[3] It shows Yousafzai growing up in Swat, Pakistan, and wishing for a magic pencil to solve her problems; she learns that she is able to make change, such as advancing rights to female education, without one.

[5] At age 11, Malala Yousafzai began writing an anonymous blog for BBC Urdu, detailing her life in Pakistan under the growing influence of the Taliban.

[12] In 2013, Yousafzai co-wrote her memoir I Am Malala with Christina Lamb, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for two weeks;[13] in 2014, a youth edition of the book was published.

Yousafzai also had to assist in "choosing the artists, figuring out how to express everything in pictures, and deciding if the art felt accurate—down to the cracks in the wall of our home.

[19] The book is written in the first person from the perspective of Malala Yousafzai, and documents her as a child, with a desire for a magic pencil to solve issues in her life; images depict her childhood home in Swat Valley.

[23] Yousafzai says that if she had one, she would use her magic pencil for minor things such as to "stop time" in order to get more sleep or to create a football for her brothers.

Though she never gets a magic pencil, she learns that she can change the world without one;[21][26] by writing speeches about the injustice of girls being deprived of education, she can make a difference.

[28][29] Rebecca Gurney of The Daily Californian gives the book a grade of 4.5 out of 5, calling it a "beautiful account of a terrifying but inspiring tale" and commenting "Though the story begins with fantasy, it ends starkly grounded in reality."

MacPherson summarises that "Malala brings her story of courage and hope to young readers in this engaging and beautifully illustrated picture book autobiography.