Monday 1 August 2016

The Map Trap - Andrew Clements


The Map Trap
Andrew Clements

Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
A Division of Simon and Schuster

ISBN 9781416997276
eISBN 9781416997290
ASIN B0088OTW04


I am not sure if it was my dyslexia playing a trick on me, but when I picked up this book I thought the title was "The Man Trap"  and I wondered where Andrew Clements was going to take us or what lesson he was going to teach in this book. And that is the title I saw until I actually started reading it. This is the seventh book by Andrew Clements I have read in as many weeks. And to be honest I am pacing myself, there is nothing I would like more than to read his whole canon, and yet I am showing restraint and limiting myself to one a week. But I will be honest and say it is hard not to jump right away to another of his books. They are so well written. 

This book focuses around Alton Barnes and his fascination for maps. It all started when he was a baby and his fascination with maps just kept expanding. Alton loves making maps, in fact he makes maps about everything, who is popular vs who is on the fringes, how many times the principal says um during morning announcements, he has even drawn mind maps based on what people say and do. Making the maps is not Alton's problem, the problem is that they get stolen and soon he is being blackmailed. Not a fun spot to be. He immediately realized that if the maps got out without explanation a lot of people could be hurt. But thankfully Alton is a very smart boy, and soon he is working his way through the issues related to the Map Trap.




The illustrations by Dan were excellent, I only wish there were a few more. In a story about maps it would have been nice to have seen a few of the one's described, or even glimpses of them. 



This was another very good read by Andrew Clements. Not my favorite but an excellent read. I love how he presented maps and map making. How he incorporated science, and human geography into the story. It was really fun to read, and see all the ways information could be used and presented.

Andrew Clements has become one of my all-time favorite middle grade authors. He writes wonderful books that really make readers think and hopefully grow. I can recommend this book and to be honest any of his books that I have read.

Books by Andrew Clements:
Bird Adalbert
Noah and the Ark and the Animals
Santa's Secret Helper
Temple Cat
Mother Earth's Counting Book
Billy and the Bad Teacher
Who Owns the Cow
Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers
Frindle 
(Adapter)Philipp's Birthday Book
Riff's BeBop Book
Real Monsters Go for the Mold
Things That Go EEK on Halloween
Real Monsters Stage Fright
Music Time, Any Time
Double Trouble in Walla Walla
Workshop
Gromble's Haunted Halloween
Hey Dad, Could I Borrow Your Hammer
The Landry News
Look Who's in the Thanksgiving Play
The Mouse Family
The Janitor's Boy
Circus Family Dog
The Christmas Kitten
The School Story
Things Not Seen 
The Jacket 
A Week in the Woods
Slippers at Home
Naptime for Slippers
The Report Card
The Last Holiday Concert
Slippers at School
Slippers Loves to Run
A Million Is a Lot of Dots
Lunch Money
Things Hoped For
Room One: A Mystery or Two
No Talking
Things That Are
Lost and Found
Extra Credit
Troublemaker
About Average
The Map Trap
The Friendship War
The Losers Club
...

Pets to the Rescue Series
Ringo Saves the Day!
Brave Norman
Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends
Delores and the Big Fire

Jake Drake Series
Jake Drake Know-It-All
Jake Drake, Bully Buster
Jake Drake, Teacher's Pet
Jake Drake, Class Clown

Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School Series
We the Children
Fear Itself
The Whites of Their Eyes
In Harm's Way
We Hold These Truths

Reading program Books
Karen's Island
Three Wishes for Buster
Bill Picket: An American Original, Texas Style
Hurricane Andrew
Ham and Eggs for Jack
Life in the Desert
Desert Treasure
Inventors: Making Things Better, Steck-Vaughn
Milo's Great Invention

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