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Mapmaker
Walt is a Mapmaker, one of just a few in the universe who can draw maps that come to life. He must pit his own powers against another malevolent Mapmaker who has the power to destroy any world—including our own.
Unknown Binding
First published September 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 25, 2024
in retrospect: why would I, a known hater of Fantasy Maps, pick this up? I think mostly because I had liked Ramee's contemporary fiction book A Good Kind of Trouble so much. But this ehhh wasn't quite my cup of tea. Probably will go over better with the real map-heads out there, and I do know they're out there. I really liked the contemporary fiction half of this story, with the family drama and the confronting microaggressions etc.
September 15, 2022
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
MapMaker is an imaginative middle grade fantasy with a cool premise. I love the concept of someone with a passion for maps, who discovers he can bring them to life. It allows for some picturesque setting descriptions of the town Blackbird Bay, which comes to vivid life alongside the magical world Walt creates.
Walt is incredibly relatable and has real kid struggles. He’s dealing with the expectations his father has for him that he can’t fulfill, and trying to adjust to a new place, and is using his passion for mapmaking and problem-solving as an outlet. Soon, he comes to a realization of the truth of his powers, and it sends him on a journey of self-discovery.
While it’s not a huge facet of the book, I love that the narrative is imbued with elements that explore what it’s like to be a Black child growing up in the United States, such as the reality of police violence.
The story is engaging and fast-paced, particularly once the central conflict with the magical threat comes into play.
I really liked this book, and I wouldn’t mind reading more from this author in the future. If you’re a fan of middle grade portal fantasy, I recommend giving this a try.
MapMaker is an imaginative middle grade fantasy with a cool premise. I love the concept of someone with a passion for maps, who discovers he can bring them to life. It allows for some picturesque setting descriptions of the town Blackbird Bay, which comes to vivid life alongside the magical world Walt creates.
Walt is incredibly relatable and has real kid struggles. He’s dealing with the expectations his father has for him that he can’t fulfill, and trying to adjust to a new place, and is using his passion for mapmaking and problem-solving as an outlet. Soon, he comes to a realization of the truth of his powers, and it sends him on a journey of self-discovery.
While it’s not a huge facet of the book, I love that the narrative is imbued with elements that explore what it’s like to be a Black child growing up in the United States, such as the reality of police violence.
The story is engaging and fast-paced, particularly once the central conflict with the magical threat comes into play.
I really liked this book, and I wouldn’t mind reading more from this author in the future. If you’re a fan of middle grade portal fantasy, I recommend giving this a try.
September 20, 2022
This book is so fun and original. The premise hooked me out of the gate—what if the maps you drew became real?—but it was the characters and world building that pulled me into the story and kept me flipping pages until the very end. I loved Walt so much—it was impossible not to root for him—and the supporting cast of characters is well developed and engaging. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a rich Middle Grade fantasy in the vein of TRISTAN STRONG, AMARI & THE NIGHT BROTHERS or PERCY JACKSON.
November 7, 2022
An enjoyable middle grade fantasy escape! If you love fantasy maps and the idea of jumping inside one, this is the story for you! A young boy, struggling to connect with his father and twin sister after moving to a new town realizes he has the ability to create worlds through his mapmaking … and potentially destroy them! An all around fun adventure with strong characters and real challenges that face them. While the ending was a bit rushed for my liking and would have loved even more fleshing out of the fantasy world, room has been left for sequels that may deliver that!
June 27, 2022
I was swept away into this wonderful middle grade fantasy. I have long been a fan of Lisa Moore Ramée’s realistic grade—there is no one who creates characters, friendships, and family relationships quite like she does. MAPMAKER has strong, relatable characters, an exciting, fast-paced story, and a richly imagined world. Unlike his skateboard-loving twin, Van, Walt loves creating maps. After they move to the “boring” town of Blackbird Bay he discovers something unusual—when he draws on his map, those elements suddenly exist! I would recommend this to readers of Kwame Mbalia’s TRISTAN STRONG and Arnée Flores’s THE FIREBIRD SONG.
July 30, 2023
1.5/5 stars - I never write reviews, but I feel like I need to for this book...
First, the writing - While this is a middle grades book, that doesn't mean the writing has to be simplistic and juvenile, but it is. It reads more like a Magic Tree House book than a MG fantasy book. Despite the interesting premise, I found myself bored due to the amount of telling instead of showing. The characters were flat and poorly developed. The pacing was also odd, with the story dragging at points and going too quickly in others. Moments of action that should have been riveting were wrapped up too quickly and too cleanly. The big battle at the end with the primary villain is contained within one or two short chapters. The editing for the novel was poor, as well. Some of the passages felt jumbled, and the writing was oftentimes clunky. There are many errors in the novel that the editor(s) should have caught, such as "Walt chased after at it" and "We don't have time for a guilty conscious."
Second, the characters - Walt is a small boy who feels unwanted pressure to be "manly" from his overbearing father. This is something that plagues Walt the entire novel. There is one moment near the end where he suddenly recalls his father telling him "you might look weak, but that doesn't mean you ARE weak" - and this is what causes him to magically get over being small. Sorry, I don't buy it! In general, Walt is a confusing character. He is constantly told by his father that he should be a man and not be emotional or cry, and (I assume as a result of this) Walt often swings wildly between being a relatively calm kid to having these furious outbursts that come on suddenly and disappear just as quickly. There's a good commentary here on how young boys - and men in general - shouldn't be forced to stifle their emotions and that it's okay to cry and be upset, but the author never makes this point. What are kids supposed to take away from the character of Walt? That it's not okay to cry? That being small makes you weak? These things never truly get resolved, and I worry about the message kids might take away from that.
Walt's attitude toward the landlady at the end when they return from Djaruba also leaves MUCH to be desired. She gave Walt a helpful tool and ensured his parents wouldn't notice the kids' absence, but upon their return, Walt has the audacity to ask her why she gave him "such a useless thing" simply because he didn't use it correctly. He also demands she undo the spell on their parents and "glared at her in a way that meant 'I am waiting for you to do what you've been told'." Excuuuse me? Main characters shouldn't be perfect, but there are zero consequences for his being so rude toward someone who helped him. Assertive and rude are not the same thing.
The father is overbearing and borderline emotionally/mentally abusive toward Walt and, it's implied, toward Walt's mother. At the end, Walt finally tells his dad he doesn't want to go to football camp because it isn't one of his interests, and his dad begrudgingly agrees - but it's with the caveat that maybe they can try football camp again next year. I'm not sure what message the author was trying to convey through the father figure in this novel, but I wasn't digging it.
Van was also a pretty flat character. Her entire personality was that she was a tomboy who refused to respect Walt's boundaries. She was mean to him (and other characters) pretty much the entire time, and she never seems to recognize it or apologize, even when other characters tell her they dislike the way she's treating them.
Uncertain what the point of Dylan was - he was pretty much a filler character whose sole interest was basketball. These kids would be in the middle of doing something dangerous, and Dylan would start pretend dribbling and shooting. Kind of weird.
I hope people who liked this novel are able to find joy in future installments, and maybe the author will use that space to explore Walt's mom's side of the family and their magic, because that seemed pretty interesting. Someone let me know!
First, the writing - While this is a middle grades book, that doesn't mean the writing has to be simplistic and juvenile, but it is. It reads more like a Magic Tree House book than a MG fantasy book. Despite the interesting premise, I found myself bored due to the amount of telling instead of showing. The characters were flat and poorly developed. The pacing was also odd, with the story dragging at points and going too quickly in others. Moments of action that should have been riveting were wrapped up too quickly and too cleanly. The big battle at the end with the primary villain is contained within one or two short chapters. The editing for the novel was poor, as well. Some of the passages felt jumbled, and the writing was oftentimes clunky. There are many errors in the novel that the editor(s) should have caught, such as "Walt chased after at it" and "We don't have time for a guilty conscious."
Second, the characters - Walt is a small boy who feels unwanted pressure to be "manly" from his overbearing father. This is something that plagues Walt the entire novel. There is one moment near the end where he suddenly recalls his father telling him "you might look weak, but that doesn't mean you ARE weak" - and this is what causes him to magically get over being small. Sorry, I don't buy it! In general, Walt is a confusing character. He is constantly told by his father that he should be a man and not be emotional or cry, and (I assume as a result of this) Walt often swings wildly between being a relatively calm kid to having these furious outbursts that come on suddenly and disappear just as quickly. There's a good commentary here on how young boys - and men in general - shouldn't be forced to stifle their emotions and that it's okay to cry and be upset, but the author never makes this point. What are kids supposed to take away from the character of Walt? That it's not okay to cry? That being small makes you weak? These things never truly get resolved, and I worry about the message kids might take away from that.
Walt's attitude toward the landlady at the end when they return from Djaruba also leaves MUCH to be desired. She gave Walt a helpful tool and ensured his parents wouldn't notice the kids' absence, but upon their return, Walt has the audacity to ask her why she gave him "such a useless thing" simply because he didn't use it correctly. He also demands she undo the spell on their parents and "glared at her in a way that meant 'I am waiting for you to do what you've been told'." Excuuuse me? Main characters shouldn't be perfect, but there are zero consequences for his being so rude toward someone who helped him. Assertive and rude are not the same thing.
The father is overbearing and borderline emotionally/mentally abusive toward Walt and, it's implied, toward Walt's mother. At the end, Walt finally tells his dad he doesn't want to go to football camp because it isn't one of his interests, and his dad begrudgingly agrees - but it's with the caveat that maybe they can try football camp again next year. I'm not sure what message the author was trying to convey through the father figure in this novel, but I wasn't digging it.
Van was also a pretty flat character. Her entire personality was that she was a tomboy who refused to respect Walt's boundaries. She was mean to him (and other characters) pretty much the entire time, and she never seems to recognize it or apologize, even when other characters tell her they dislike the way she's treating them.
Uncertain what the point of Dylan was - he was pretty much a filler character whose sole interest was basketball. These kids would be in the middle of doing something dangerous, and Dylan would start pretend dribbling and shooting. Kind of weird.
I hope people who liked this novel are able to find joy in future installments, and maybe the author will use that space to explore Walt's mom's side of the family and their magic, because that seemed pretty interesting. Someone let me know!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2022
“‘The dig, the creek, the bridge over the creek. None of that was here before today. I made it appear in real life by drawing it. Because I’m a…mapmaker.’”
When twelve-year-old Walt and his twin sister Van move to Blackbird Bay, Walt isn’t expecting anything magical. He misses his home and friends in Los Angeles and really, really doesn’t want to attend the fast-approaching football camp his dad is insisting on. He’d much rather work on his map of Djaruba, a world he created when he was younger and has been adding to for years. But soon after his family’s arrival in Blackbird Bay, Walt makes an extraordinary discovery: what he draws on maps comes to life. What at first seems amazing soon becomes anything but when Walt, Van, and their new friend Dylan end up trapped in Djaruba. With a malevolent mapmaker searching for Walt and destroying worlds, the threesome must figure out a way to stop him—and fast. Because if worlds can so easily be erased on paper, could Earth be next?
Lisa Moore Ramée’s middle grade novel MAPMAKER is a delightful and imaginative adventure perfect for readers who see a bit of magic wherever they look. Walt is a sympathetic and relatable character, especially for those who also have moved to a new city. I greatly enjoyed reading how Walt, Van, and Dylan interacted, and once they got to Djaruba, everything is taken up a notch. The action and adventure are sensational, and there are some fabulous underlying themes present as well. If you enjoy magical middle grades and heartwarming heroes, MAPMAKER is the book for you!
Content Warnings: Sexism, toxic masculinity, some action sequences and peril, fire, death, mentioned death of an animal
MAPMAKER by Lisa Moore Ramée is out now from Balzer & Bray.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
When twelve-year-old Walt and his twin sister Van move to Blackbird Bay, Walt isn’t expecting anything magical. He misses his home and friends in Los Angeles and really, really doesn’t want to attend the fast-approaching football camp his dad is insisting on. He’d much rather work on his map of Djaruba, a world he created when he was younger and has been adding to for years. But soon after his family’s arrival in Blackbird Bay, Walt makes an extraordinary discovery: what he draws on maps comes to life. What at first seems amazing soon becomes anything but when Walt, Van, and their new friend Dylan end up trapped in Djaruba. With a malevolent mapmaker searching for Walt and destroying worlds, the threesome must figure out a way to stop him—and fast. Because if worlds can so easily be erased on paper, could Earth be next?
Lisa Moore Ramée’s middle grade novel MAPMAKER is a delightful and imaginative adventure perfect for readers who see a bit of magic wherever they look. Walt is a sympathetic and relatable character, especially for those who also have moved to a new city. I greatly enjoyed reading how Walt, Van, and Dylan interacted, and once they got to Djaruba, everything is taken up a notch. The action and adventure are sensational, and there are some fabulous underlying themes present as well. If you enjoy magical middle grades and heartwarming heroes, MAPMAKER is the book for you!
Content Warnings: Sexism, toxic masculinity, some action sequences and peril, fire, death, mentioned death of an animal
MAPMAKER by Lisa Moore Ramée is out now from Balzer & Bray.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
August 15, 2023
Unfortunately, my delight at the beginning of this book started to wane long before I reached its conclusion. I especially liked the world building & magical system. How cool is it to be able to draw new worlds, after all?!
Sadly, once I reached the middle of the story, it started to lose its appeal for me. I'm not sure if it was a pacing issue, a rushed plot, or the characters themselves, nor can I really pinpoint a specific turning-point. Maybe it was simply a matter of my mood at the time. (I was reading this while simultaneously reading several other hard-hitting books, which may have unfairly influenced my experience with this one.)
However, two of the main issues I had were Walt's parents and the sibling rivalry between Walt & his twin sister, Van. Walt's father was overbearingly one-dimensional (and overdone); his sole purpose in life to brow-beat his son into playing football, despite Walt's lack of interest, while Walt's passive mother quietly deferred to her husband's wishes, instead of intervening on Walt's behalf. Van's 'goading' of her brother combined with Walt's jealousy and annoyance towards his twin also became to be a bit much after awhile.
I did however enjoy the uniqueness of the book. While I'm not interested in continuing the series at this point, I am going to keep it for a future re-read to see if my opinion changes at a later date, as it does have a lot of redeeming qualities as well.
Sadly, once I reached the middle of the story, it started to lose its appeal for me. I'm not sure if it was a pacing issue, a rushed plot, or the characters themselves, nor can I really pinpoint a specific turning-point. Maybe it was simply a matter of my mood at the time. (I was reading this while simultaneously reading several other hard-hitting books, which may have unfairly influenced my experience with this one.)
However, two of the main issues I had were Walt's parents and the sibling rivalry between Walt & his twin sister, Van. Walt's father was overbearingly one-dimensional (and overdone); his sole purpose in life to brow-beat his son into playing football, despite Walt's lack of interest, while Walt's passive mother quietly deferred to her husband's wishes, instead of intervening on Walt's behalf. Van's 'goading' of her brother combined with Walt's jealousy and annoyance towards his twin also became to be a bit much after awhile.
I did however enjoy the uniqueness of the book. While I'm not interested in continuing the series at this point, I am going to keep it for a future re-read to see if my opinion changes at a later date, as it does have a lot of redeeming qualities as well.
May 31, 2023
I really loved this book! The main character Walt struggles to live up to his father’s expectations and dreams for him. He feels like he doesn’t measure up to his twin sister Van and is struggling to find his place in a new town. He soon finds he has a special talent where he can create (and possibly destroy) worlds by drawing or altering maps. After receiving a special gift from his mother, he finds himself travelling into one of his map worlds with his sister and new friend Dylan. Walt has been warned if a dangerous mapmaker Statica who has been searching for him but he’s curious if maybe everyone has it wrong since he is a mapmaker and isn’t evil. He wants his questions about being a mapmaker answered as well and feels like Statica is the only one who can. They travel through Djaruba and find many creatures (Dragons!!) and find themselves in peril many times (active volcano!!) and Walt is torn whether he wants to go home or not. I love these kinds of portal fantasy books and especially enjoy a good fantasy map which this book has! I would recommend to anyone that enjoys these too. It left off with an opening for another book and I’m hoping there’s more to come. I would love to see what happens next for Walt and Van!
December 14, 2022
3.5 stars
Ramee leaves the world of realistic fiction for one of fantasy with her latest book: Mapmaker. Walt, his twin sister Van, and their parents have just moved from LA to the town of Blackbird Bay. Walt is distressed to have left his friends behind and even more upset that his dad is insisting he go to football camp next week. His twin sister Van, however, seems to be settling right in with her skateboarding skills and ability to make friends. Once Walt discovers that the elaborate maps he draws become real, however, everything changes. He, Van, and a neighbor boy are drawn into his made up world of Djaruba. This seems great as they meet a boy and his dragon and Walt can draw his way out of most situations. But of course things go terribly wrong and they may be trapped there for good.
I loved "A Good Kind of Trouble" so was looking forward to this. The characters do not disappoint. However, there are some aspects of the pacing that I felt were off - although students probably won't notice. Possibility for a sequel is definitely there.
CW: a dad who does not seem to realize who his kids really are
Ramee leaves the world of realistic fiction for one of fantasy with her latest book: Mapmaker. Walt, his twin sister Van, and their parents have just moved from LA to the town of Blackbird Bay. Walt is distressed to have left his friends behind and even more upset that his dad is insisting he go to football camp next week. His twin sister Van, however, seems to be settling right in with her skateboarding skills and ability to make friends. Once Walt discovers that the elaborate maps he draws become real, however, everything changes. He, Van, and a neighbor boy are drawn into his made up world of Djaruba. This seems great as they meet a boy and his dragon and Walt can draw his way out of most situations. But of course things go terribly wrong and they may be trapped there for good.
I loved "A Good Kind of Trouble" so was looking forward to this. The characters do not disappoint. However, there are some aspects of the pacing that I felt were off - although students probably won't notice. Possibility for a sequel is definitely there.
CW: a dad who does not seem to realize who his kids really are
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Walter is sad that his parents have moved the family from California to Blackbird Bay, and would rather spend his time drawing maps than playing football, as his father wants him to. It doesn't help that twin sister Van is more sporty and outgoing, although she favors skateboarding. Quirky next door neighbor Ms. Wilhope thinks that Walt's maps are great, but he tries to hide his work from his father. Walt does meet neighbor Dylan, and when the three children go to the local convenience store, they meet Officer Canter and store owner Orsten who tell the children that Walt is a Mapmaker and he needs to help them fight Statica, who has destroyed some of the world that they love. When Walt, Dylan, and Van travel into Djaruba, the world Walt has created as a map, they meet Fenn and Heckett, his dragon. At first, Fenn seems to help, but he hands Walt back over to Canter. Walt has to fight Statica to get the magical worlds back in balance.
Walter is sad that his parents have moved the family from California to Blackbird Bay, and would rather spend his time drawing maps than playing football, as his father wants him to. It doesn't help that twin sister Van is more sporty and outgoing, although she favors skateboarding. Quirky next door neighbor Ms. Wilhope thinks that Walt's maps are great, but he tries to hide his work from his father. Walt does meet neighbor Dylan, and when the three children go to the local convenience store, they meet Officer Canter and store owner Orsten who tell the children that Walt is a Mapmaker and he needs to help them fight Statica, who has destroyed some of the world that they love. When Walt, Dylan, and Van travel into Djaruba, the world Walt has created as a map, they meet Fenn and Heckett, his dragon. At first, Fenn seems to help, but he hands Walt back over to Canter. Walt has to fight Statica to get the magical worlds back in balance.
July 9, 2023
this has faded a lot in my memory over the last month, but it was a fun adventure! the only specific thing i remember is how toxic the dad is about what his son and daughter should/shouldn't be doing. and how weird it was then that van is short for giovanni, a name i've only known as "for boys" since giovanna is the "for girls" form. i get why she goes by van, but it was weird that the dad was so toxic about stereotypical gender roles and the mom just sort of allowed/went along with it...and they gave their daughter a "boy" name.
to be clear, i'm not saying what names can or can't be used for which kiddo. i'm just saying it's a weird choice for the dad to "allow", i guess.
anyway! i hope there's a sequel because i love the idea of this book! maybe their dad will learn to be less awful in a sequel?
to be clear, i'm not saying what names can or can't be used for which kiddo. i'm just saying it's a weird choice for the dad to "allow", i guess.
anyway! i hope there's a sequel because i love the idea of this book! maybe their dad will learn to be less awful in a sequel?
October 10, 2022
Adventure, dragons, and maps that come to life:
Ramée's latest--MAPMAKER--is such an exciting, fantastical adventure. When seventh-grader Walt discovers he has the ability to make maps come to life, his world changes forever--literally. If he draws it on a map, it happens. Unfortunately, if he erases something on a map, it disappears. And there's another mapmaker whose nefarious plan puts Earth itself in jeopardy. Only Walt, his twin sister, and his new friends can save all the worlds from evil intent. A page turner, thoughtful, and fun, with kindhearted and relatable characters. I highly recommend Mapmaker!
Ramée's latest--MAPMAKER--is such an exciting, fantastical adventure. When seventh-grader Walt discovers he has the ability to make maps come to life, his world changes forever--literally. If he draws it on a map, it happens. Unfortunately, if he erases something on a map, it disappears. And there's another mapmaker whose nefarious plan puts Earth itself in jeopardy. Only Walt, his twin sister, and his new friends can save all the worlds from evil intent. A page turner, thoughtful, and fun, with kindhearted and relatable characters. I highly recommend Mapmaker!
December 31, 2022
Middle school book.it reminded me of an earlier one I read called “J.R. Silver Writes Her World”. This one is more fantasy than that one, but the basic premise that a child can control the world around them by their imagination is the crux of both novels. When does violence in a fantastic world not become violence. Just the word violence implied mayhem and murder. Is the erasing of the “bad guys” off the map murder? Or is it just a way to change what is happening? Middle grades students to middle school students often feel they are no control of anything, so maybe fantasy is helping them cope.
April 25, 2022
This is an exciting, own-voices novel about the power of creativity and the detriment of prejudices.
Great character development that validates an underdog as the hero of the story. Shy, small Walt discovers that even though he might never be a football star, he has other attributes that he hadn't previously given himself credit for. His problem-solving skills celebrate imagination and thinking outside the box – fantastic skills to nurture in children of any age.
This is a great coming of age story with interesting characters, lots of action, friendship, sibling bonds, and dragons!!!
A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Great character development that validates an underdog as the hero of the story. Shy, small Walt discovers that even though he might never be a football star, he has other attributes that he hadn't previously given himself credit for. His problem-solving skills celebrate imagination and thinking outside the box – fantastic skills to nurture in children of any age.
This is a great coming of age story with interesting characters, lots of action, friendship, sibling bonds, and dragons!!!
A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 20, 2022
I want to start by saying the book was really a 3.5 for me (I really want half stars on this app lol). I love the adventure part of the book, and I also love the characters, but I do think there was a lot going on at times. I won’t go into spoilers, but I felt like certain aspects were thrown in and not explained very well. I love SFF, so I’m a big fan of suspending disbelief, but sometimes I need at least a bit more info, so I can go on the journey with the characters. Still, I think a lot of young people will enjoy this book!
August 26, 2022
This has a very sellable hook: Walt can draw maps that come to life, but there is an evil mapmaker that is using this same power to destroy worlds, and so Walt must be careful what he draws. It also includes a well-drawn metaphor for police bias against young black boys. Canter judges Walt for who he is, a mapmaker, instead of for his actions and he punishes Walt before he even does any harm because he thinks he's dangerous. A compelling adventure that will appeal to fans of books like Story Thieves or Inkheart.
September 19, 2022
This middle-grade book is filled with children of color who share thrills, danger, and a few laughs. Their adventures include running from ferocious animals, ridding a dragon, and challenging an evil mapmaker, all in the imaginary world of Djaruba.
You’ll find the adventures don’t stop! Best of all, the teenage characters are good role models.
If you like adventures with a twist of magic and fantasy, “Mapmaker” is for you.
Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review
You’ll find the adventures don’t stop! Best of all, the teenage characters are good role models.
If you like adventures with a twist of magic and fantasy, “Mapmaker” is for you.
Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review
May 22, 2023
This fantasy is fine, but it follows a familiar pattern that didn't engage me a whole lot. I like the power that map making provides and the excitement of manipulating worlds you imagine. I found the villain pretty uninteresting, despite him being quite a bad guy. The father/son dynamics were too easily resolved for my liking - just a big misunderstanding, apparently. It's fine for middle grades, and I am always appreciative of a fantasy with Black characters since those are in short supply, but I don't see it taking my students by storm.
November 4, 2023
omg I finally finished this book, it took forever. I personally don't recommend, only to little kids who like fantasy. I just picked it up cause the author came to my sister's school but, the story in the beginning was really boring and only started getting interesting till the end. I legit had to reread the beginning like 3 times and took breaks in between each other that lasted like weeks. But I finished the last 100 pages last night and finally happy to move on. I legit started reading this in 7th grade and now I'm in 8th.
August 10, 2022
Not only is Walt bored in his new town, his dad is obsessed with him going to a football camp and that is the last thing Walt wants to do. Walt loves to draw and make maps but little does he know he is actually making a real world full of magic. I really enjoyed this book. It’s great to see black siblings at the heart of a series full of magic and wonder. It reminded me a lot of Inkheart but with a fresh new world to explore. I hope it is the start to a new series.
September 22, 2022
I loved everything about this magical middle grade adventure about a young boy who moves with his family to the most boring place imaginable (in his eyes) and finds friendship and magic and the ability to draw maps that come to life. Witches, wishes, a traveling machine, dragons, and mapmaking. A perfect read loud for the whole family
November 9, 2022
This one was such a fun middle grade read!
Walt's dad wants him to play football. Walt just wants to draw maps. And one day, he realizes that the things he's drawing on a map of his town are appearing in real life! Soon after, he is whisked away to a world that he has drawn.
This was such a fun adventure, and I really loved the characters and the new world.
Walt's dad wants him to play football. Walt just wants to draw maps. And one day, he realizes that the things he's drawing on a map of his town are appearing in real life! Soon after, he is whisked away to a world that he has drawn.
This was such a fun adventure, and I really loved the characters and the new world.
February 3, 2023
I found this by looking for audiobooks available now on Libby. It reminded me of being younger and going to the library and just picking up something that seems interesting and having a fun time. I greatly enjoyed this book.. It was a fun tale with adventure that had some solid friendship stories and action. I'd like to see what happens next with these folks.
April 3, 2024
I wanted to like this one a bit more than I did. One of the nuances of middle grade is encompassing big topics with minimal background. This can be especially hard with fantasy books because world building tends to need pairing down to a palatable level. Some authors/books do this really well. This wasn’t one of them.
February 4, 2025
"MapMaker is very funny, action- packed & interesting - with plot twists. I would recommend this book to friends & family. 5⭐️!" - my 8-year-old son
This was a fun adventure story with an ending that leaves room for a possible sequel. Magic, adventure, friendship, & a dragon - what's not to like?
(Personal rating: 3.5⭐️)
This was a fun adventure story with an ending that leaves room for a possible sequel. Magic, adventure, friendship, & a dragon - what's not to like?
(Personal rating: 3.5⭐️)
September 28, 2022
Is bigger always better? A pair of twins explore the question in Lisa Moore Ramee's MAPMAKER. Walt charts his journey from a new move and his dad's expectations to his own destiny of imagination and empowerment in a fantasy every middle-grader will love!
November 1, 2022
Walt is a mapmaker. When he, along with his twin sister Van and new friend, travel to a new land, he must outwit another mapmaker who wants to destroy maps. A great upper elementary and middle school fantasy book!
March 10, 2023
Picked it up as a gift for my nephew and was too curious not to read it myself...thank you library!
Well written and fun. I hope there is a sequel or two in the works as I would love to see what adventures Walt and Van take next.
Well written and fun. I hope there is a sequel or two in the works as I would love to see what adventures Walt and Van take next.
October 20, 2023
Who hasn’t moved somewhere new and wished they were still back home? Who hasn’t wished they could magically make the world better?
The themes in this book should resonate with any kid, and the dragons and adventures just make it better.
The themes in this book should resonate with any kid, and the dragons and adventures just make it better.
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