Francesco Muzzopappa’s book, The First Disastrous Book by Matt, is set to make its English-language debut in the USA, following a successful release in Italy.

Originally published by DeAgostini in 2020, the book has sold 15,000 copies in Italy and is the first title in a series featuring the adventurous (and mischievous) character Matt. Its success, highlighted by the winning of Bancarellino Prize in 2021, led to the release of the other two books, Another Catastrophic Book by Matt (2021) and Planet Earth is Calling Matt (2022).

Muza Publishing House has secured the translation rights for the trilogy in the Albanian language.

Matt, a 12-year-old boy, often gets himself into trouble. In this adventure, he accidentally starts a fire in the neighbors’ hedge. As a result, his parents require him to volunteer for a month at an Elderly Centre, filled by senior citizens. Matt worries that spending his summer with older people will damage his reputation at school and ruin his plans. However, as soon as he steps into the center, he catches sight of Valentina, a young volunteer, and suddenly his heart beats and his perspective shifts.

Francesco Muzzopappa, born in 1976, is one of Italy’s leading authors and copywriters. In 2023 he won the prestigious Guareschi Prize in 2023, thanks to his witty and sophisticated humor. He has written several critically acclaimed novels for adults, which have been translated into French. 

Since 2020, he has turned his focus to children’s literature, debuting with the book about Matt. In addition to the two other titles in the series, he has published several works with DeAgostini, including The Ugly-Wonder,  a unique tale about friendship, bullying, and the insignificance of appearance, for which all rights are currently available. 

Alongside illustrator Sio, Muzzopappa also created the animated web series “Fiabe brevi che finiscono malissimo”, which gained over 20 million views on YouTube.