The Map to Everywhere

Starred review from September 29, 2014
Ryan (the Forest of Hands and Teeth series) teams up with her husband, short fiction author Davis, to launch a series that sees an intrepid girl from Earth teaming up with a colorful cast as they
attempt to prevent the end of everything. Trapped aboard a ship sailing the Pirate Stream, a waterway that meanders between myriad worlds, 12-year-old Marrill must help her new friends find the scattered pieces of the Bintheyr Map to Everywhere if she has any hope of getting home. Unfortunately, an ancient, insane wizard also seeks the Map; if he gets it first, he could destroy all of creation. Marrill’s new best friend is Fin, a master thief and orphan who’s literally forgettable, a useful ability
for a thief, but one that can make for a lonely existence (Marrill is one of only a few people who recognize him from minute to minute). Fast-paced and imaginative, this adventure combines action with whimsy, injecting emotion and pathos into an otherwise lighthearted romp. It’s a strong start for what promises to be a highly enjoyable series. Ages 8–12. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Two displaced young adventurers sail streams of raw magic from world to world in this vividly cast series opener. Convergent plotlines bring together Marrill, who impulsively climbs aboard the four-master that floats into view atop a shimmering mirage in an Arizona parking lot, and Fin, another world's scruffy orphan/thief who literally passes "out of sight, out of mind" with everyone he meets. Nearly everyone, that is: To his shock, Marrill actually remembers him when he's not in view. Joining a notably diverse crew aboard the Enterprising Kraken, a ship able to sail the transformative waters of the multiverse-spanning Pirate Stream thanks to a hull made from "dullwood," the two set out to gather the long-separated parts of a fabled map to Everywhere. The quest becomes a frantic dash thanks to hot pursuit by Serth, a mad wizard who constantly weeps black tears and seeks the map to fulfill a vision of universal apocalypse. Fin's oddball ability serves him well in tight spots, but it also becomes an amusing running gag. Filling out the cast with sobbing pirates, briskly efficient "pirats" (or "bilge mice") and like fancies, the authors send their intrepid searchers hither and thither, to a desperate climactic struggle...that is only a beginning. Multifaceted characters, high stakes, imaginative magic, and hints of hidden twists and complexities to come add up to a memorable start to a projected four-volume voyage. (numerous illustrations, not seen) (Fantasy. 10-13)

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Starred review from September 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Fin is so forgettable, no one can remember him for more than a few minutes. Left by his mother at an orphanage in the pirate city of Khaznot Quay at the age of four, he's been on his own ever since. Fin uses his curse to his benefit by becoming a master thief. When he receives a letter directing him to steal a key in exchange for treasures and a promise to show him the way home, he accidentally releases the Oracle, an insane wizard who had been carefully guarded for centuries. Meanwhile in another world, adventurous Marrill, stuck in suburban Arizona, finds an enormous ship in a parking lot. Soon she's traveling the pirate stream, a waterway connecting all worlds, joined by a wizard on a quest for the Map to Everywhere, which they will need to get Marrill home. Fin and Marrill's paths intersect and they set about stealing and reassembling the map-each piece located in a different world. The task becomes further complicated when they realize the Oracle is also after the map. Alternating between Fin and Marilll's points of view, a slower beginning allows for compelling character development in the first quarter the book. When the plots merge, the pacing picks up, mirroring the urgency of the characters, though readers may wish for more time to digest and appreciate the various worlds before racing on to the next. Husband and wife team Ryan and Davis have created wholly original settings, and the juxtaposition of Fin and Marrill's backgrounds and personalities is enjoyable and humorous. This is an ambitious undertaking, and strong readers who enjoy adventure fiction and fantasy will inhale the first book in what has the potential to be an extraordinary series.-Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Marrill is used to adventure; she and her parents travel the world so much that she has never lived in one place for more than six months. But after a sailing ship emerges in the wavering heat mirage of an Arizona parking lot, and Marrill finds herself stuck aboard, she is in for her biggest adventure yet. Desperate to find a way back to her family, she recruits the help of the wizard Ardent and his crew, as well as a young boy, Fin, whom everyone except Marrill forgets as soon as he is out of their view. While sailing on the Pirate Stream, a body of water that connects the known universe, the adventurers race to find pieces of a cleverly imagined map to everywhere, before an evil wizard can get them first. Ryan and Davis' swashbuckling quest features fantastic world building, gnarly creatures, and a villain who is both spooky and formidable. Each new location is a treasure, and even the ships themselves are full of character. Ardent's ship, for instance, is manned by a giant made of rope (he handles all the rigging, naturally). The unique details, expert plotting, charming characters, and comic interludes combine in a tantalizing read that's made even more appealing by the promise that the story will continue in future volumes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)