Trust Foundation, in collaboration with Malta Public Transport.

Camilleri thanked Coleiro Preca, the organisations involved, Reading Ambassadors and educators for their work in promoting reading among children and young people.