A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD

Aspiring cartographer—and introvert—Cora has endured a lot of negative changes in the last four months. Her brother Nate’s death in a car accident has torn her family apart. Now she has to start high school as “the girl whose brother died.” She’s also growing apart from her best friend. There’s nowhere for her to escape in her small town, so she fuels her dreams of travel by studying and expanding the world map she has in her bedroom. Advanced Art class is the one place Cora thought she could find refuge, until her brother’s best friend, Damian Archer, shows up. Art brings Cora and Damian into a heady romance. It also gives Cora the strength to make herself happy, and to defy her parents in pursuit of learning more about Nate. Cora’s voice is often too wise and mature, but the slow pacing accurately portrays the way that a few months in the life of a freshman can seem like eternity. The attractive cover will draw romance readers, who are in for a satisfying read if they can get past the first 50 pages. (Fiction. YA)