Maya and the Rising Dark by Barron, Rena

In this highly anticipated contemporary fantasy, twelve-year-old Maya's search for her missing father puts her at the center of a battle between our world, the Orishas, and the mysterious and sinister Dark world. Perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and The Serpent's Secret.

Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation--perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry. But to Maya, it sounds like something from one of Papa's stories or her favorite comics.

When Papa goes missing, Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth. Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark--where an army led by the Lord of Shadows, the man from Maya's nightmares, awaits. Maya herself is a godling, half orisha and half human, and her neighborhood is a safe haven. But now that the veil is failing, the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it's up to Maya to stop him. She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer's over.

Author: Rena Barron
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 09/22/2020
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781328635181
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 509485 / Maya and the Rising Dark


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/15/2020 pg. 64
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2020 pg. 108
School Library Journal 04/01/2020 pg. 125
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2020 pg. 94
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Rena Barron grew up in small-town Alabama where stories of magic and adventure sparked her imagination. After penning her first awful poem in middle school, she graduated to writing short stories and novels by high school. When she's not writing, she can be found running along Lake Michigan or brushing up on her French. Visit her on Twitter: @renathedreamer