I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan, John Parke Davis Series: Pirate Stream #1
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 2014-11-4
Pages: 448
Source: ARC from Publisher
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads
Wherever you need to go--the Map to Everywhere can take you there.
To Master Thief Fin, an orphan from the murky pirate world of the Khaznot Quay, the Map is the key to finding his mother. To suburban schoolgirl Marrill, it's her only way home after getting stranded on the Pirate Stream, the magical waterway that connects every world in creation. With the help of a bumbling wizard and his crew, they must scour the many worlds of the Pirate Stream to gather the pieces of the Map to Everywhere--but they aren't the only ones looking. A sinister figure is hot on their tail, and if they can't beat his ghostly ship to find the Map, it could mean the destruction of everything they hold dear!
In Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis's first installment of a fantastical new series, adventure, magic, and hilarity collide in the treacherous skies and dangerous waters of the Pirate Stream. Heart-pounding escapades and a colorful cast of characters will have readers setting sail through this wholly original and unforgettable tale.
My Thoughts:
As you may know, I’m a middle school librarian. I must read a ton of middle grade, right? Um, not so much. I do read it and I read a ton of reviews of middle grade books for ordering purposes. However, in my personal reading life? I prefer YA! (I should note that I have only 7th & 8th grades in my school so they are also big YA readers.) I tend to only pick up a MG book for my personal reading if there is something big to draw me to it. The name “Carrie Ryan” is one of those things! I love her writing (and just her all around person!) Plus, The Map to Everywhere was written with her husband, John Parke Davis, and that just made me want to read it more.
As expected, I adored it. What a wonderful story! It certainly deserves the starred reviews it’s getting. Where do I even begin? I loved the way the authors melded our world with the fantasy elements. I was expecting a book set completely in a fantasy world but I got so much more! It was such a clever twist to the world building and I loved it!
Then there’s the characters! So much fun! A young master thief, a bright and adventurous girl, a wizard who may or may not know what he’s doing, and, of course, a cat! No fantasy story is complete without a cat. Also, the Pirate Stream. Some may argue it’s part of the setting but it’s totally got enough personality to be considered a character (in the same way I consider Hogwarts a character.)
All of these work together to tell the tale of adventure, danger, friendship, magic, and more. Even if you don’t typically read middle grade, give this one a try. It’s truly remarkable.
Daughter of Deep Silence - YA BibliophileYA Bibliophile
[…] from Carrie Ryan since she wrapped up the The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. I mean, I adored The Map to Everywhere (middle grade written with her husband!) but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on something a […]