The Map of Stars

York #3

by Laura Ruby

After the events of The Clockwork Ghost, Tess, Theo, and Jaime don’t know what to think about their legacy—both past and present. They have only one choice: to follow the Old York Cipher to the end.

Doing so reveals the plans for a machine invented over 150 years ago but never built. Its purpose is a mystery, but Tess, Theo, and Jaime know that they must construct it. Doing so, however, will have massive repercussions and will launch the twins and their friend on one final adventure. Working together with the mysterious Ava Oneal, they attempt to complete the Morningstarrs’ vision and avert a global crisis of historic proportions.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fiction, Steampunk, Young Adult

514 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2020

About the author

Raised in the wilds of suburban New Jersey, Laura Ruby now lives in Chicago with her family. Her short fiction for adults has appeared in various literary magazines, including Other Voices, The Florida Review, Sycamore Review and Nimrod. A collection of these stories, I'M NOT JULIA ROBERTS, was published by Warner Books in January 2007. Called "hilarious and heart-wrenching" by People and "a knowing look at the costs and rewards of remaking a family," by the Hartford-Courant, the book was also featured in Redbook, Working Mother , and USA Today among others.

Ruby is also the author of the Edgar-nominated children's mystery LILY'S GHOSTS (8/03), the children's fantasy THE WALL AND THE WING (3/06) and a sequel, THE CHAOS KING (5/07) all from Harpercollins. She writes for older teens as well, and her debut young adult novel, GOOD GIRLS (9/06), also from Harpercollins, was a Book Sense Pick for fall 2006 and an ALA Quick Pick for 2007. A new young adult novel, PLAY ME, is slated for publication in fall of 2008. Her books have sold in England, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Serbia and Montenegro. THE WALL AND THE WING is currently in development with Laika Studios for release as an animated feature.

Ms. Ruby has been a featured speaker at BookExpo, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual convention, the Miami Book Festival, the Florida Association of Media Educators (FAME) convention, the Midwest Literary Festival, the International Reading Association's annual convention, and Illinois Reading Council annual conference, among other venues, and she has presented programs and workshops for both adults and children at numerous schools and libraries.

Currently, she is working on several thousand projects, drinking way too much coffee, and searching for new tunes for her iPod.

Reviews

[Amita · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read review 2024:
ok so if i make a lot of logical assumptions i think i can pretty much figure out everything that's going on in the ending EXCEPT for the epilogue like WHAT is going on there???? how is jaime's mom related to ava??? is ava supposed to be in all times at once?? i thought maybe jaime's mom is ava's descendant but if she came from ava & samuel then how did she exist well before they met?? and then did resetting the timeline mean samuel existed further into the future or is he now like ava or something?????? but if they're not related whatsoever why did we make such a big deal about ava and renee looking so similar??? WHAT is going on????

I really loved most this book and this series. I do think the metaphorical is much more important than the literal plot but I still would have liked to know answers to more questions. I def liked the original timeline being interspersed through the book, timing wise it was really good and I think it hit the right emotional beats.

ok so other than the aforementioned epilogue nonsense I do think I've mostly untangled the ending of the book:
In the original timeline, Renee is killed (not an accident) so she sends the note and the design to Tess and Theo. They use it to go back to the Industrial Revolution, become the Morningstarrs, create the Cipher, and fix everything.
In the Cipher timeline, which is the one we've been following, the original problems are gone but there are still issues, like how Renee is still dead, Slant, Hunter, etc. However it's nowhere near as bad as the catastrophe of the original timeline. This time Jaime and Ava go back.
In the final timeline, I think only Ava goes anywhere. I'm making an assumption that her being essentially immortal and using the device gave her the ability to go through time like it's a regular dimension (she becomes 4d). Therefore Jaime gets moved to where the first book starts and keeps his prior timeline memories but didn't actually do anything in the past unlike Tess and Theo. He's confused at this point, still thinking it's the Cipher timeline. Theo (and probably Tess too) seem like they're about to remember everything, going through instances of deja vu, which didn't happen the first time but this could also be due to Ava's effect on the machine. Overall, this is the final and correct timeline because those new problems have been erased, no Slant, Renee is alive, 354 W 73 is still up. Anyway my interpretation could be fully wrong I've just read it a few times trying to get what on earth is happening

Just on craft alone I would not give this 5 stars because obviously there were some pieces needing more explanation but for vibes and message I will keep the 5.

Janelle Monáe as Ava forever and always tho literally one of my best headcanons ever

[Corey Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. Heavy spoilers to follow. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO STAY SPOILER FREE.

I teach middle school and found book 1 on our shelf. Read it and recommended it to a ton of my students. Surprised to find book 2 so soon after. Devoured it and was excited to see where things would lead. Still think the title is bad. Was Ava the ghost? Where did they say that? Pre-ordered book 3 and told my kids is get it during quarantine and let them read it when we got back to school. I don't know if I want to.

Soooo many unresolved plots. A "new" villain introduced in an early chapter only to be seen in the finale. And that finale! What the heck? I mean really? I know I said heavy spoilers but how to complain about them without saying them? I can't, so here goes. You were warned.

THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS REALLY START FOR REAL.

How is Jaime the only one to see the alternate? 2/3 of your main characters don't go? Was he supposed to be the main character all along? Did I miss something? And how do you tease a time loop that we never see? I get it may not be time travel and be alternate reality, but you're telling me that in a dying world, Tess and Theo figure out how to go back in time AND a different dimension, make a better New York, set up the Shadow Cipher for themselves to follow, only for them to follow it so someone else can use it? What then happens to the New York we've come to love for THREE WHOLE books? Sure, we see an amalgam of New Yorks with a happy three amigos and no Slant in a New York where Tess and Theo CLEARLY time/dimensioned to, but WHICH Tess and Theo? I was just unfulfilled.

What was good? Why 3 stars? I liked the building of Ava's story. I like that we DID learn more about her. I liked that we saw how older Tess and Theo came to the decision of going back in time/dimension hopping. I just needed more.

What I didn't need is a 3rd act full of random people from the last three books fighting around a giant shark monster in the river.

This series could have done with one more book to flesh it out and a better ending. Use the infinite loop you teased with it being a different dimension each time. It works.

I'm sorry if you ignored my warning and spoiled yourself. But it had to be said.

[Grace T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not entirely sure what happened in those last couple of chapters, but it was solidly awesome and mindblowing and they watched Into the Spiderverse 2! Jealous!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was unsatisfying.

Even the kids when we finished it exclaimed in disbelief, "That's the end of the series? THAT is the end of this book? There just HAS to be more."

Too many unfinished plot lines to me, too many unanswered questions. I was hoping for a neat and tidy ending to all these pieces and people coming together but it felt like a mish-mash rushed ending and after absolutely LOVING the first two books with all our hearts, we feel cheated and heartbroken.

So sad.

I mean only Jaime travels in time and after having every perspective shared, she leaves out the perspective of him traveling back in time? This is what we've been gearing up for in all these books and it's just omitted? Why? What happened? How did he change things or did he just jump to an alternate timeline, but without any explanation? And the vague end of Ono, one of our favorite characters? Just no. Sad, sad faces over that. And what happened with Darnell Slant, who has been the big bag guy (admittedly, more the face of the bad guy, with others operating behind) but I still wanted to see some sort of resolution. I suppose leaving him out entirely of the new timeline would be just reward for a narcissist but still.

I sadly must remove this from one of my most recommended book series purely because of the ending. I think I wouldn't have been so disappointed if the first two hadn't been so amazing. We can hope for another book I suppose? But the "THE END" typed at the finish of this book makes us sadly believe the author thinks this wraps everything up. We disagree :( This is like the Tearling books all over again - great beginning - absolutely unsatisfying ending that leaves me not liking the first books in the series because of the ending.

[christine ✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/14/22: sometimes a book is both cheesy and heartbreaking.
I am going to be honest I came to reread this to try and make sense of something I've never made sense of it (oh cool I just realized it's been exactly 2 years since I first read this) but I left even more confused than before. I am incredibly, unrelentingly, confused. This is going to continue to haunt me for the next few years. I don't UNDERSTAND.
Yes I know.. multiverse shadow world mirror world whatever etc etc... but I don't GET IT!!! Is this one timeline or is this two or three or what? Did the machine yeet Jaime into another timeline? How did Ava come back? DID she come back? Why was the epilogue set in 2114?
So. The twins travelled. I know that. From where? Was it time travel alone, or was it into another timeline altogether? The Cipher was set up in a way they Knew the young twins would be able to solve it, because they lived it themselves, I know that. What I don't know is if this is a causality loop. Is everything just one giant loop? What happened to Jaime? In one timeline they mention he moved away when they were in the 5th grade. In the story timeline, he was with them until almost 8th grade. In the end, he's at their house, and it's the same scene as the beginning of the first book, but slightly different. I am so confused. What is going on. I thought I had this figured out 2 years ago but I was Very Wrong. VERY wrong.
What is UP with Ava and Samuel I don't understand that EITHER girl WHAT. What does Ava know - she must know all, she was the Morningstarrs' friend. But. Has she travelled? What's up with the three separate iterations of Samuel mentioned in the books? (in the past, modern-day, and 2114). #girl
Dr. Cruz? What happen. Literally it was never properly explained unless I'm just dumb which is very possible. What did she DO. Where did she GO. Is she in the Mirror World. Who. What :) :(
Slowly losing my mind. IS THIS A LOOP OR A MULTIVERSE OR BOTH OR WHAT IS GOING ON. I think I need sleep.

--
2020: I don't know whether to laugh or cry right now but all I know is that this was confusingly incredible an I jus-

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well... the second one was so good, and this one just didn't cut it for me. Or at least, the final act didn't. I loved most of it. But the shark monster didn't need to happen. What?? In fact, most of the action there at the end didn't need to happen. The writing just fell flat there. In a series all about mystery and clues, this big battle scene just didn't make sense.
And who the heck is this Hunter Roberts?? Don't make Slant the big bad the whole time only to briefly introduce a random villain in book three to show up in the final scenes to be the REALLY big bad. Nope. Didn't work. I don't know him, didn't care about him, wasn't scared by him, just really confused why I was supposed to be invested in his villainy.
And the whole mirror dimension/time travel needed a lot more clearing up. I sort of got it, but for a series that has had such clear, fun, witty writing the whole time, being confused at the end of this book was disappointing.
Like I said, I loved 3/4 of this. Books one and two were great. But she dropped the ball on the last inning, and I'm disappointed.
I'll go write my own ending. Ha.

[Rebecca Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Ruby doesn't shy away from themes of justice and truth for middle grade, in fact, she's one of the only authors I've read that doesn't noticeably dumb down everything when writing for younger readers. It's clearly acknowledged in the writing style the sacrifices these characters had to make and are making and the bittersweetness of it all. The characters felt real, their struggles felt real, and their world even more real. There are few books that use possibly my least favorite trope—time traveling—that I enjoy, and this has joined the short list. The tension in this book made it nearly impossible to put down, I read it late into the night.
This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series, well-thought out and well-written.

[Ava · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t even know what to say because my only thoughts are, “WTF?” The ending was so unsatisfying. I don’t really even understand what happened. I was expecting a dramatic explanation of everything but I was left with more questions, in a bad way.
The rest of the book was good though, and the possible climate crisis future was particularly timely and terrifying. But, due to that ending, my rating is 2 stars instead of 3.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

..I feel very confused after that ending.. but it was still a pretty good book.

The Map of Stars is sadly the last book of the York Series. I'm not sure how I feel about this all coming to an end but I guess I will have to adapt to it. Eventually.

This book took me on an unexpected emotional ride. I mean.. I really had no idea what Laura was going to throw at me and boy did she sucker punch me in the face. Repeatedly. In it, you will still be with the gang from the previous two books. It honestly brought me so much happiness because I didn't know I missed them that much. Which then brought to bittersweet moments because I knew it was all coming to an end. Ugh.

Besides being a hot mess, I am still slightly confused on a couple of things.. but maybe it's because so much was going on around me today that I couldn't truly focus. Will definitely have to plan a re-read for this series and maybe things will all start to fall into place for me. Or ya know.. make me even more confused. It's definitely a toss up that I will enjoy.

In the end, I'm sad that it's over and I now need a new series to be obsessed with.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. I liked this trilogy, especially the middle book, but like many other readers I was confused by the ending. There are a lot of moving plots and skipping forward and back through time, which was not sufficiently explained. That said, it was still fun and imaginative. Her characters are funny and smart, especially the non-humans (Karl, Nine, and Ono.) Watching Tess, Theo and Jaime apart and then back together was refreshing, unravelling the mystery to recreate the powerful Cipher, as various forces sought to manipulate them, including Slant, Merry and her father, to gain control of the device. P.S. I think the device is actually the continuum transfunctioner.

[Dreximgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series and the characters are great but I have to admit the direction this ended up going in was not something I saw coming. I liked it but I felt it could have been developed a little more had more been revealed earlier on. But it was fun and I do think the audiobooks are well done.

[Paula - · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. But it felt like it lost steam towards the end. So much so I had to read the last 4 chapters twice to make sure I'd not missed anything. Unfortunately not. The ending was just lack lustre. I'm kinda frustrated because we had three books with interest puzzles and mysteries. For the ending to be so blasé.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay here's the thing. I LOVED the first two books in this series. I was so excited about it. I told every teenager I knew about it. They were amazing.

This one??? It fell flat for me. I wanted to like it so much. But it was just so much "less" compared to the other two in this trilogy. The way it all concluded was disappointing. I don't know. I'd still recommend it purely because the first two are so good. It's perfect for the younger end of YA.

[Samantha Carter]

I was right, this cover is stunning. All the colors are so beautiful and work together so well. Question though: are there going to be extraterrestrials involved, 'cause those things kind of look like UFOs. That, or just giant metal blimps. I dunno, but I cannot WAIT for this book!!

I love my quirky trio <3

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conclusion to this York trilogy. Hard to put down. Scenarios and a world you wish could be true!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So close to 5 stars for me, but I'll admit... I'm not sure I understood everything there at the end. The mixing of parallel universes and time travel was a bit much for this old girl's brain. Still a great series though. I'll admit it's a tough sell with my middle schoolers because of the length, but I've been able to get it into a few hands at least.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was a crazy ending to an awesome series!

I loved reading these books, they're so much fun and suck me straight in to the story. The characters are funny and smart and the mystery kept me guessing. The rotating points of view gave a broad picture and helped put the pieces together. I especially love Cricket, she's too smart for her own good and always makes me laugh.

I'm still a bit confused about the ending. There are a lot of moving parts and skipping forward and back through time. I think Tess and Theo are the Morninstar twins and they've traveled through time trying to fix things, but still unsure The end was happy and how I wanted it to be though, so I'm pretty satisfied.

The different mysteries were so cool and I enjoyed watching the kids unravel them and figure things out. I wish I could live in the Morningstar's New York, the machines and technology is amazing and revolutionary. This is a great book for imagination and I highly recommend, no matter what age!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for this book to come out since November when I finished the second book! I was so looking forward to reading it and it did not disappoint! The only thing I was a little confused about was the ending where Jamie went to a different dimension. So first off does that mean the twins in the first dimension don't have a Jaime now? And wouldn't there be two Jaime's in the second dimension now? I was a little confused on that but anyways GREAT BOOK SERIES!!! I loved these so much!

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was disappointing. I actually was going to give this a bit of a better rating but then the ending was totally wacko. It wasn’t satisfying and made absolutely no sense. Final verdict: don’t read. But if you must, listening is better.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to say about this excellent end to the York trilogy/saga, but most of it involves spoilers. Three things that I loved about this third and final instalment (not necessarily in order of importance): the book is physically beautiful (I love the way that each cover is more colourful than the previous book), the ending was fittingly momentous, and I loved all the characters.

Now, I was a little apprehensive about the friction between Jaime and the twins that was promised in the synopsis because I generally don't love mistrust between main characters (how do I manage to read any fiction books at all? I have no idea). Thankfully, it all felt real and unforced and and there were lovely moments of "normal" (HA! normal isn't even a word in these books) interaction between them even in that tension.
Aside from the main characters, there were appearances from many of the brilliant supporting characters that I love and admire (Aunt Esther! Imogen Sparks! Auguste!!!), and there were MORE new characters that were fun and cool and everything I want from York characters.
Honestly, the characters are my favourite part of the York trilogy, so even if the ending wasn't what it was supposed to be, I probably would be satisfied simply because of the characters that made their appearance in The Map of Stars.

In fact, I do think the cipher solution worked. But I like that by the time the cipher is solved, it really isn't about solving the cipher anymore, but it's about something bigger. Does that mean the ending made perfect sense to me? Not at all. Does this bother me? Not particularly . . . because it just means that I get to read this trilogy over and over again and have new thoughts and ideas each time.

Laura Ruby's wide-ranging imagination and vision combined with her attention to detail and excellent writing is fully on display in this trilogy and in this book, and it continually astounds me.
Five stars, no question about it.

[Hi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. I usually don't give books this low a rating, but ugh. I liked most of the book. The clues were cool, and the mystery was interesting. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi, so some things were a little out there for me, but it was going nicely. But. Then, we get to the end. First of all, why, Jaime?! Seriously! Jerkface (okay, sorry, that might be a little strong, but still)! Why did you do that to Tess and Theo?! I know, I know, his mom, but really! This book also left a lot of things unanswered. Like, what about the time that Jaime abandoned, where Tess and Theo were (well, where one pair of them were)? What did they do? Tess probably started crying, and Theo would probably just stand there, numb. Time probably went on, and my personal theory is that Tess and Theo probably made a new time machine, traveled back in time, and made things right after so many other Tess and Theos not fully making things right. Then, they get born, and, after awhile, we get to the scene where Tess and Theo are living in their grandpa's room and Jaime comes, having just time traveled, and Tess kisses him (BARF), and, miraculously, his mother is alive and that's pretty much the end, with Ava going on to be a time traveler and writing books as A Lady. So, pretty much, this would leave Tess and Theo as the real heroes for essentially saving the world from mass depression and serious global warming. This theory might not be true. But it would leave the story feeling more wrapped up, at least for me.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in this youth trilogy. I’m so glad I got to read this series and didn’t turn away from it when I saw the intended audience age group.

This book is how Theo, Tess and Jamie try to solve the Cipher once and for all. They are till up against Slant and his goons. The riddles are a bit more complex than the previous but there are plenty in here. It’s a great final book in the series, aside from the ending. I’m not really sure how I feel about that.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, this series - so so so so good! I think it is way underrated and deserves to be way more popular! I love that the parents and grandparents are so present and loving! Just start with book one and read it!!!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but it left a lot of my questions unanswered.

[Clara Biesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I wanted to read. Smart, responsible, futuristic scifi set in an alternative NYC, middlegrade at its finest.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the third and final book in the York series.

Story (4/5): This was a well done conclusion to this series and wraps up all the loose ends. There is a lot of running around from building to building solving clues just like in the previous books. However, more history comes into play in this book and more time traveling. I thought things felt a bit rushed towards the end and some of the things that happened felt really contrived. I would say the first 75% of the story was five stars and I really enjoyed it; the last quarter of the book felt a bit off and I would have given it three stars.

Characters (4/5): The characters are well done and intriguing. We learn more about what Tess and Theo will become in the future. We also learn a lot more about all of these characters' pasts. Many mysterious characters, such as Ava, are finally explained. Nine and the little robot are by far my favorite characters. I do enjoy the tight relationships that Tess, Theo, and Jaimie have with their families throughout the series.

Setting (5/5): I absolutely love the setting of these books. This alternate reality where New York City was designed by the Morningstarrs into a kind of modern nostalgic sci-fi setting continues to be amazing and incredibly unique.

Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The book is well written and easy to read. It jumps between characters which does break up the story some, but works okay for this series. I did think the last 25% or so of the story felt really contrived and rushed. Once you get into all this weird time traveling stuff and jumping into the far past and far future it got a bit weird. It just didn’t match the feel or pace of the rest of the series.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a really unique series that I enjoyed and I would recommend to those who are interested in reads with a lot of steampunk-like puzzles and a futuristic yet nostalgic sci-fi feel to them. I really enjoyed the amazingly creative setting and world. The characters were also well done and the puzzles and mysteries that had to be unraveled were intriguing.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys. We did it. We finished this series that has completely stolen my heart over the last few months. I am sad and filled and heartbroken and desperate and lovey-squeezy and confused and satisfied and unsatisfied and 🥰🥰🥰 all at the same time.

General [spoiler-free] synopsis: 7th graders Tess and Theo Biedermann along with their friend Jaime Cruz set out to save their beloved alternate-history version of New York from the likes of villains intent on destroying the best of it…and they discover QUITE A BIT in the process!

I will say, I did NOT see the major plot twist in this third book coming, and even though I’ve read dozens of reviews online, I still don’t totally understand the ending. That being said that, I love this series with everything I am, and maybe I’ll just reread it so much that I figure it all out one day 🤓

Please read this series. It is seriously so good. Easily will be in my top books of the year!

Rating: the biggest and brightest [map of] 🌟 FIVE STARS 🌟 imaginable 💕

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot
Tess, Theo, and Jaime might not be getting along, but there's still the cipher to solve. They follow the clues around and outside of the city, only to get themselves in trouble with Stark [the potentially future mayor who has loads of money, their parents, and the police [Tess and Theo's mom]. As they solve clues and collect objects, they find the plans to build a small machine. This machine will quite literally change the future and some of the past, and the friends aren't quite sure if what they're doing is the right thing.

Review
This one was okay. The kids continue sneaking out of the house and getting in trouble. The story flips between the current day twins, to their future selves seeing NY flooded, to the 1800s with the Morningstar twins, and Ava makes appearances throughout. I have to say, I was really confused with the last parts of the book. I had to read some other reviews to figure out wtf happened, and what they surmised is not at all what I was thinking! I wonder if kids will get it???

The audiobook narrator still makes Theo sound super whiny and annoying, like Aziz Ansari making fun of someone.

[Arlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's weird when authors acknowledge Indigenous peoples generally, but fail to identify the actual nations. New York city is on Lenape, Rockaway and Canarsie traditional lands. This was a good end to the story. I don't think I'll read it to my kid. I imagine it would appeal more to Americans. But it was interesting and held my attention. No extreme violence. Technology as magic. Moves from futuristic eco steampunk to science fiction time travel. Some discussion of race, though missed opportunity to talk about modern racism and classism. The mom is a cop, which is kind of gross. Some people will like this series. Not my favorite.

[Julie Rothenfluh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this trilogy adventure, but the ending left me a little flat. Maybe it’s because I can’t wrap my head around all the possibilities once you start *spoiler* time traveling! I prefer things a bit more straightforward than multiple possible timelines across multiple parallel universes. Speaking of which, that was more the direction I thought this was going due to several “clues” dropped earlier in the story. I would still recommend this trilogy; might be more satisfying to someone else!