written by Malala Yousafzai
illustrated by Kerascoët
As a young girl, living in Pakistan, Malala dreamed of a magic pencil that she could use to transform her world. She would make her life and the lives of those around her better, everything from wishing for a real ball to kick around to erasing poverty and war. This book is a different retelling of Malala's story from school girl to activist to Nobel Peace Prize winner because she focuses on her journey to find her voice rather than the violent attack on her.
Most reviews recommend this book for ages 4-8, though it is a beautiful story for people over the age of 8, also. The book does contain information in the back about Malala's attack by Taliban men hoping to stop her in October 2012, however that information is not included in the story. Anyone who picks up this story will be mesmerized by her words and the beautiful illustrations that show how she would transform the world through gold metallic artwork. Because this is based on a true story, students who are writing their own stories would be interested in the story as a mentor text. I could also see an elementary classroom using this text and partnering with a high school classroom using her longer memoir I am Malala for a great shared experience. This would definitely be an interesting book to use with older students to dig deeper into critical literacy because there are so many layers to the story that students can explore.
Resources:
Malala's Magic Pencil book trailer
Read Aross America's Information about the book: includes some lesson plans and other book titles to use in conjunction with the book.
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