MapMaker
“He’d plastered every inch of the walls with maps- as if he could somehow trick himself into believing that this room was just the same as his room back home”
Walt and his family have moved to Blackbird Bay, and Walt finds it to be the most boring place on Earth. Walt hides out in his room and works on the maps of his world, Djaruba.
Not long after arriving, however, Walt finds out something that makes Blackbird Bay not so dull after all. Walt has the ability to make maps come to life. However, when a magical heirloom strands Walt, his sister Van, and a new friend, Dylan, in the magical world Walt created, he must use this new skill to get them out.
Things are changing, though. In Djaruba, people are going missing, and a malevolent mapmaker has nefarious plans for Walt. If this rival is not stopped, Djaruba will be turned into a shadow of itself- or gone forever.
And if one world can be destroyed by a mapmaker, what’s stopping Earth from being next?
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Lisa Moore Ramée
B+B
308 pages
The theme of this book is standing up for oneself and accepting change.
This book is set in Blackbird Bay and the magical world of Djaruba. It is set in the modern day.
In this book, the main character is a boy named Walt. He and his family recently moved into Blackbird Bay from Los Angeles, and Walt isn’t the happiest with the move. He finds this new place to be boring compared to where he used to live, and misses the friends he had back there. It certainly doesn’t help that his dad insists on him playing football, which he does not want to do, and that he’s jealous of how his sister, Van, seems to be good at everything. When Walt learns about his ability- being able to make maps come to life- he’s excited to make changes. Van and his new friend, Dylan, disagree. Though the characters started off being distant, they gradually become better friends and learn to accept each other.
This book contains mentions of police brutality
I loved reading as Walt, Van, and Dylan explored Djaruba together and gradually came to know each other better. I was especially glad when Walt and Van made up with each other, as it got rid of the ‘sibling rivalry’ stereotype. This book had several twists when it came to discovering the true villain, and even more when it came to figuring out how to defeat him.
People who enjoyed reading this book may also enjoy Mirrorwood.
