A Newbery Honor Book
A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book for Teen Readers
“Exploits on the high seas and complex characters combine in a tale full of both excitement and heart. An engrossing adventure with the feeling of a whole world to be explored.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman’s struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old.
CHRISTINA SOONTORNVAT is the award-winning author of over a dozen books for children of all ages. She is also a 3-time Newbery Honoree for her middle grade titles The Last Mapmaker, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen:The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys Soccer Team. Her picture books include The Ramble Shamble Children, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo, and To Change a Planet, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Belle. She travels all over the world to speak to children, writers, and educators about her love of reading and writing. She currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two daughters.
