Bound To Stay Bound Books, Inc.

Maya and the rising dark (Maya And The Rising Dark)
Author: Barron, Rena

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2020)

Classification: Fiction
Physical Description: 298 p., 21 cm

BTSB No: 093826

ISBN: 9781328635181

Ages: 10-12

Grades: 5-7

Subjects:
Magic -- Fiction
Missing persons -- Fiction
African Americans -- Fiction
Fantasy fiction

Price: $22.38

Summary:
A twelve-year-old girl discovers her father is the keeper of the gateway between our world and The Dark, and when he goes missing she'll need to unlock her own powers and fight a horde of spooky creatures set on starting a war.

Accelerated Reader Information:
   Interest Level: MG
   Reading Level: 5.20
   Points: 9.0   Quiz: 509485

Reading Counts Information:
   Interest Level: 6-8
   Reading Level: 4.40
   Points: 16.0   Quiz: 77681

Reviews:
   Kirkus Reviews (+) (03/15/20)
   School Library Journal (04/01/20)
   Booklist (03/15/20)
The Hornbook (00/11/20)

Full Text Reviews:

Booklist - 03/15/2020 Twelve-year-old Maya loves her papa and the wild stories he tells about orisha gods and mystical West African creatures he “encounters” while away at work. But after a series of strange occurrences, including a brief freeze in time and space, and an attack by a pack of werehyenas from the Dark (think Stranger Things’ Upside Down), Papa reveals to Maya that there’s more to these old folktales than meets the eye. Though to Maya he is “Papa,” her father is also a celestial being called Elleguá—the Guardian of the Veil (between Maya's world and the Dark). The veil that he’s created and maintains has killed beings from the Dark, making Elleguá the target for the Lord of the Shadows' revenge. Together, Maya and her best friends Frankie and Eli journey through the Dark in their effort to save her papa—and Earth as they know it. This opening installment of what will be a much-anticipated series is fast-paced and adventurous, offering a fresh blend of culture, community, and folklore rooted broadly in the African diaspora. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.