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The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia

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The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia

By: Leia Ham
Narrated by: Dana Wing Lau
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Welcome to a world that depends on magic - but where each person's magic fades away before they reach adulthood.

The pressure is on for Sparrow Xia to develop her pitifully limited fire mage abilities at Zenith Academy. It doesn’t help that expectations are extra high for her because her older brother Ainsley’s magic is exceptionally powerful – the burn scar on Sparrow’s cheek is proof of that. Sparrow can only hope that her studies will help her discover her fire and finally make her family proud.

At Zenith, Sparrow does indeed gain magical strength – and new friends – but her life at school raises more questions than answers. Should she risk her own future in order to help others? And is Sparrow’s magic the most important thing about her?

Then a mysterious illness breaks out at school, draining students of their powers. Sparrow and her friends are drawn into the search for the cause, but they need to be careful: in a world where magic means everything, some people will go to terrible lengths to try to keep it…

© Leia Ham 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Magic
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Critic reviews

Centring friendship and decency, rather than power, this debut novel feels both fresh and familiar. Readers will enjoy the magical school, and the diverse cast of characters - including a talking raven - and some may recognise the sibling dynamic of one feeling in the shadow of another. There is much to enjoy in this pacy story, not least the stylish and dynamic illustrations by the author herself.
Like the best escapes, The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is both warmly familiar and utterly inventive. Sparkling with alluring magical details, engaging artwork, and a brightly drawn community of characters – it’s the kind of book that makes you want to climb into it and never come out.
Magic is easy. Becoming yourself — that’s the hard part. With luminous prose and cinematic illustration, The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is a stunning debut — a wondrous adventure of resilience and healing, where the greatest power isn’t found in a spell, but in self-acceptance and friendship.
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