The Befana Drama To Sprinkle Magic, Mayhem And Mirth

The Befana Drama To Sprinkle Magic, Mayhem And Mirth In Autumn/Winter 2013

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The Befana Drama by Gianna Hartwright is sprinkling witch-dust of the most wondrous kind across the world as its thrilling global adventure by broomstick introduces youngsters to the amazing and charmed world of VIPBs (Very Important Present Bringers).

The book, for children aged 8+, weaves together the festive traditions of Italy (the Befana) and folklore surrounding Santa.  The old witch called the Befana, is in the middle of sorting out her coal and candy present drops and her beloved festival when she learns that her postbox is being sealed up and her festival downsized, “with a view to then cancelling it indefinitely.” When she hears Santa, to whom she once became engaged at a VIPB conference, is taking over her patch and also now has a wife called Mrs Claus, her rage sends candy balls bouncing down the street!

Bear this humiliation she will not and so she charges up her broomstick with tuber-power and travels around the world in a quest to regain the hearts of Italian children by collecting enough coal and candy to take over Santa’s present delivery run.

Her first port of call is Dubai, where she finds the descendants of the Three Wise Men (now a boy band) and convinces them to help her, to return a favour centuries old, as she once helped the Three Wise Men find the baby Jesus.  From there, she rejuvenates herself with the help of Old Father Time and becomes a ‘pretty in a certain light’ VIPB, who must now be called ‘Bef’.

The disguised, cooler and very quirky ‘Bef’ enjoys both tense and hilarious episodes in Germany, Russia, the USA, Iceland and Lapland, as well as some action around ‘Big Ben’ in London and The White House in Washington, as she tries to achieve her goal.

Children are treated to episodes full of unpredictable broomstick flights, witchy (and sometimes wonky) spells and intrigue and suspense of the highest order, as Bef encounters both fearsome foe and very funny folk.  With a gripping plot, magic, mayhem and mirth and mounting tension throughout, plus lots of larger-than-life characters, from exiled-to-Siberia tailor, Jeremiah Needlebaum, to candy factory ‘Head Honcho’, Rocky Candymeister, this book will leave kids mesmerised, enthralled and giggling into their pillow.

Will ‘Bef’ (helped by the best reindeer whisperer the world has ever seen) succeed in her quest to replace commercialised presents with simple gifts and win back the hearts of her Italian children?  Will she be foiled by ‘The Most Fearsome Feller in Folklore’, an aggrieved VIPB or Santa’s vain wife, Capriccia and the very sly 81st elf?  Only the lucky young reader will find out.

This exciting and amusing 346-page book is the ideal purchase for Halloween and Christmas, blending magic with festive themes and traditional folklore with 21st century life.  It should appeal to children in all English-speaking countries and is a must-buy for lovers of Italian culture and families of Italian descent 

Released on September 12, 2013, by Gianna Della Luna Publishing, The Befana Drama (ISBN: 9780957569768) is priced at £8.99/$14 US Dollars/$15.50 Aus Dollars/$17.52 NZ Dollars and available at Amazon and good bookshops.

An e-book version, priced £6.99/$11 US Dollars/$12 Aus Dollars/$13.62 NZ Dollars will be launched at Amazon, Kobo and Lulu on October 12 – to coincide with Columbus Day celebrations, which mark Italian heritage.

An education pack linked to The Befana Drama is available for download at www.thebefanadrama.com  This links the story to the British education system’s Key Stage 2 and the subjects of geography, science, art and design, English, maths, modern languages and citizenship.  It is a valuable resource for teachers worldwide as it is topic based and easy to use within any educational environment, or at home by parents and children.

More details and the full plot can be found at www.thebefanadrama.com and www.giannadellaluna.com A competition to win a signed copy is available at www.giannadellaluna.com where there is also more information about the author.

ENDS

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