A Map of Nowhere

by Gillian Cross

Nick is surprised when he finds a strange wallet in his school bag. And when he sees the strange note in it, which seems to belong to some kind of adventure game, he is even more intrigued. The wallet belongs to Joseph Fisher, and although he and Nick aren't friends, Nick is determined to join in with this mysterious game. When his brother's gang send him off to Joseph's house to return the wallet, Nick finally becomes involved with Joseph and his eerie game. But why is his brother so keen for the two of them to become friends? And does Nick really want to become part of his gang?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Gillian Cross was born Gillian Arnold in 1945. She was educated at North London Collegiate School, Somerville College, Oxford and the University of Sussex. Although now a full-time writer who often travels and gives talks in connection with her work, she has had a number of informal jobs including being an assistant to a Member of Parliament. For eight years she also sat on the committee which advises ministers about public libraries.

She is married to Martin Cross and they have four grown-up children, two sons and two daughters.

Reviews

[Noor Sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

No tenía la menor idea de lo que me iba a encontrar en este libro y a pesar de que me costó adentrarme en la historia, y comprender lo que estaba sucediendo en el mundo de Nick, me gustó.
Lo que destaco es la ágil narrativa de Gillian pero creo que fue tomando un tono de moraleja… sin embargo no puedo dejar de pensar en lo bien que se vería esto en una película.

[Roxana Llacchua Huamani · Rating 4 out of 5]

La primera sorpresa del año, entre a ciegas en la historia y la amé.
Nick y Joshep son niños muy opuestos social y moralmente. Ambos se verán metidos en situaciones similares pero con resoluciones diferentes. Varias veces me sentí identificada con ambos, una historia divertida y tierna.

[Wiltshire Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this as a random YA find, but found the in-your-face morality a bit sickly and the main character, Nick, utterly unlikeable.

[Thomas Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this some years ago, and since then I've kept rereading it over and over again.
Amazing characters and plot develop, great message, it's a story more complex than it seems at first look.
The characters are forced to make critical choices, choices you really care about.
Good end, 5/5.

[Fabiola Nava · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro me sorprendió, nunca me imaginé el giro de la autora.

[kat ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

captivating story of morality and the mental struggle between good and bad. this book is surprisingly deep for a children's book, and it left me with mixed feelings and a lasting impression. 4.5 ⭐️

[Mau Valmont · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read it when I was young and remembered I liked it. Re-read it now and I found it unbearable, especially Nick who is by far one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever come across.

[Justin Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy decides which friends and lifestyle is the way for him. He wavers back and forth and then finally decides. Also introduces the idea of fantasy games.

[—kyu♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Voyalabiblioteca.
Puntos que utilice para calificar el libro.
1. Personajes:
-Nick: 5.0
-Joe: 5.0
-Ruth: 5.0
-Otros: 5.0
TOTAL: 5.0
2. Valores: 5.0
3. Realismo: 5.0
---
Pronto reseña en http://millibrosreader.blogspot.com.co/ sígueme para no perderte de nada.

[AE · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me forever to figure out what this book was called! I read this in middle or high school, and recall being pretty disappointed in it at the time, but it did also make a pretty big impression on me in that it introduced me to the idea of tabletop RPGs.

So, keep in mind that when I was a young'un, the internet was still young, and didn't contain everything yet, and also even if I could have found things related to RPGs, I didn't know what I didn't know. There wasn't a very strong culture of social media, so even if it was on the internet, you still had to know what you wanted to look for. On top of that, a lot of us didn't have regular internet access yet, so it was unlikely to just stumble across things. So I do still think fondly about this book in that it's the reason I learned about RPGs and decided I was interested in the concept. This later led me to some great times with my high school nerd friends.


However. The book itself was disappointing. I mostly didn't care too much about the real-life aspect, and while the game part was initially kind of fun, the story got weirdly biblical after a while. I don't even remember ultimately what happens, except that the bible aspect just doesn't go away and I think the game aspect gets less fun and more plot-device-y as the book gets closer to the end.

[JohnP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gillian Cross crafts a nice story about an outcast boy, seeking to be part of the 'in crowd', who has to make some very tough decisions. We meet Nick, who is one of those oddball kids who is always on the outside looking in. When the local cool kids involve him in one of their schemes, he reluctantly goes along. What follows is a gut-wrenching emotional roller-coaster ride that keeps you guessing right up to the last sentence. Well done!

[César Terrazas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novela juvenil con una historia entretenida, ingeniosa y bien estructurada que, con una descripción justa y sin caer en el cliché, logra plantear dilemas éticos asociados al sentido de pertenencia, la lealtad y la franqueza.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of morality involving role-playing gamers. Young Adult.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most angsty book ever. I remember being annoyed by the inconclusive ending when I was at school, and I'm still annoyed today