The Last Mapmaker
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From Christina Soontornvat, the visionary and versatile author of three Newbery Honor Books, comes a high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world.
In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman’s struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old.
- 2023 Newbery Honor Book
- New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year
- New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
- Kirkus Best Book of the Year
- Walter Dean Myers Honor Book for Young Readers
- Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection
- An Indie Next Pick
- A Junior Library Guild Selection
- A Common Sense Media Selection
- Audiofile Best Audiobook of the Year
- Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
- YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book 2023
- Finalist, New Jersey Garden State Book Award
- Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award Finalist
Candlewick Press, 2022
ISBN-10 : 1536204951
ISBN-13 : 978-1536204957
