MAPMAKER

A young Black boy has the power to create worlds from maps he draws.

Walt is a Black seventh grader whose family recently, to his dismay, left Los Angeles for rural Blackbird Bay in Northern California. While his father pressures him to play football, Walt’s passion is maps—he even draws his own intricate map of Djaruba, the world he’s made up. This passion leads to Walt discovering he has the magical power to create real worlds from the maps he makes. When Djaruba springs to life, Walt is able to escape his dull and frustrating life in Blackbird Bay and visit his invented world filled with colorful landscapes and entities bloomed from his imagination, including dragons he can ride. Walt brings his twin sister, Van, and new friend, Dylan, along. But he has to be cautious because using his magic has a cost each time. On top of that, Walt learns that rather than create worlds, mapmaker Statica has been using his powers to destroy them, eliminating one world every year until he gets what he wants. It turns out that what Statica wants is influence over Walt. With the full extent of Statica’s power unknown, it’s now up to Walt to figure out how to save Djaruba—and even his real world—from destruction. Walt is an appealing hero to root for. Readers will be absorbed as they explore fantastical worlds through his curious and enthusiastic eyes.

An exciting and imaginative read.