Introduction

Deborah Abela is the author of the Max Remy Superspy and Jasper Zammit (Soccer Legend) series of books for eight- to twelve-year-old readers. Before she started writing books, Deborah was a television producer and scriptwriter. She has travelled widely and her experiences helped to inspire her stories.

There are currently nine Max Remy books and many of them have been published in other countries around the world, including the UK, the US, Brazil, Malta, Japan, Greece, Spain and New Zealand. Max is a schoolgirl who, with her friend Linden, joins an elite intelligence agency and undertakes dangerous international missions. The last book in the series—Max Remy Part 10: The Final Curtain—will be published soon.

The three Jasper Zammit books are about an eleven-year-old boy who learns a lot of valuable lessons as he struggles to fulfil his dream of becoming a soccer legend. The books were written with the help of the late Johnny Warren.

In Writers talk Deborah discusses her work and reveals just a little about the two new books she is writing. She reads a short passage from Max Remy Part 9: The French Code. Teaching notes and links to useful websites are also provided.