In this post, we feature Italian author Marta Palazzesi. You can hear her speak about her first novel published in the U.S., Mist, winner of the Bologna Strega Ragazzi Prize, and try her “invitation to imagine” activity. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Mist
- Written by Marta Palazzesi, translated by Christopher turner
- Published by Red Comet Press
- Release date: September 5, 2023
In London, 1880, 13-year-old Clay is a mud lark, scavenging on the banks of the Thames for anything he might sell for money to buy food. His life changes when he ventures to the camp of a visiting circus and discovers a caged wolf, advertised as “the last wolf in England.” Mist, as Clay calls the wolf, is fierce, angry, and indomitable, and after Clay witnesses the cruel treatment of he receives from the circus tamers, he becomes determined to give the wolf its freedom and return it to the wild. First, though, he must build trust with the wolf and, with his new friend Ollie’s help, find a way to release Mist back into the wild. This suspenseful novel will have readers rooting for Clay and Mist through all the obstacles that lay in their path. The incredible story of a boy’s quest to give the ultimate gift to a caged wild animal: freedom.
From Mist, written by Marta Palazzesi and translated by Christopher Turner.
“For a thirteen-year-old boy, there aren’t a lot of ways to get by in the slums of late-nineteenth-century London.”
Click here to view a longer preview of Mist, written by Marta Palazzesi and translated by Christopher Turner.
Explore Mist
Listen to Marta Palazzesi talking with TeachingBooks about creating Mist. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to Marta Palazzesi pronounce her name.
- Sample the ebook of Mist on OverDrive.com.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Mist.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Marta Palazzesi.
Imagination Activity with Marta Palazzesi
Imagine you are an explorer: what magical land would you like to discover?
Finish This Sentence . . . with Marta Palazzesi
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Marta Palazzesi’s response.
“I knew I would be a writer when…”
I knew I would be a writer when I was eight years old. I’d just finished reading a fantastic book, Ascolta il mio cuore (Listen to my heart in English), by a great Italian children’s author, Bianca Pitzorno. When I closed it, I said to my parents, “That’s what I want to do: I want to write stories as this lady does!” And that was it.
“Where I work is…”
I always have my two Labradors, Mambo and Tango, with me. They love to snore under my desk and randomly try to steal my food when I eat while I am writing.
More Connections to Marta Palazzesi and Mist
- Discover books like Mist on TeachingBooks.
- Red Comet’s page about Mist, written by Marta Palazzesi and translated by Christopher Turner.
- Buy Mist, written by Marta Palazzesi and translated by Christopher Turner.
Author photo by C. Lascialfari. All other text and images are courtesy of Marta Palazzesi, Christopher Turner, and Red Comet Press. and may not be used without expressed written consent.
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