The Map of Me

by Tami Lewis Brown

The note Momma left on the fridge says "I HAVE TO GO." But go where? Twelve-year-old Margie is convinced that Momma's gone to the Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame, in search of additions to her precious flock of chicken memorabilia. And it's up to Margie to bring her home. So she commandeers her daddy's Faithful Ford, kidnaps her nine-year-old sister, Peep, and takes to the open road. As she navigates the back roads of Kentucky with smarty-pants Peep criticizing her every move, Margie also travels along the highways and byways of her heart, mapping a course to help understand Momma―and herself.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Family, Childrens

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

Tami Lewis Brown is the author of the novel The Map of Me and the picture book Soar, Elinor!, illustrated by François Roca. She holds an M.F.A. in writing for children from Vermont College and lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Evil genius” younger-siblings are always fun to read about (when they aren’t yours!) This one reminded me of “The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet” by Erin Dionne, although that one was written for an older audience.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I loved the title. Interestingly enough the map of me was a school assignment the main character Margie had inspired by a map JRRR Tolkien drew for his children. Margie feels left out in the shadow of her brilliant younger sister Peep. She bonds with her mother who loves everything chicken. One day Margie and Peep come home to the note I am Gone from Mama. Margie deduces Mama must be at the International Poultry Harvest. With Peep in tow, Margie drives her fathers car to the festival. I liked how it had a realistic ending.

[Sarah BT · Rating 2 out of 5]

About the Book: When Peep and Margie arrive home to find a note on the fridge from Momma that says only "I have to go" Margie is convinced that she knows where Momma went. Momma has to be at the International Poultry Hall of Fame to find the Henny Penny Coin Bank to complete her chicken collectables. It's up to Margie to find her and bring her home. So Margie finds an extra key to Daddy's Faithful Ford and Margie and her younger sister are off in search of Momma. As Margie sets off on a trip to find Momma, Margie discovers she may be learning more about herself as well.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: The Map of Me is a short middle grade novel that has a nice emotional family story. The book is 150 pages, so I think it could easily be used as a classroom read aloud.

Margie is full of spunk and she doesn't realize how funny she is. Although Margie is the oldest, she feels overshadowed by her sister Peep, who is super smart and been moved up to sixth grade-Margie's grade. I thought this gave the book an interesting dynamic, because you don't often see older siblings who feel overlooked by the younger ones. Margie has a hard time seeing her own worth because she feels that Peep is the perfect one that everyone loves, but throughout her journey, Margie learns more about herself.

The story isn't spoon-fed to the reader and there's a lot to be inferred-especially with the storyline with Momma. There are some things that aren't really resolved, but left to the reader to decide how they turn out. Because of this, I think this would be a good book to read in a group setting and discuss with readers-it would be interesting to hear their thoughts on Margie, Peep, Momma and Daddy.

The Map of Me is a quick read with two memorable sisters on a heartwrenching journey of self discovery.

Book Parings: Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, The Hole in the Wall by Lisa Rowe Fraustino

[Jill Lewis Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story, 5th grade reading level, set in Kentucky.

[Mary Sheffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a teacher, I am always trying to find easier chapter books that appeal to an older crowd. This was a quick and easy read with an expected, but disappointing ending.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

When everyone in the world seems to misunderstand you and life is harder than it should how do you handle the abandonment of one of the only ones who supported you. Margie goes after her. One afternoon after a particularly hard day at school, that includes her little sister teasing her relentlessly, Margie comes home to a note on their chicken decorated fridge “I HAVE TO GO”. Without the support of her father and with her sister tagging behind her she borrows her dad’s prized truck and begins to search. What she discovers makes her own “The Map of Me” come to life.

How many times can I say this? Middle school and that in between time is hard. It’s one of those time periods I’m not looking forward to for my own kiddos. I yearn for them to have every bit the opposite experience as Margie did in The Map of Me. Hopefully with any luck they will feel that I’m someone they can depend on to support them and make home a place a refuge for them. In the very best outcome I’d hope they know how very proud I am and how much I value them for what they contribute to everyone they know. Unfortunately for Margie, she just didn’t have that or so she believed.

Can you even imagine having a genius nine year old sister join you during that time? A sister who points out every fault and mishap hoping that it will only make her look better, because she is obviously still only a nine year old emotionally speaking. In addition to this it’s obvious from the few pages you see Margie’s parents interact that there’s obviously something not quite right. Her entire world is wrapped up in three people who she believes wish that she didn’t exist or at least that she’d be better or different. Who hasn’t felt like that to a certain extent, especially during that age in life? It’s this reason above all others that I feel young readers will connect with Margie instantly, because she “gets” them.

Margie’s mission to find the mother that abandoned her is nothing short of an adventure filled with page after page of self-realization. With every turn and place they encounter she questions who she is and why she’s doing it. Her journey to discover who she is makes Margie’s character so real. It’s not a typical story where she goes from point A to point C and suddenly she’s discovered who she is, but it’s timed perfectly.

Life is hard enough as a sixth grader to not have to deal with a genius sister and parents who don’t seem to need each other any longer. When Margie’s mom disappears one day her journey to find her leads her to her own personal discoveries about who she is and just what she wants her own “Map of Me” to be made up of. Tami Lewis Brown tells a perfectly timed fast past read that middle grade readers everywhere will connect with instantly. The Map of Me is a story about a girl who fades into the background until she has to take action and what happens from then on out is nothing short of an adventure.

My original review was posted at There's A Book.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Impression:
There's nothing more interesting to me than sister stories. Maybe it's because I have two of my own and can relate well, even if it's a bit more outlandish or different than my own experiences. And this book seemed like quite an adventure for two sisters to have.

While Reading:
Once I started reading, I related to Margie because she reminded me of my older sister. A bit impulsive, kind of mean and definitely the type to act out for attention. I was like Peep growing up, only a heck of a lot less chatty. She definitely fit the annoying little sister profile.

I love the snapshot ways that this book shows their history. Margie's memories of how Peep intruded on her when growing up, being in the same grade as her, but many years younger.

It's an emotional ride, with the reader delving deep into Margie's head. The way she perceives her parents, her sister, and the way her family relates to one another. And she sets out to save her mother, the one who felt like glue to her, keeping her family together and somewhat normal, even with her own queer habits, like collecting hen and chicken paraphernalia. So when her "I have to go" letter is written on the back of a collectable hen ad, she knows she must go there to find her mother.

It's definitely a ride and I can't believe how brave Margie is to take off with her father's car and resistant sister to find her mother.

Verdict:
The Map of Me is a book that appeals to anyone with sisters, or strange mothers, or smooth working fathers. Definitely a book I will be recommending to my students.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How funny. I was offered a copy of this book to review for my blog and then ... oh, about a month later (I'm a little behind in my reading--been under the weather for a while now, dumb fall allergies) I won a Skype visit from this author through a different blog.

Luckily ... I liked it! Really! Kind of reminded me of Frances O'Roark Dowell, Frances O'Roark in terms of writing style. This is realistic fiction about a young girl named Margie trying to find her place in middle school and in her family. Younger sister Peep is the family genius, Dad's too busy to notice, and Mom is unhappy. One day ... Mom leaves. Margie goes after her and drags her sister along for the drive. Yes, that's right. Drive ... even though Margie is in the sixth grade. Might they have wanted to put some sort of disclaimer in there about "don't try this at home"? Kind of ridiculous to even consider that so in one way I'm glad they didn't. Surely kiddos would know not to put the key in the ignition outside of a book?


"Another minute and we were on Bridge Street. I stepped hard on the gas and we flew right across. out of Ithaca. Off the page. Gone" (p 51).

"Maybe throwing that atlas out the window hadn't been my smartest move, but I couldn't give Peep the upper hand. Peep could not be Queen of the Road. That title belonged to me" (p 61).

Two examples of how the whole map analogy is tied through the story without being preachy.

[Kat Goldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not well-balanced, but does have humor, sadness, joy, family relationships, and love. There is a strong storyline, but not a full understanding of the main protagonist and how she as a 12 year-old would take it upon herself to go get her mother and the chicken, FOUL memorabilia with the little brainiac sister who causes Margie grief. I realize that her relationship with her father is stressful, yet stealing his truck will mend any rifle? Peep is book smart and, yes, her little sister… but, why must you have her along, it seems torcher for Margie, Peep seems to enjoy your superiority 9she has skipped many grades in school and is her father’s favorite child.) Peep is only nine and acts 20 and then 3 at times; the reader (ages 8-12) will be confused with the maturity of Peeps and then her lack of insight.

At the end of this fictional book an adult reader would realize this family needs counseling, a chance to heal and a map to sort the mess out. Margie has problems, but do does her mother, father and little sister; the relationships are not fully developed and/or resolution. This is the author’s, Tami Lewis Brown, first young adult/tween novel, I am certain that we will have the experience to see her writing techniques grow and be fulfilling.

[Terrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review Book. Reading level suggestion Grades 3-6.

This is a story of a young girl searching for who she is.

Twelve year old Margie steals her father's car, kidnaps her younger but brighter sister and goes in search of their mother, whom they believe is at a Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame. While this story of a disfunctional family is sweet and readable, there was plenty that bothered me.

First of all the main character Margie is in the 6th grade, physically able to drive a car, yet she appears much younger.

Also the obsession of the mother, who collects all things poultry related, while realistic, was written in a way that is too advanced for the audience. It reminded me of my mother who collects EVERYTHING (but she is clean therefore not a hoarder?) to the extent that there is hardly room to walk through the house.

Basically the older sister is dumbed down. The younger sister is a genius, the concept is for an older reader, and the look of the book is for a younger one. This might work in the 4-6 grade level with a little pushing. Because of the whole Poultry setting, I think it is going to just sit on the shelf.

[Cathe Fein Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When 12-year old Margie and her younger sister Peep come home from school one day to find their mom has left them, Margie decides that she must bring her back. She steals her father's car (after all, she'd driven before--in her daddy's lap, but still--driving is no harder than riding a bike) and heads for the place she's sure her mother is waiting and then everything can be as it was.

I can't believe how much I loved this book. I could totally relate to Margie's feelings of being invisible and that her Dad only had time for the brilliant and adorable Peep. And while I cringed at the thought of a 12-year-old taking her little sister on a road trip, I loved Margie's courage and determination to take charge and not just roll over and take what life handed her. But even while you don't agree with her choices, Margie is a heroine you'll fall in love with and root for. Highly recommended for ages 8 and up.

[Allison Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margie’s world is rocked when she comes home one day from school, expecting to find her mother as usual, and instead she finds just a note: “I have to go.” She believes she knows where her mother went and hijacks her father’s precious car and her smarty-pants younger sister to boot. But Margie’s confidence wavers as it seems less and less likely that she’ll be the hero who brings her mother home.

Tweens will identify with Margie’s struggle in comparing herself with a rather bratty and brainiac sibling. It’s hard to be “normal” when it seems your sister is so blindingly special. Margie’s status as an unreliable narrator is made clear to young readers, as she is delusional enough both to think a collectable chicken canister will bring their mom back and to drive a car at age twelve. The author wisely offers a conclusion balanced with reality and hope. A happier ending would be an insult to tweens, who are learning that life stories don’t always tie up neatly.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Momma left leaving a note that said, I HAVE TO GO. Go where? Margie believes she knows. She thinks Momma went to the Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame. Margie decides to go after Momma, taking along, Peep, her genius little sister. Margie is only 12, can she drive to the International Poultry Hall of Fame?

Reasons I like this book-

Reason 1- Margie loves her Mother so much, that she is willing to go after her and find her.

Reason 2- Margie thinks the only way to bring Momma home is to get a chicken statue to complete her Momma's collection. She learns love is more important than a clay chicken.

[JennLynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

A girl is upset when she comes home and finds her mother gone, leaving only a cryptic message. Somehow she thinks her mother has gone to a nearby town in search of a chicken collectible. Taking along her precocious younger sister, she "borrows" her father's car and heads off in search of her mother - and some of the value she feels she lacks in comparison to her sister. I found this book both sad and slightly implausible at the same time. It just didn't appeal to me and didn't leave me feeling either positive or hopeful. C-

[Mary E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book hooked me right away. The writing was engaging and well done. The poignant relationship Margie had with her sister was very well done. The mother's disappearance was out of context for me and a stumbling block to my enjoyment overall. I never understood why or what actually happened. I needed more about that and the father's reaction was not believable, so the ending was a big disappointment.

[Mercy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mother leaves family- older daughter goes on quest to find her. I thought the mother-daughter relationship needed more set-up/depth the beginning- as SLJ review says- "not enough attention is given to the parents' relationship to make the woman's departure believable, and Aunt Blanche, proprietor of the International Poultry Hall of Fame, is too quick to gather these runaway chicks under her wings and instill wisdom."

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margie feels like the stupid older sister, being stuck with her precocious much younger sister (Peep) in the same grade as her. When her chicken paraphenilia-collecting mother disappears, Margie kidnaps Peep and her father's car and heads off to Flench, KY, to find her mom. She is forced to listen to Peep's complaints and insults the whole time. I never really felt a strong resolution at the end of the story.

[morninglightmama · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too old in its subject matter for young elementary school kids, but too simple in its writing and presentation for older kids who might be better able to understand the plot. I was disappointed in the lack of depth of exploration into the main character's experience, things just seemed to be addressed on the surface, and the ending felt quite abrupt and with little resolution, which seems less fitting for its target audience.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tami Lewis Brown does a wonderful job revealing the emotional arc of the main character. The use of the class mapping assignment is an effective endowed object. Very powerful, lyrical writing! I wish that the father's character had evolved more by the end but perhaps the main character's development is enough. Thought provoking.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margie is twelve and barely scratching at the surface of life when suddenly Mama has left a note on the fridge saying I HAVE TO GO. Margie takes her precocious nine-year-old sister,Peep, who is in Margie's class, along with their father's car, and drives the Kentucky highways to find their mother who is probably searching for the elusive Henny Penny coin cannister, and bring her home to roost.

[Erin Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margie drags her genius little sister, Peep, off to the International Poultry Hall of Fame in their dad's Faithful Ford in the hopes of bringing their Momma home. This quiet book is a sweet, well-written story of love and acceptance. A quick and enjoyable read.

[Jen Mech · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book broke my heart. I was right there in the car with the girls through their whole trip. The author made this book short and sweet. She could have written more of an exposition, and more falling action, but really, the story didn't need it.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Margie Tempest’s mom leaves, Margie’s sure she knows where she went. So, dragging her annoying little sister along, Margie sets out to find her mother – and finds herself. A good story showing that at one point and time everyone has to find themselves. Fast read, but the book seems unfinished.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm, well-written family story about love, acceptance and understanding.

[Khadijah VanBrakle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written really well. Both my daughter and I loved this book.

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but I wasn't quite sure where it was going most of the time.

[Carterkempgmail.Com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mom abruptly leaves, and 12 year old Margie steals Dad's car and goes looking for her. This book, which essentially takes place over 48 hours, is an intersting character study.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't a spectacular, memorable read, but it did keep my attention to the end.

[Jalyn]

I think this is a very good book.