Ginny Off the Map

by Caroline Hickey

Overview

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Kirkus Reviews • CCBC •  Reading Middle Grade

★ "Delightful ... It's hard to write with such simple authenticity: The world needs more stories like this." —Kirkus Review, starred review

★ "Caroline Hickey portrays the full emotional cycle of deployment with accuracy and compassion. Immersive first-person chapters, which each open with a geography fact, accurately convey the comfort and the isolation that can accompany an intense special interest alongside Ginny’s broadening recognition of the needs of the people around her." —Publishers Weekly, starred review​

A heartfelt coming-of-age novel about trying to find one’s place in the world perfect for fans of Judy Blume, The Fourteenth Goldfish, and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.

There are two things Ginny Pierce loves most in the world: geography facts and her father. But when her dad is deployed overseas and Ginny’s family must move to yet another town, not even her facts can keep her afloat. The geography camp she’s been anxiously awaiting gets canceled, and her new neighbors prefer her basketball-star sister. Worst of all, her dad is in a war zone and impossible to get ahold of. Ginny decides that running her own camp for the kids on her street will solve all her problems. But can she convince them (and herself) that there's more to her than just facts? 
 
With a fierce heart and steadfast determination, Ginny tackles the challenges and rewards of staying true to herself during a season of growth. This thoughtful novel explores the strength that develops through adversity; Ginny must learn to trust her inner compass as she navigates the world around her.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316324625
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	643,420
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Caroline Hickey learned her world capitals by playing Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego in the 80s. She has since lived in more places than Ginny, her favorite being London, England. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City and is the author of Cassie Was Here, Isabelle's Boyfriend, and many popular series books. She currently lives just outside Washington, DC with her husband, two daughters, and a labradoodle. Visit her at carolinehickey.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/24/2023

In the early 2010s, 11-year-old Ginny, an aspiring geoscientist, works to cope with a summer of change in her frequently moving Army family. She anticipates that their next move, from North Carolina to Maryland, will be difficult, but she’s gutted when her ER doctor father—“the one person who really, truly gets me”—is immediately deployed to Afghanistan. Things get even worse when her much-anticipated geography camp is canceled and she’s enrolled in a disastrous jewelry course instead; meanwhile, an already contentious relationship with her athletic 12-year-old sister Allie turns venomous as Allie seems to make friends with ease. Constantly taking in geography facts, doodling maps, and adulating oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp, Ginny nevertheless grows more miserable, worrying about her father and fearing she’ll never understand his parting advice that she follow her “true north.” Through Ginny’s experiences, Hickey (Heroes and Horses) portrays the full emotional cycle of deployment with accuracy and compassion. Immersive first-person chapters, which each open with a geography fact, accurately convey the comfort and the isolation that can accompany an intense special interest alongside Ginny’s broadening recognition of the needs of the people around her. Occasional fine-lined b&w illustrations by Murphy depict pivotal scenes. Protagonists cue as white; the secondary cast is racially diverse. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary Management. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Ginny Off the Map:
A Kirkus Best Children's Book of the Year
A CCBC Best Book of the Year
A Reading Middle Grade Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

* "Chapters open with interesting geography facts, and delightful spot art throughout enhances the text. It’s hard to write with such simple authenticity: The world needs more stories like this."—Kirkus, starred review

* "Caroline Hickey portrays the full emotional cycle of deployment with accuracy and compassion. Immersive first-person chapters, which each open with a geography fact, accurately convey the comfort and the isolation that can accompany an intense special interest alongside Ginny’s broadening recognition of the needs of the people around her."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This entertaining, earnest story is a terrific observation of family dynamics (particularly clashing siblings) and the complexity of life as a child with a parent in the military. Ginny is an inspiring protagonist, gradually opening herself up to other people’s perspectives and interests without compromising her own unique personality and passions. An engaging and empathetic examination of an array of human relationships—including the one we have with ourselves."

—Booklist

"Caroline Hickey has created a heroine whose attempts to chart her path are both winsome and relatable. A deployed parent, sister problems, a move to a new town—Ginny uses her facts, and her heart, to navigate them all. This book should be on every middle-grade reading list."—Katherine Marsh, Edgar Award-winning author of Nowhere Boy

"A perfect blend of humor and heart!"—Erica S. Perl, author of All Three Stooges and When Life Gives You O.J.

"Ginny will charm you with her antics — and her facts — as she learns to both make and become a good friend."—Kristin Levine, author of The Lions of Little Rock

"Unique: that’s what Ginny decides she is, and that’s what Ginny Off the Map is, too, as it seamlessly weaves truly fun and fascinating geography facts into an engaging, honest story that zips along at a brisk pace."
 —Valerie Tripp, author of many books in the American Girl series

"Any kid who’s struggling to find their place will fall in love with this humorous, sweet, and heartfelt novel. Fans of The Penderwicks will find the same warmth and compassion in Hickey’s characters."—Tammar Stein, The Sydney Taylor Honor Award winning author of The Six-Day Hero

"Fact: This book is wise, honest and utterly charming. I LOVED Ginny Off the Map!"—Lisa Greenwald, author of Dear Friends and The Friendship List series

"When her father is deployed to Afghanistan and her family moves to Maryland, Ginny is bereft. Everything is new and no one understands her. Can Ginny make new friends even as she misses her father and her old home? Cool geography facts abound."—Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, D.C.

From the Publisher

★ 2023-03-29
A geography-obsessed girl faces a summer of near-impossible change.

Eleven-year-old Ginny and her 12-year-old sister, Allie, already know they’re moving from North Carolina to Maryland the week after school lets out. Their dad is an Army doctor, and he’s transferred regularly. But Dad learns he’s instead being deployed to Afghanistan right away, just as they are about to move. Then, the geography camp Ginny was counting on gets canceled, and she’s wait-listed for the STEM magnet school. While her outgoing, athletic sister enjoys getting to know the kids in their new neighborhood, Ginny recites geography facts; reads about Marie Tharp, her favorite geographer; obsesses about her father, who isn’t responding to her messages; and makes a disastrous attempt at running her own geography camp. When her father finally calls, her emotions are overwhelming, and Ginny blows up—and then, gradually, realistically, and sympathetically, begins to understand other people’s points of view, try activities outside her comfort zone, and make friends without sacrificing or disguising her true self. It’s all very believable and very well done, from the wide range of fully developed characters to the realistic challenges of being a military family. Ginny’s quirky and engaging voice pushes this story to a lovely conclusion. Main characters read White; some of Ginny’s new neighborhood friends are Black and Indian American. Chapters open with interesting geography facts, and delightful spot art throughout enhances the text.

It’s hard to write with such simple authenticity: The world needs more stories like this. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews