Malala's Magic Pencil

By Malala Yousafzai, Kerascoet (Illustrator)

A young girl's desire for a magic pencil leads her to discover the power of her own voice and the importance of education.

5.8/7 Bookroo experts·4.5/5 Goodreads · 5,487 ratings

40 pages· 897 words· Est. 7 min read-aloud

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Bookroo's summary

Young Malala dreams of a magic pencil to transform her surroundings, from erasing garbage to granting extra sleep. As she matures, she realizes the world needs more than wishes. Without a magic pencil, she learns that determination and hope can still make dreams come true. Discover how Malala's vision inspires change and resilience in this beautifully illustrated tale.

From the publisher

Malala’s first picture book will inspire young readers everywhere to find the magic all around them. As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true. This beautifully illustrated volume tells Malala’s story for a younger audience and shows them the worldview that allowed Malala to hold on to hope even in the most difficult of times.

Awards

Jane Addams Children's Book Award (2018)

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Words: 897
Reading age: 4–8
Audience: Picture
Lexile: ~549L

Themes & topics

Books about strong female characters Books about female role models Books about activism Books about writing Books about helping others

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.8

out of 7

4.8

“This shows magic in a whole new light. It is a true story of a young girl from Pakistan. She watched a show of a young boy that had a magic pencil. Whatever he drew with his magic pencil appeared. She wished she had one so she could draw things like a new ball for her and her brothers to play with. She wished for beautiful dresses for her mother and buildings for her father. She was very selfless in her wishes. Then one day she saw some very poor children and it changed her outlook on life. She realized how blessed she was to get to go to school. She wanted this for other children and started to write about it. This became magic to her and to others as people started listening to her story.”

Mom of Boys

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one