A Map of the Known World

by Lisa Ann Sandell

Book Overview

From critically beloved author Lisa Ann Sandell comes this poignant, unputdownable story of a teen girl who learns to shake off her brother's shadow by becoming an artist. Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 054506970X
• ISBN13: 9780545069700
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Lost and Found

Lost and Found Ok, I admit it, I am not a fourteen year old girl. I selected this book somewhat inadvertently - thought still through my usual method of 1) attraction to the title and 2) reading a passage or two - and when it arrived I quickly moved through its more than adequate invocation/introduction to the revelation of the narrator and main character: a fourteen year old girl in her bedroom in her parents' house. Uh oh. Fortunately, I have a high school freshman in my life - my wonderful and complex niece, Anna - so I was willing to give it a go. I'm very glad I did. The writing is more than adequate to its job - it would have been wrong to grant great literary powers to such a young and inexperienced narrative construction - and I found myself regularly pleased by such honest poetic moments such as "I stare out the window at the cars in the parking lot and the broken glass glittering like diamonds. It's funny how a blown-out windshield can look beautiful" which I find honest, humble, and heartfelt. The gift of this book is its voice. I largely credit works like Twilight for its ability to honestly frame a young girl's inner voice: attracted to the depths and extremes but constantly wary of cliché and melodrama. Such a young woman is only able to contain and express this balance after some extremity: vampires in the one, a brother's untimely death in this case. It also happens in community of women - another cliché - which the author handles in a deft and graceful manner, "I lean back and study Helena and Ms. Calico, their heads bowed close to the sketch pad, to each other, to me. I like the closeness. It feels good. A sense of warmth floods through my hands and arms and feet and legs and chest. It surrounds my gut, fills in the hollow space." It also happens in love, which occurs here, but which also yields place to the more important way a girl finds herself, by discovering her own gifts and yielding to them the discipline that is their due, in this case, visual art. I look forward to sharing this book with my niece.

A clean and beautiful read for teens

I have a bit of a bias towards (or against) some YA fiction. As a mom, I grapple with some of the "reality" that is presented -- very strong language, explicit sexuality, illegal behaviors (drinking, drugs) etc. In my head I know it's the reality of what many teens face (and I also know that I read explicit stuff when I was a teen), but in my heart I want children to be protected. Because the YA range is so wide, I know that 13 and 14 year olds are going to be reading books that might be more appropriate for 16 and up. So with that disclaimer out of the way, A Map of the Known World is a lovely book. It's clean (without so much as one four-letter word), and yet so relevant. Fourteen-year-old Cora is entering the high school that her brother Nate would have been attending as a senior, except for the fact that he was killed in a reckless driving accident the year before. Understandably, things have changed, but with the help of new friends (including Nate's previous best friend), and the discovery of her artistic talent, she survives her freshman year. One reason I enjoy middle grade and YA fiction is to get into the heads of today's kids (so I can better understand my own daughter), but the other reason is because I WAS a kid, and well-characterized fiction takes me right back there. I completely related to Cora's uncertainty about where she was going to fit in in high school, the changing face of her family, and the feelings of joy and uncertainty surrounding her first boyfriend. A good read for young people, 12 and up, as well as adults who enjoy the genre. The story is real and believable, the characters are well-drawn and avoid obvious stereotypes, and the writing is beautiful.

Memorable characters and story.

I want to start out by saying that this IS a book for young adults. I've read over some of the reviews and feel that the writing is getting undo criticism because the reader was unaware the book is geared for a younger audience. That being said, it personally doesn't matter who the intended audience is for this novel. It is beautiful, poignant, and thought provoking. The story is about fourteen-year-old Cora Bradley and starts six months after the death of her older brother, Nate. Cora is struggling with entering high school, grieving the loss of her brother, and understanding the changes in those around her. Lisa Ann Sandell does a wonderful job in portraying the changes in Cora's home after the accident. The characterization of the Bradley parents is believable and understandable. I find that all of the characters were believable and realistic. In this novel, it is the character development that makes the story. Overall wonderful job. Although I feel this book will have more appeal to a tween and young adult female audience, I did pass it along to my twelve-year-old son. I will report his findings as well. As far as content is concerned, obviously there is discussion of death, it is sad in some spots but I don't believe it will be over emotional for readers. There is no violence, swearing, or any type of sexual content aside from "the first kiss" type of descriptions. No heavy petting. No drugs. No under-aged alcohol use. I feel that it is appropriate for tweens. The book is in the 300-page range but a pretty fast read for a parent who is going to review it before passing it to their child. Wonderful book that I am glad I was able to have a chance to review. The characters and story will remain with me for many years to come.

A Map of the Known World

This is a beautifully written book about sorrow, withdrawal, denial, and estrangement. Cora's life has dramatically changed since her reckless brother died a few months ago; her father comes home, gets a drink, and goes to his den, her mother has quit cooking, they eat TV dinners, and she has a 4:00PM curfew. They never talk, never do things together. She is starting high school in a few days and dreads it. Everyone knows her as 'that girl whose brother killed himself in a wreck'. She has completely withdrawn from everyone except her best friend, Rachel, and is spending her time in her room drawing and painting. She is placed in an art class because of her talent. Damien, her brother's best friend who was also in the accident, shows her sculpture and paintings that her brother had done that he had kept hidden. Damien and Cora become close friends although her parents have completely shunned him. They plan an art show and invite everyone in the school to participate. The teacher invites Cora's parents who had shown no interest in anything for months. They come and recognize their son's and Cora's and Damien's artistic talents and begin to heal. Cora has been accepted to a summer program for young artists in London, and hopes her parents let her go. This is a young adult's book that is good reading for older adults, too!

Such a beautiful work

Since the death of her older and beloved if reckless brother Nate, Cora has been a little lost. Sure, she can skillfully sketch beautiful maps of foreign places, places she'll probably never see, but she doesn't know how to think or act. Her parents don't seem to notice much anymore unless Cora breaks one of their many strict rules, and even Cora's best friend Rachel seems distant. It's all Cora can do just not to get lost within her fried and confusion. The start of high school brings its own trials, but surprisingly, it also brings Cora some solace in the form of art class and Damian, the boy who was Nate's best friend--the only person who was there when Nate died. Cora finds herself drawn to Damian and his artwork, even if her parents forbid their association because of Damian's connection to Nate's death; but Cora can't stay away, especially after Damian reveals a side of Nate that Cora never knew existed. In this beautiful story lies a truth of loss, love, and finding the strength to move on. A Map of the Known World was so much better than I ever expected. Sandell's writing is so beautiful that I could go on praising it for quite a long time. Her words paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind, her lyrical prose is like flowing music, her writing is art. There is something so captivating about Sandell's style that brings her stories and characters to life. Sandell successfully captures the awkward transition between middle and high school in a way all teens can relate to, complete with the family and friendship problems, and the inclusion of art and its importance to Nate's memory is woven in so gracefully. Cora's and Damian's characters are so wonderfully constructed, although they did have their awkward moments. There are so many scenes that are so well written and beautiful that they made me cry for these characters that I felt such a connection to. A Map of the Known World is just one of those incredible stories that makes one appreciate the beauty in life. A Map of the Known World is a novel for artistic types or anyone looking for a moving and hopeful read. Despite its dreary subject of death, this story isn't depressing at all, and fans of Alyson Noël's Saving Zoë will enjoy it. I consider A Map of the Known World pretty close to being a masterpiece and a huge step up from the similar Goldengrove by Francine Prose.