Customer Reviews

Map That Breathed

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow! I couldn't put this book down! The characters are real and likeable, just curious enough to get in trouble but smart enough to find a way out. It was a quick read, but satisfying. As a long-time educator, I found it intriguing: beautiful woven passages, sophisticated language yet incredibly readable. It was exciting, emotional and compassionate. I really cared about the characters. I can't wait to share it with my students.

It's hard to find an entertaining, smart book for my kids but I saw that this one had won the New York Public Library award for the Teen Age and thought I'd give it a try. I usually skim the books I buy for my two daughters, but this one pulled me in; I read it thoroughly cover to cover. Liz and Beth both loved it and are waiting for the sequel. Hurry, Ms. Gideon! You have young fans on the edge of their seats!

I bought The Map That Breathed to read to my kids who crave stories of adventure. Once we dove in I realized this book and its colorful worlds were something special. Long after the kids fell asleep I followed this talented writer on a surreal journey in and out of doorways to worlds more colorful than our own. We loved the characters, the worlds and the vivid scenery, and can't wait for a sequel so we can find out more about the Nora and Billy, their future travels and the aftermath in the wake of the Provisioner.

I highly recommend this book for kids 7 and up as the villain and his modus operandi maybe a little intense for younger readers.

This book contains dark sadistic images inappropriate to the suggested age group.

"The Provisioner" gags children with a halter and removes their souls. The heroine finds her father had killed her mother, keeping her imprisoned while she gave birth. "Lucy lay in a pool of blood on a dirty mattress in a tenement building in Waitsfield...Nine months into the pregnancy she was bedridden and barely recognizable, her features swollen unnaturally, her skin a greenish blue." (page 205) It gets worse.

Look, I have no problem with any of this. Its a clever and imaginative book, but not for kids. What was she thinking?

We read this book in three days -- as a family! All of us together on the bed. The kids didn't want the TV, they wanted to know what was going to happen with the BOOK! Thank you Melanie Gideon for providing some quality family time and some sweet memories.

From the moment I started reading this book I couldn't put it down!! Every chapter leaves you wanting to find out more. The story is about two friends who share a wonderful adventure. They travel between this world and another world where strange things happen......like maps that breathe. When you are reading this book you feel as if you are in these new places. Ms. Gideon makes every sound, smell and color come alive. I would recommend this book to all my friends.

I had high hopes for this book. Melanie Gideon breathes a lot of life into her imaginary world. Actually, the world is more interesting than the characters, which are somewhat one-dimensional.

Good points: Great descriptions, an interesting premise, and a truly threatening villain.

Bad points: Underdeveloped characters, too many things left unexplained, and an unsatisfying ending.

If Gideon had intended for this to be the first in a series of books about these characters or the imaginary world of Greenwater, that's fine. But as it was, the book didn't really stand on its own. I was hooked early on, but the ending wasn't satisfying and too many things were left a mystery. Where is Nora's father? Why is he so evil? What happened to the manacle? What is the origin of the Veil?

In addition, I felt that some of the characterizations fell rather flat. The conversations between Nora and Billy sometimes seemed stilted. Billy also had a strange habit of lapsing into speech that wasn't consistent with his age (he'd sound like a normal 11-year-old boy one moment, and then like a sage elder the next... it was a jarring transition and came off as somewhat corny).

Also, introducing pivotal characters at the midpoint of the novel seemed rather contrived. Rip only appears twice before the end, and his presence seems rather "deus ex machina"... too convenient, as if Gideon needed a way to tie up her loose ends regarding the Provisioner.

If there is a sequel that goes into some of the points that were not explored in this book, that's great. If not, the story was rather incomplete and will probably leave most readers wanting. The beginning was good, but unfortunately the momentum doesn't last.