April 2010

Author/s: Gillian Cross
Publisher: Oxford University Press UK
Reviewed by: Fritz Keyser White Age: 12
ISBN 13: 9780192751546

The story starts off where Nick is at school in the changing rooms and finds someone else’s wallet in his bag. He looks inside the wallet and finds the owners name written in. It belongs to a boy in the fifth year (he is in the fourth year) called Joseph Fisher.

There was also a figure in the wallet. It was a well-crafted figure of a dwarf with a long beard and a short thick sword. It was clear that Joseph was into adventure games. Just then he remembered that he had once played adventure games with the other boys at school.

He now longed to play some more adventure games he remembered what it was like before their group fell apart. So he goes home and finds the company waiting for him.

They tell to return the wallet that they had obviously planted. So he rides on his bike all the way to Joseph’s house out on the marsh. He starts to form a friendship with Joseph but it is difficult for him because Joseph is extremely well behaved and considered a saint. Nick still goes back every evening to play their adventure game with Joseph and Ruth.

Later the company asks him questions like how does the alarm in their house work and where is their safe and more questions. Nick had always wanted to be a part of the company and now was his chance was he going to be a part of the company and betray his friend, or stick with his friend and never get to be a part of the company.

Nick decided after a row with Joseph that he was going to tell the company how Joseph’s family worked. The company decided to take Nick with them on their raid. On the raid the gang stopped outside the house while the family was out. So they went in and messed the place up completely. One of the members spilled paraffin all over the floor. Then they all left, except without Nick! Nick hid inside the house as he heard footsteps in the house. Joseph was there! He was sick and had stayed home…

I think that this book was interesting but slightly childish because of the adventure games. I think that it was appropriate for a boy about 11-12 years old. I think that the book was definitely for boys because it had adventure games.

Link to online catalogue
A Map of Nowhere