Book Talk Thursday ~ The Map Trap


What happens when you are named after a town on a map en route to the hospital? Your life revolves around maps and all things about them. Alton Ziegler loves all things maps and has created secret maps about people throughout the school. The Map Trap by Andrew Clements, another Virginia Readers Choice, tells the story of his sixth grade school year. (Amazon Affiliate links help fund book purchases.)


Being different hasn't been easy for Alton ~ people think he is odd because he loves all things maps, even wearing map t-shirts every day. One day, he doesn't make it outside for a fire drill, and his teacher, Miss Wheeling doesn't know where he is. What she doesn't know won't hurt, right?! Wrong!

Alton has found his way into a "cooler" crowd by showing his secret maps to Quint, who he has been perceived as a cool kid. These maps show things such as "Miss Wheeling's Brain" and "How Many Times the Principal Says Umm During Announcements". But what happens when those maps are lost? A mystery must be solved, and Alton and Quint work together to try to figure out where the secret notes are coming from. Alton has a plan that he thinks will change everything back to normal and goes right to it,

In natural Andrew Clements style, this book captures the reader to read nonstop and find out who has Alton's maps and is holding them ransom. How will Alton and Quint solve this mystery, and will they remain friends?

What I love about the book is that it can be a springboard for helping children think differently about the world. The maps Alton has created aren't typical and show the reader that we can think differently about the world and people in it. Students could create their own maps about things that happen around the world and show their thinking in a very different way.

Grab a copy of The Map Trap and see if you can figure out who has Alton's maps!
Alton has to make things right to get his maps back, but how will he do it? Find out in The Map Trap by Andrew Clements!

Don't forget to link up again this week with a favorite book! I love new books and ideas and can't wait to grab some more to read!

   

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2 comments

  1. This was my first read aloud last year and went right along with our first chapter for social studies! The kiddos loved it.

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    Replies
    1. It is perfect to go along with map units in social studies, especially since it is such a fun book!

      Andrea

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