Alibel

The Malastriga

A timeless adventure with gothic and noir touches, written by Gabriele Clima and illustrated by Francesca Carabelli.

Book 1: The Malastriga

Ben is 11 years old and is autistic. He loves crows and milk and chocolate. He just moved to the historical Testaccio district of Rome, near the hospital where his mother is being treated. On the fourth floor of their old apartment building lives Alibel, a strange girl who doesn’t go to school, eats almost nothing, and knows some very eccentric people. One of them is the Malastriga, who has the power to see past appearances and understand the invisible forces making up the world, both past and present. Ben and Alibel soon find themselves sucked into a mystery that comes from far away. One hundred and fifty years ago, in corrupt Papal Rome, a little girl was unjustly accused of impiety and sentenced to death. But what is the thin thread that binds that little girl with Alibel?

Book 2: The Black Book