The Girl from Everywhere

February 8, 2016
Debut author Heilig sets this swashbuckling time-travel adventure primarily in 19th-century Hawaii, when the islands were colonized but still had a king. Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a resourceful and multilayered heroine who navigates a tall ship across enchanted maps that lead to particular moments and places in timeâsome real and some mythological, depending on the map. Her father, Slate, captains the Temptation through time, in hopes of returning to the days before Nix's mother died giving birth to Nix in 1868 Honolulu; when a map from 1981 fails them, they instead land in modern-day New York City. Nix lives under the shadow of Slate's loss, and their relationship suffers for itânot to mention that Nix's life may be at stake if Slate succeeds in saving her mother. Heilig's writing is richly immersive, and a mature exploration of complicated love, both familial and romantic, underlies the story. A riveting and far-reaching fantasy that crosses seamlessly across the centuries, posing questions about fate, loyalty, and belonging. Ages 13âup. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency.

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Nix has spent all of her 16 years with her father as a time-traveling pirate aboard a physical ship, navigating into the margins of historical maps to reach his ultimate goal-returning to Honolulu in 1868, the time and place of Nix's birth, to save her mother, who died when Nix was born. Nix's home is the sea and her family the ship's crew, and while she adores traveling and dreams of navigating on her own, she fears the end of her father's journey. If he can save her mother, Nix will no longer exist. Can she find a way to strike out on her own and reunite her parents? History and mythology fans will love this fast-moving ride through time, where mythological maps take Nix and the crew to real places with items and creatures true to the map's design. Nineteenth-century politics involving the Hawaiian royal family and control over the islands create mystery and danger as Nix endeavors to discover her mother's identity, reconcile with her father, and accept her feelings for Kash, the Persian thief who has become her closest friend on the ship. VERDICT This must-have fantasy adventure will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan's "Kane Chronicles" and Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's "Starbound Trilogy," (both Disney-Hyperion).-Kerry Sutherland, Akron-Summit County Public Library, OH

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
She was born in Honolulu's Chinatown late in the Hawaiian monarchy, but the only home Nix has known is the Temptation, the ship her father, Slate, and his crew sail through time to destinations real and imaginary, seeking a way into the past--before her mother died giving birth to Nix. Nix is unsure what will happen if they succeed. Will she cease to exist? Other concerns include her emotionally volatile father's opium addiction and her own growing attachment to her friend and crewmate Kashmir. Nix longs to learn Navigation--the secret craft her father's mastered that allows him to follow maps anywhere, even through time. Though he refuses to teach her, Slate can't Navigate without Nix's help. He's devastated when a map long sought leads them to 1884 Honolulu, years too late. To Nix, Oahu's almost home (and it contains Blake, the young white American who shares his love for Hawaii with her). She's fascinated by elderly Auntie Joss, who cared for her as an infant and knows more about Nix's past, present, and future than she lets on. Meanwhile, her father demands her help when he's drawn into a plot to rob the royal treasury (an event drawn from an unconfirmed, contemporary account). As narrated by Nix, it's a skillful mashup of science fiction and eclectic mythology, enlivened by vivid sensory detail and moments of emotional and philosophical depth that briefly resonate before dissolving into the next swashbuckling adventure. A nonstop time-travel romp. (author's note; maps, not seen) (Fantasy. 14-18)

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January 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 Hawaiian-born 16-year-old Nix Song has spent most of her life traveling though time, navigating on her father's schooner, the Temptation. Her father, Slate, is a haunted man, addicted to opium and heartsick at having lost Nix's long-dead mother, Lin. He is anxious to return to 1860s Honolulu so he can reunite with and hopefully save Lin. To do this, he needs an accurate map of the erafor 16 years, Nix and Slate have jumped through different centuries, acquiring maps that have led them astray. They have also gathered a wonderfully diverse ship's crew that now includes Nix's multilingual, roguish, Persian love interest, Kashmir. Finally they find a proper map and have a chance to actually rewrite history, but Nix, though longing for her mother's presence in her life, is understandably fearful of what this will mean for her existence. With time travel, fantasy, Hawaiian history, mythology, cute animals, and a feisty protagonist, romance and fantasy readers will find much to enjoy in this quick read, which features a conclusion suggesting a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)