Mischievous Magical Maia Malone

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By:	Lindsay J. Sedgwick
Publisher:	Janey Mac Books
Published:	September 2026
Pages:	205
Categories:	Fiction, Children
Language:	English
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Broomsticks, alligators, gargoyles, and a lighthouse stretching up to touch the sky. When nine-year-old Maia describes her drawings, they come to life with comic and chaotic results - but could losing the family she loves be the price she has to pay? After finding herself transformed one time too many, Maia's older sister Neeta snaps and tells Maia she's adopted. Maia's world crumbles. Thinking her family would be better without her, she sets off on a daring and dangerous quest armed only with her pencils, her notebook and a faded photo of a woman she resembles. A rollercoaster ride full of surprises, with themes of adoption, bullying, friendship, identity, and the scary responsibility of having a powerful magical gift. Richly illustrated by Abigail Hicks. Printed in Ireland by Sprint Books, Tallaght, the book is supplied within Ireland by International Education Services. It is also available online and on POD from Ingram Sparks and Amazon. Why This Book Belongs in Your School or Library 1. Themes: Family, cross cultural identity, diversity: The book is a realistic story about siblings, about families that don't fit the 'traditional' mould. The father works with refugees, the mother is a writer and both daughters are adopted. Use/ Misuse of power: Maia's gift gives her great power, but she doesn't always think of the consequences. Neeta uses knowledge about Maia's being adopted in a spark of rage - and the cost, emotionally, to her as well as to Maia and the family, is huge. Then there's the villain, Uncle Morgan who misuses his power as a detective inspector. Identity: The question of what family means, who we are, how we define or find ourselves. Maia's best friends are a talking mouse who thinks he's an elephant (identity) and Graham who's autistic (neurodiversity). She and Neeta (11) are both adopted, with different cultural backgrounds. 2. Strong, credible charactersMaia is a feisty, courageous female lead whose magic power comes directly from her creativity and imagination - writing and drawing. This book tells every child who loves making things that their imagination is a superpower. The sibling dynamic between Maia and Neeta is authentic. They bicker, protect each other, misunderstand each other, and - at the end - hold each other tight. Uncle Morgan (aka "Morg the Borg") is a gleefully awful villain. Mamma Nupp, their great-aunt, is a wonderful, independent elderly character who lives alone, paints, and never needs rescuing. 3. An accessible, but genuinely ambitious readThe story moves fast and the writer never talks down to her readers. Chapters are short enough to assign or read aloud in class. The vocabulary is rich, but context driven. Age range: 7-10; ideal read-aloud for 6+; independent read for 8+ Suggested Links To School Curricula English / Literacy 1. Oral Language * Chapters are short, dialogue-rich, and full of comic timing; great to read aloud. Teachers can model expressive reading, character voices, and pacing. * Discuss: What would YOUR power be if you had a magic power and how would you use it? If you could make something you drew come to life, what would you draw? * Hot-seating activity: students interview Maia, Neeta, or Uncle Morgan in character. 2. Reading Comprehension * Predicting outcomes (Maia draws something - what might happen?) * Inference and deduction (Why does Neeta forbid Maia from drawing? What does that tell us about her?) * Author's intention (Why is the villain a corrupt detective rather than a monster?) * Theme: the difference between using a gift and misusing it. 3. Writing Sedgwick is a screenwriter so the book has a very clear three-act structure with a satisfying resolution that will be useful in discussions about creating stories, developing dramatic characters. * Maia's power works because she describes what she has drawn. Students could be encouraged to write about what they might draw into (temporary) existence. This has potential to open up topics across many areas depending on what they choose to draw. * Students could write a diary page from different points of view: eg, How did Neeta feel on the day she realised Maia had this gift? * Descriptive writing: Maia experiences Dublin's streets, a lighthouse, a cinema that looks like something from a fairy tale, a museum full of Egyptian gold. Students could write a description of a special place they know. 4. Media Literacy Near the end of the novel, Morgan's arrest becomes a news story. This opens a conversation about how stories are shaped by who tells them - a key media literacy concept for upper primary. They could be asked to write a news story of their own or start their own class magazine. SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education)* Bullying and bystander behaviour: The character Bonzo appears early, and Neeta refuses to be intimidated. The book consistently shows both Maia, Neeta and other characters standing up to bullies and the limits of aggression. * Family diversity and belonging: Maia is adopted. She looks different from her parents and sister. The book handles this with beautiful lightness - she looks through old family photographs wondering where she comes from. In a flash of frustration, Neeta weaponizes this knowledge, without realising the damage she is doing. This can only happen because the parents haven't told Maia yet. The discussion when they sit down as a family at the end and talk it all through would be a good discussion topic. (Neeta is also adopted, but Maia doesn't know at the start.) * Self-worth and identity: Maia feels "weird" and is frequently told not to draw. Learning to trust her own voice is the emotional core of the book. * Emotions and empathy: Multiple characters (including Uncle Morgan in his final moments) are shown to have complex reasons for who they are. The book models nuanced emotional thinking without being preachy. Visual Arts* Maia draws and draws. It makes her happy and helps her feel safe. This is a book that validates visual artists and invites children to see illustration as storytelling. * Abigail Hicks's illustrations are a craft model: students can study how character is conveyed through line, expression, and composition. History / SESEGiven the family tin of photographs in Chapter Eight Maia looks at pictures of a suffragette great-grandmother and a young man killed in the WW2. This is a natural bridge to lessons on: * Women's suffrage and voting rights * Family history and oral tradition - with an exercise to go and record the stories by older people in their family or community * How photographs tell stories across generations- and what they don't say. (Maia thinks the handsome soldier has a faraway look "as if he'd been promised hot chocolate cake and had been given bran flakes instead". In terms of locations, the museum is full of Egyptian antiquities and ancient armour, the old cinema might have been a music hall, the old TB hospital at the end was once an asylum...