'' Magic Maize '' is a children's

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

written and illustrated by Mary and Conrad Buff. Set in contemporary

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, it describes the life and adventures of a boy from a traditional Mayan Indian family. First published in 1953, it was a

Newbery Honor The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

recipient in 1954.

References

1953 American novels American children's novels Newbery Honor–winning works Novels set in Guatemala Houghton Mifflin books 1953 children's books Children's novellas Children's books set in Guatemala {{1950s-child-novel-stub