The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
The Hook:
12-year-old Sai’s dad is a con artist and they are considered the lowest of the low in the kingdom of Mangkon. Sai is desperate to escape this life. Because of her exquisite skills with pen and ink, she can fake it ‘til she makes it, and she lands a job with Master Mapmaker, Paiyoon. He is widely respected in the kingdom. When Paiyoon is asked to chart the course for the royal ship to go through dangerous, even mythical, seas to a land called The Sunderlands, he asks Sai to go with him as his assistant. Sai jumps at the chance. She will escape her father and earn enough gold to wedge herself into upper society.
But the violent, stormy seas are full of dangerous dragons and unfortunately, on board the ship it is not much better. Treachery and deception are all around. Shipmates are warring for the captain’s position and there is someone who knows of Sai’s background. Will he give her secrets away? Who can Sai trust?
For a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy story, read The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat.
This book is in our library. It is also in Sora and Axis 360 as an eBook which you can access through classlink. It is 11 AR points.
My Thoughts and Recommendations (Careful! There Could Be Spoilers):
Christina Soontornvat is a popular author who also wrote A Wish in The Dark, Legend of Lotus Island (which is a Mrs. Penny book this year), and the graphic novel, The Tryout. Her books and characters are inspired by Thai culture.
The characters are well-developed and complicated. The captain of the ship is a female war hero, Anchalee Sangra, who is professional but also aloof and not well liked by many of the deckhands.
Sai connects with a woman shipmate, Rian, who she thinks is the captain’s friend. Rian buddies up to the deckhands and is well-liked by all. She takes Sai under her wing and Sai learns to trust her.
When Master Paiyoon, the mapmaker along with the captain, attempt to steer the ship away from Sunderlands because it is too dangerous, Rian convinces Sai to try and change his mind. Afterall, there are rumored treasures in the Sunderlands and all the deckhands would like a piece of the pie.
Sai talks to Master Paiyoon but he will not budge. She even goes so far as to forge Master Paiyoon’s signature on documents. When the captain is overthrown and Rian takes her place, Sai realizes her mistake. She should not have trusted Rian.
This book is fast-paced and plotted with twists, secrets, and betrayals. It shows Sai making mistakes but knowing she has learned from this, she must correct the situation even when others disagree. She must be true to herself and strive to be better. I also love that it is a cast of strong female characters!
Recommended for 5-8th grades. 4.7 stars.
