In the new novel Maya and the Rising Dark, Maya thinks she’s a normal girl who lives in Chicago, Illinois. But then she learns that her father has magical powers. He’s been using them to guard a veil between the everyday world and a world of dark magic. When he goes missing, Maya learns she has the same powers. She must use them to save her father and fight the Lord of Shadows.
Rena Barron wrote the book. As a kid, she spent summers on the South Side of Chicago. She wanted the story to reflect the city she knows. “There was such a sense of community there,” she told TIME for Kids. “We all knew one another, and we all looked out for one another.” The characters in the book do the same, protecting and helping Maya on her adventure.
Paired Text
More from Time Off
Share a Link
- Click the icon above to copy the url link to your clipboard.
- Paste the link into the location in which you share assignments with students. Examples might include, but are not limited to Canvas, Schoology and Edmodo.
Google Classroom
- Click on the icon above to share the article with a class in your Google Classroom.
- Choose an action. Options might include creating an assignment or asking a question.
