Endangered animals, incredible adventures - and super-powers!
About Author
Abiola Bello introduces her Wild Magic series and tells ReadingZone what inspired these magical adventures about endangered animals.
Abiola was born and raised in Stoke Newington, North London. She is a Nigerian-British author and first began writing the Emily Knight saga aged 12. She is passionate about diversity and fair representation in books and co-founded diverse publisher Hashtag Press and The Diverse Book Awards.
Her children's books include the Wild Magic series and Emily Knight I Am, and her romcoms for YA readers include Love in Winter Wonderland.
Interview
August 2025
Abiola Bello introduces her Wild Magic series: Endangered animals, incredible adventures and super-powers!
Twins Misha and Ziggy have a secret; Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them! When they join their wildlife presenter father on filming trips to Ethiopia and India, they decide to use their special powers to help the animals he films.
Find out more about Legend of the Black Lion and Journey of the Lost Elephant
ReadingZone spoke with Abiola to find out the importance to her of representation in children's books; how wildlife documentaries helped inspire the Wild Magic series; and her obsession with superpowers!
Q&A with Abiola Bello
"There's a lot that we humans do that affect animals in their natural habitat. I think if children can learn about it
then they can make better choices when they grow up to help protect these animals."
1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become an author - and what continues to inspire you as a writer? Do you do other kinds of work, too?
Hello! I've been writing since I was eight years old. I remember being obsessed with the Babysitters Club series and I would make my own version with my friends. Depending if they had upset me or not would determine the outcome of your story! Then in Year 7 we had a writing assignment and my English teacher called me aside and asked me what I wanted to be when I was older. I said a lawyer because according to my mum I liked to argue or a tennis player ( I'm a very average tennis player but my mum loves tennis and the William sisters). My teacher said why don't you become an author? It had never dawned on me that was even a thing I could do. I remember asking do they get paid and she said yes. Then I was sold.
I love being an author. It honestly is my favourite job ever and I'm so passionate about better representation in books so I have a lot of stories to write. I also run a small indie press called Hashtag Press and two book awards - The Diverse Book Awards and Ink Book Prize.
2. What is your Wild Magic series about and what happens in the first two books, Legend of the Black Lion and Journey of the Lost Elephant?
Wild Magic is about twins Misha and Ziggy who have superpowers - Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shape shift into them.
In Legend of the Black Lion, we learn that their dad is a Wildlife documentary presenter and he travels the world. The twins are desperate to go with him and because he can't find a babysitter, he takes them to Ethiopia to find the legendary Black Lion but no one can find it. Of course the twins are determined to help but there are poachers also looking for it.
Then in Journey of the Lost Elephant they travel to India to film elephants migrating but the calf has been separated from her herd and they fear that they have already crossed the dangerous river as part of their migration. Misha and Ziggy find the calf and have to help her find her family.
3. Why did you decide to take your characters, twins Ziggy and Misha, to different countries for these books? Will the readers learn much about these places in these stories?
My book is inspired by a 90s cartoon series called The Wild Thornberry's where this family travel around the world in a ComVee. I wanted to take Misha and Ziggy to different countries so readers can learn more about the culture. And it helps me too. I didn't know much about Ethiopia apart from that it was in East Africa and it's such a fascinating country from the black lions to the different year that they live in. Then with India I had no idea where exactly elephants migrate and I had never heard of Kerala or Tamil Nadu and that was fascinating.
Image from Journey of the Lost Elephant
4. Each of the stories focuses on an endangered animal, why did you decide to do that? What would you like your readers to take from the twins' animal adventures?
I love an animal documentary and they always highlight the endangerment about animals which I've become passionate about. There's a lot that we humans do that affect animals in their natural habitat. I think if children can learn about it then they can make better choices when they grow up to help rotect these animals.
5. Your twins each have a fantastic super-power; shape-shifting into animals, and being able to communicate with animals. Why did you decide to give them a special power, and why these ones?
I am obsessed with superpowers and have been since I was little. I grew up on Marvel comics and DragonBall Z. My series Emily Knight is all about superpowers so any chance I have to write about it I'll take it.
I liked the idea of the twins being able to get animals to trust them and there's no better way than being able to communicate with them. I love that the family are passionate about animals from the twins to the parents to their Grandma Yinka. I don't feel that representation of Black families and animals is present enough in books.
6. Which of these super-powers would you choose, and what would you do with it? Or would you choose something else entirely?
I would want to be like Ziggy and shape shift. I think it would be cool to be different animals and see the world through their eyes. Ziggy has the best of both words because once he shape shifts he can also communicate with the animals.
7. The illustrations for these stories by Emma McCann are fabulous - what did you think when you 'saw' your characters for the first time, and what do you feel the images bring to these adventures?
She's so good, right! Emma was one of the illustrators on my list because I love her work and was so happy when she agreed to do it. It was so cool seeing my characters come to life and illustrations bring a different energy to books. The way children's eyes light up when they see the images is priceless.
Image from Journey of the Lost Elephant
8. What other adventures do you have planned for the twins and where will you be taking them next? What are you writing currently?
I finished book three a few weeks ago and they are going to Mexico! Their dad is filming the sea turtles as they lay their eggs but the sea turtles are trapped in plastic and fishing nets in the sea. The book is called Escape of the Sea Turtle and I'm so excited for everyone to read. I hope I can write more in the series.
I'm currently working on the next Breakfast Club Adventures with Marcus Rashford.
9. Your twins are great travellers - is this something you enjoy too? What's been your biggest travel adventure so far and do you feel you need to visit the places you're writing about?
They are so well travelled! I do enjoy travelling but I'm not a great flyer anymore so that makes it all quite stressful. I've had some really great travel adventures. I went Jamaica last year for the second time and I hadn't been on a plane in years so that was a massive deal for me. When I was a teen I did two tours around America and Jamaica with a youth club I grew up in - I know it's random! But it was so much fun. My fav place is Paris, though. I love Paris. I really should move there and get it over with.
I think I would prefer to know the places that I write about but I'm really lucky that I know lots of people who have travelled to these places, so I'm able to get some great content for them.
10. What do you enjoy doing nearer to home in your downtime?
I try my best to have downtime because I genuinely love to work. I like hanging out with family and friends, reading for pleasure, going to the theatre, eating out, dancing, drumming - anything creative really. I prefer to be spontaneous and not be super planned and that's why London is great as there is always something going on.
Wild Magic: Journey of the Lost Elephant
Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion: Volume 1
