ParentsPick

Maya and the Rising Dark — Content Guide for Parents

By Rena BarronHarperCollins PublishersISBN 9780358447696298 pages
Maya and the Rising Dark

Found in this book

  • ViolenceSupporting
  • Scary contentSupporting
  • ReligionBriefOther or made-up faith
  • Race & cultureSupporting

Not found

  • Climate
  • Sexual content
  • Gender roles
  • Gender & orientation

Couldn't confirm

  • Profanity
  • Profanity: The sources do not say whether the book's text contains swear words.

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Religion

PRESENT

Contains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.

About this book



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.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Maya and the Rising Dark appropriate for a 7-year-old?

    Maya and her friends fight shape-shifting darkbringers and an army of the Dark, which is set on starting a war with the human world. Maya sees werehyenas stalking her neighborhood, has nightmares about a man made of shadows, and is hunted by shape-shifting darkbringers.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have violence?

    Found (Supporting): Maya and her friends fight shape-shifting darkbringers and an army of the Dark, which is set on starting a war with the human world.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have scary content?

    Found (Supporting): Maya sees werehyenas stalking her neighborhood, has nightmares about a man made of shadows, and is hunted by shape-shifting darkbringers.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have religion?

    Found (Brief, Other or made-up faith): Maya's father is one of the West African orishas and Maya is half orisha; they appear as fantasy characters, and no worship or prayer is described.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have race & culture?

    Found (Supporting): Maya is a Black girl in a mostly Black and brown Chicago neighborhood, and the story draws on her West African roots and culture.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have profanity?

    Couldn't confirm: The sources do not say whether the book's text contains swear words.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have climate?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have sexual content?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have gender roles?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does Maya and the Rising Dark have gender & orientation?

    Not found in the sources we checked.