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The Mapmakers #1
The Mapmakers' Race
Four children temporarily lose their parents just as they are about to begin the race that offers their last chance of escaping poverty. Their task is to map a rail route through an uncharted wilderness.
They overcome the many obstacles posed by nature-bears, bees, bats, river crossings, cliff falls, impossible weather-but can they survive the treachery of their competitors?
This is a fast-paced and charming novel. Its children are brave and competent but not always right. Its world is magical enough to be intriguing but close enough to our own to keep the reader on firm ground.
They overcome the many obstacles posed by nature-bears, bees, bats, river crossings, cliff falls, impossible weather-but can they survive the treachery of their competitors?
This is a fast-paced and charming novel. Its children are brave and competent but not always right. Its world is magical enough to be intriguing but close enough to our own to keep the reader on firm ground.
240 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2018
8 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Eirlys Hunter
8 books11 followersEirlys Hunter is a London-born fiction writer who moved to Wellington, New Zealand in 1983. She has published several books for children including The Robber and the Millionaire which was short-listed for the 1997 Aim Children's Book Awards. Hunter's first novel for adults, Between Black and White, was published in 2000. She has had stories published in Landfall, Sport, and various anthologies.
Eirlys Hunter teaches Writing for Children at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University.
Eirlys Hunter teaches Writing for Children at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 4, 2019
Endearing and full of life, this is an old fashioned rollicking adventure of the sort that I read when I was a kid. The story of a family of explorers and mapmakers who are competing in a race with an an enormous reward at the end of it. The Santander family are renowned for their skills but enroute to the race Papa has gone missing and Mother has been left at the station. The children, their parrot and an enterprising young man they persuade to join them are on the hunt for the best route for the railway to run to the town of New Coalhaven on the coast. It is an arduous route with rivers to cross, mountain ranges to trek over. There are bees and bears and drama galore.
Their adventure is full of danger and disasters and yet the children persist. When their spirits are low and they are in danger of starvation or hypothermia they persist. What a team they are! And ultimately this is how they survive, by pulling together, harnessing the best of each of their skills and by being kind and loving to each other.
This book is old fashioned and wholesome, the production of the book is lovely, the pages feel great in your hands. It's a lovely story made more gorgeous by the wonderful illustrations. I found myself going forward and back to the maps as I was reading it. This book would be a lovely gift for a child, and I will be recommending it widely. I was intrigued by the setting, I was surprised that this author wrote a book set in America, I had expected this book to have a New Zealand flavour, as it is it would work for a child anywhere in the world. I would expect that people who love Katherine Rundell's books would enjoy this one.
Their adventure is full of danger and disasters and yet the children persist. When their spirits are low and they are in danger of starvation or hypothermia they persist. What a team they are! And ultimately this is how they survive, by pulling together, harnessing the best of each of their skills and by being kind and loving to each other.
This book is old fashioned and wholesome, the production of the book is lovely, the pages feel great in your hands. It's a lovely story made more gorgeous by the wonderful illustrations. I found myself going forward and back to the maps as I was reading it. This book would be a lovely gift for a child, and I will be recommending it widely. I was intrigued by the setting, I was surprised that this author wrote a book set in America, I had expected this book to have a New Zealand flavour, as it is it would work for a child anywhere in the world. I would expect that people who love Katherine Rundell's books would enjoy this one.
February 10, 2019
A wonderful adventure story! Full of excitement and interesting characters, and accompanied by great illustrations.
April 26, 2024
توی این ویدیو کامل در موردش توضیح دادم:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXpIp...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXpIp...
April 24, 2024
اول از همه اینکه، کلی ذوق این رو داشتم که از اولین خوانندههای این کتابم و از اقلیمای عزیزم هدیهش گرفتم. 🥹🤩♥️
کتاب روایت سرراستی داره. یهکم من رو یاد ماجراهای دلتورا انداخت که همون صفحه اول رو که میخونی، میتونی تا آخرش رو حدس بزنی. میدونی موفق میشن حتما :) چیزی برای سورپرایز شدن وجود نداره اونقدر، اما ماجرا رو میخونی که ببینی این اتفاقها چطوری رخ دادن و روند زندگی رو دنبال میکنی.
اگر دنبال کمی ماجراجویی هستین و گشتوگذار در طبیعت برای درآوردن بهترین نقشه؛ خوندن کتاب رو بهتون پیشنهاد میکنم. البته فکر میکنم، کتاب برای گروه سنی ۱۰-۱۳ سال مناسب باشه بیشتر. اما اگر از داستانهای کودکانه لذت میبرید که خب این ردهبندیهای سنی دیگه بیمعنی میشه. 🐰
کتاب روایت سرراستی داره. یهکم من رو یاد ماجراهای دلتورا انداخت که همون صفحه اول رو که میخونی، میتونی تا آخرش رو حدس بزنی. میدونی موفق میشن حتما :) چیزی برای سورپرایز شدن وجود نداره اونقدر، اما ماجرا رو میخونی که ببینی این اتفاقها چطوری رخ دادن و روند زندگی رو دنبال میکنی.
اگر دنبال کمی ماجراجویی هستین و گشتوگذار در طبیعت برای درآوردن بهترین نقشه؛ خوندن کتاب رو بهتون پیشنهاد میکنم. البته فکر میکنم، کتاب برای گروه سنی ۱۰-۱۳ سال مناسب باشه بیشتر. اما اگر از داستانهای کودکانه لذت میبرید که خب این ردهبندیهای سنی دیگه بیمعنی میشه. 🐰
May 13, 2018
The Santander family are on their way to Grand Prospect for the Great Map Makers Race. When their explorer father didn't return from his last expedition, the family quickly ran out of money. Winning the Great Mapmakers Race is their only hope but they are off to a bad start when the train, with the children on board, leaves without their mother. Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey decide to enter the race anyway. Luckily Beckett, a local boy, goes along as well as the children have no idea how to cook. They have 28 days to map a route for the railway line and on the way have to contend with all sorts of dangers as well as the unsportsmanlike behaviour of the other teams.
This is a great adventure with more than a dash of humour and a little hint of magic. All the children are well-drawn individuals with their own unique talents. I particularly appreciated the fact that these were not gender stereotypical - Sal was the mathematician while Beckett was the cook and 'mum' to the family. This story is set in an alternative world that is very similar to our own but features mechanical horses and magic luggage-carrying clouds. However, magic is a fairly inconsequential feature of this story - the main focus is adventure. Kirsten Slade's pen and ink illustrations add to the story by showing sections of Francie's map as well as depicting some of the events of the journey. This book is suitable for children aged 8 and up and would make a fantastic read aloud.
Reviewed by Penny Guy (Bookrapt)
This is a great adventure with more than a dash of humour and a little hint of magic. All the children are well-drawn individuals with their own unique talents. I particularly appreciated the fact that these were not gender stereotypical - Sal was the mathematician while Beckett was the cook and 'mum' to the family. This story is set in an alternative world that is very similar to our own but features mechanical horses and magic luggage-carrying clouds. However, magic is a fairly inconsequential feature of this story - the main focus is adventure. Kirsten Slade's pen and ink illustrations add to the story by showing sections of Francie's map as well as depicting some of the events of the journey. This book is suitable for children aged 8 and up and would make a fantastic read aloud.
Reviewed by Penny Guy (Bookrapt)
December 16, 2018
Wonderful story for our younger readers (ages 9-14) so it will suit readers from primary, intermediate and high schools. An adventure race with a talented young family, the eldest being 14, who are left to their own resources(as in all the best stories), with the noble and hilarious help of Beckett, Dumpling and Treacle ! Being a cartographer myself, I am highly jealous of Francie!
Thoroughly recommended to adventure lovers of a young (and not so young) age.
Thoroughly recommended to adventure lovers of a young (and not so young) age.
July 13, 2021
I read this to my girls at bedtime, off and on for a few months — with long gaps between readings. Why? There were sweet and endearing aspects to this book, but we found the book dragged quite a bit, from about the 20% mark until the last 20%. The actual action began in that final fifth of the book, when the pace picked up tremendously. With such rich, fertile material at the setup of the book, and at the end, we felt this could have been a much stronger work with more even pacing through the middle.
There were also character development issues. The parrot only seemed to exist for a specific plot point, but otherwise could have been entirely removed from the story. Indeed, so could one of the children. And elements of the story disappeared for chapters only to be returned to the forefront chapters later, lacking continuity through the middle.
But the book is not a fail. It did contain a lot of lovely bits. Best of all, it encourages kids to work as a team, value adventure, not fear hardship, and work towards a goal, while helping others along the way. All of these aspects shine brightly despite this book's faults.
You may also find that reading the book faster will avoid the drag in the middle.
There were also character development issues. The parrot only seemed to exist for a specific plot point, but otherwise could have been entirely removed from the story. Indeed, so could one of the children. And elements of the story disappeared for chapters only to be returned to the forefront chapters later, lacking continuity through the middle.
But the book is not a fail. It did contain a lot of lovely bits. Best of all, it encourages kids to work as a team, value adventure, not fear hardship, and work towards a goal, while helping others along the way. All of these aspects shine brightly despite this book's faults.
You may also find that reading the book faster will avoid the drag in the middle.
December 8, 2018
Just the adventure story with a group of kids, troubleshooting their way through a whole heap of challenging, scary and sometimes life endangering situations with mostly good grace, humour and love (even when the food supplies ran short) that I didn’t know I was looking for - but am very glad to have found.
October 2, 2021
Suggested to me as a year 5 group set and I agree, this age group would enjoy reading this together. Unlike many adventure stories that includes a group of children, none of these children were unlikeable, none were bossy, they each had their strengths and uniqueness that added to the group and none of the adults were ridiculously evil. Excellent, reasonably fast paced.
March 15, 2025
If I might bandy about such works as ADEVENTURE and ROLLICKING and HUMOUR and EXCITEMENT, then this book has it in spades!
And it's by an NZ author! And there are 5 child heroes who show persistence and intelligence and kindness, without being one dimensional preachy little prigs.
I loved it!
And it's by an NZ author! And there are 5 child heroes who show persistence and intelligence and kindness, without being one dimensional preachy little prigs.
I loved it!
May 21, 2025
La gara dei cartografi
È difficile non trovare le parole per fare la recensione di un libro, per dire cosa ci ha trasmesso, per lasciare una nostra impressione.
Eppure per me, in questo caso, è così. Più volte mi sono messo per cercare di scrivere queste parole, e altrettante volte ho rinunciato.
Forse perché, per tutta la lettura, mi sono rimbalzate in mente due cose:
- gli addetti della casa editrice che in fiera, a Bologna, per farmi comprare il libro mi spoilerano il finale del seguito
- la domanda se davvero serviva importare in Italia un libro "normale"
Il lettore che c'è in me, lo sa, dovrebbe scindere l'addetto ai lavori dal resto ma, purtroppo, non sempre ce la fa. E questo è il risultato.
Per tutti gli altri, per chi ha fortuna di essere ancora un semplice lettore, cosa che talvolta invidio dal profondo, La gara dei cartografi, di Eyrlis Hunter, portato in Italia da @lanuovafrontiera , è un libro gradevole, che racconta la storia di alcuni fratelli, i Santander, che partecipano da soli a una gara di cartografia perché la madre è rimasta indietro e il padre è scomparso da tempo.
È una storia di amicizia e di fraternità, di avventura e di scoperta sia storica che geografica, e che porta in sé anche dei bei valori (plauso alla figura di Francie, la gemella che non può parlare ma, attraverso i suoi disegni, può "volare"), ma che, a parte questo, non riesce a spingersi molto oltre. O forse, in un altro contesto, per me l'avrebbe fatto. Peccato.
Il fatto che sia stato finalista al Premio Strega ragazzi nel 2023, poi, mi fa ancora di più innervosire. Però pazienza, ho capito da tempo che purtroppo il mondo non va come dovrebbe. Soprattutto quello dell'editoria.
È difficile non trovare le parole per fare la recensione di un libro, per dire cosa ci ha trasmesso, per lasciare una nostra impressione.
Eppure per me, in questo caso, è così. Più volte mi sono messo per cercare di scrivere queste parole, e altrettante volte ho rinunciato.
Forse perché, per tutta la lettura, mi sono rimbalzate in mente due cose:
- gli addetti della casa editrice che in fiera, a Bologna, per farmi comprare il libro mi spoilerano il finale del seguito
- la domanda se davvero serviva importare in Italia un libro "normale"
Il lettore che c'è in me, lo sa, dovrebbe scindere l'addetto ai lavori dal resto ma, purtroppo, non sempre ce la fa. E questo è il risultato.
Per tutti gli altri, per chi ha fortuna di essere ancora un semplice lettore, cosa che talvolta invidio dal profondo, La gara dei cartografi, di Eyrlis Hunter, portato in Italia da @lanuovafrontiera , è un libro gradevole, che racconta la storia di alcuni fratelli, i Santander, che partecipano da soli a una gara di cartografia perché la madre è rimasta indietro e il padre è scomparso da tempo.
È una storia di amicizia e di fraternità, di avventura e di scoperta sia storica che geografica, e che porta in sé anche dei bei valori (plauso alla figura di Francie, la gemella che non può parlare ma, attraverso i suoi disegni, può "volare"), ma che, a parte questo, non riesce a spingersi molto oltre. O forse, in un altro contesto, per me l'avrebbe fatto. Peccato.
Il fatto che sia stato finalista al Premio Strega ragazzi nel 2023, poi, mi fa ancora di più innervosire. Però pazienza, ho capito da tempo che purtroppo il mondo non va come dovrebbe. Soprattutto quello dell'editoria.
November 10, 2018
The Mapmakers` Race is the story of the Santander siblings- Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey- after they misplace their parents and decide to participate in a dangerous race to map a new railway anyway, alongside a new friend called Beckett. I had been expecting something quite different when I picked this up, and while I thought some of it was great, there were other things that marred my enjoyment. I thought the writing style itself was great, especially the section where all of the different competitors are being introduced, and I also really liked the four siblings and enjoyed seeing the strong bonds they shared, as well as the way that the roles the different characters take on within the team defy gender stereotypes. However, I didn`t like the sections where Francie was “flying”, and I wasn`t keen on the campfire stories that were told as I didn`t think they were all especially relevant to the plot (with one exception), or even just find them generally entertaining. I also found the book slow paced in places, though there were some exciting moments as it approached the ending, and while I could picture the setting quite well, I didn`t understand when it was supposed to be set as some of it felt futuristic and other things seemed historical. The ending was left ambiguous, but was simultaneously satisfying, and I was glad that it was the way that the Santanders` story concluded. 3.5/5
November 25, 2018
Sal and her twin siblings Joe and Francie, and little brother Humphrey are about to embark on the biggest adventure of their lives. They have been on map making adventures before with their Ma and Pa, but this time they are on their own.
Pa is missing and Ma has been accidentally left behind. With huge prizes up for grabs they decide to go ahead with the plan of entering a Mapmaker’s Race across valleys, mountains, ridges, and raging rivers – without their parents. A new railroad is to be built and the best route will win.
The stakes are high for their family, as their money has rapidly been running out. With a new friend along for the journey they are up against adult teams, some of which who will do anything to win.
First they must learn to do all the things Ma used to do. If they are going to reach their destination in the required 28 days, or even just survive, they must remember all that they have been taught and learn to work together as a team.
With their individual skills – Sal is a mathematician, Joe is great at plotting their way, and Francie has a other-worldly gift of seeing the landscape from high above them, and map-drawing prowess. Nearly-5-year-old Humphrey adds humour to their days.
Bears, wolves, mechanical horses, cowboys and constant challenges are thrown at the young group with a nail-biting finish.
The Mapmaker’s Race is a traditional adventure story with lots of action, family squabbles and sharing of stories.…
Pa is missing and Ma has been accidentally left behind. With huge prizes up for grabs they decide to go ahead with the plan of entering a Mapmaker’s Race across valleys, mountains, ridges, and raging rivers – without their parents. A new railroad is to be built and the best route will win.
The stakes are high for their family, as their money has rapidly been running out. With a new friend along for the journey they are up against adult teams, some of which who will do anything to win.
First they must learn to do all the things Ma used to do. If they are going to reach their destination in the required 28 days, or even just survive, they must remember all that they have been taught and learn to work together as a team.
With their individual skills – Sal is a mathematician, Joe is great at plotting their way, and Francie has a other-worldly gift of seeing the landscape from high above them, and map-drawing prowess. Nearly-5-year-old Humphrey adds humour to their days.
Bears, wolves, mechanical horses, cowboys and constant challenges are thrown at the young group with a nail-biting finish.
The Mapmaker’s Race is a traditional adventure story with lots of action, family squabbles and sharing of stories.…
August 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this good, old-fashioned adventure! The Santander children are in a race to find and map a route through uncharted territory and have plenty of adventures along the way. Many of the adults in the race are dishonest and will do anything to win, so the children are really up against it, but they are resourceful and have been well taught by their parents. Enhanced by lovely illustrations of the areas the children travel through, there is just such a lot to like about this book. It has a real feel of a children's classic and should appeal to fans of authors like Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome. Highly recommended for upper primary readers (and 'children' of all ages!)
August 17, 2021
In this book a family is about to go on a race where they have to map their way from one town to another so that a railway can be made. There is a massive cash prize and it is the only thing the family can do to escape poverty as they are running out of money very quickly. They are on the way there when their only parent gets left behind and the kids are forced to travel on their own. Will they get to the next town in time to win, or will they never get to finish the race? My favourite character is Francie because she has powers where her consciousness can go out of her body and she can travel around in the air and see everything, its called flying and she perceives everything as it would be if she were actually there. I loved how the story kept me guessing and I couldn't tell wether everything was going to be ok or not. From the very beginning it caught my attention and I couldn't stop reading it. I was really worried at the end because I thought they weren't going to win and I also got nervous when Humphrey was kidnapped. The only thing I didn't like was how the book was short and the maps didn't really match the pages you were about to read they matched the ones you had already read so you had to keep flipping in between the pages to look at the maps.
October 15, 2018
As in any good old style children’s survival adventure story the parents are dispensed with fairly early on in this story. Their explorer Dad is temporarily missing and when Mum steps off the train that the children are taking to a mapmaker’s racing competition the children are on their own. Not only are they without parents but they without any means of communication and finances. Together they have to find skills and strengths to survive while caring for each other, and of course, winning the Great Mapmaker’s Race which is going to save them from financial ruin . There is a lot of good fun in this read. The siblings of Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey are well constructed characters, as is Beckett, a local boy who also gets carried up in the adventure. The children in this novel have a freedom that contemporary children can only dream of which makes this all the more exciting and enjoyable.
Suitable for 8+
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Suitable for 8+
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May 15, 2020
A wonderful read aloud for years 3-6. I am recording videos of myself reading this and uploading them to the school Seesaw during Covid 19 lockdown thanks to a copyright agreement with the Coalition for Books and Gecko Press. Sometimes it is challenging to find books for this age group, but this is pitch perfect. The kids are loving it.
It has loveable, rounded characters, an exciting outdoor adventure, some magical elements, teamwork, annoying baddies, fairy tales within the story and a satisfying ending.
It has loveable, rounded characters, an exciting outdoor adventure, some magical elements, teamwork, annoying baddies, fairy tales within the story and a satisfying ending.
November 7, 2024
This is a children's book, written for children. It's a cute story and well-written. For me, as a full grown adult, it would probably be 3 stars but given I'm not the intended audience, I'll give it 5 stars.
It would be a good one to read to kids at bedtime as each day usually finishes with them going to sleep. There is one scary story but it's prefaced by the character saying that he will tell a scary story so if a parent was reading to a child, you could skip it.
It would be a good one to read to kids at bedtime as each day usually finishes with them going to sleep. There is one scary story but it's prefaced by the character saying that he will tell a scary story so if a parent was reading to a child, you could skip it.
July 19, 2019
A great read and adventure where 5 kids must band together and rely on everyone's different strengths to survive and try and win a race to map a track through mountains.
Fast paced, easily readable with important take-home learnings mixed with tall tales and fantastic pictures makes this an easy book to recommend.
Fast paced, easily readable with important take-home learnings mixed with tall tales and fantastic pictures makes this an easy book to recommend.
May 19, 2023
It's a wonderful book to read to children with many aspects and important values hidden in the story like friendship, family, history, nature protection, being different... For adults as well it would be great to read it and keep the great way the book's children solve every problem in their minds and hearts.
August 12, 2023
bello e avvincente con una pecca: certe frasi dovevo rileggere più volte affinché capissi il significato, non so sia capitato solo a me.
Del resto, semplicemente bellissimo e non vi nascondo che mi è partita la ship tra Beckett e Francie ;)
Del resto, semplicemente bellissimo e non vi nascondo che mi è partita la ship tra Beckett e Francie ;)
June 4, 2025
é un libro di aventura molto bello parla di questi bambini Joe Sal Humphrey Fancie che devono fare una gara e chi vincerà la gara avrà un premio di tanti soldi ma si ritrovanono senza la mamma , chissà se vinceranno ? Mi è piaciuto tanto quando Joe ha aiutato Francie consiglio di leggerlo.
August 7, 2018
Fabulous. Read it with my 9 year old
September 28, 2018
Adventure of children to participate in a race to make a map for the railways. Fast paced adventure.
December 3, 2018
I want to find children to give this to! Fantastic imagination, and well drawn characters.
January 9, 2019
Fantastic adventure tale! Loved the characters, the action-packed plot and the steam punk Victorian setting. Great fun!
January 28, 2019
This was cute. A little formulaic but well done and I loved the drawings so much!! I liked the characters a lot. What's not to like??!
February 9, 2019
This is a decent book. Kids'll probably love it. I just didn't find it all that earth-shattering.
March 26, 2019
This was a great read-aloud - really enjoyed reading it with my 9 year old, and he rated it 5 stars. Our favourite character was Humphrey, and we loved following all of the children’s adventures.
June 8, 2019
very good and funny- poor humph getting kidnapped
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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