Keen to set myself a TBR for the July Chapters For Change readathon I added 'The Year the Maps Changed' to my list and placed a hold via my library. A week later it arrived, I opened it and knew that I couldn't dare leave it until July to read. 

Things I liked:
-Beautiful mix of themes including family, belonging, place and grief. They were some heavy themes of a middle grade book but ones that are no less felt by young people. 
-Rich connection to maps, so many beautiful metaphors, analogies and reflections on what maps mean to people. 
-The setting. Always great to read a story so vividly set against the Australian landscape. 
-The exploration of refugees, what Australia should or could do as well as racism. How far and how backwards we have gone since that time in relation to our relationship with refugees within Australia. 
-Connection to my own life. Initially thought the book was more modern but as I continued to read I realised that it was set in 1999, a time when I too was in primary school. 

Things I wasn't sure about:
-The resolution between Annika, Lucas and Fred. Maybe I blinked and I missed it but I felt like a lot of emotions between them were smoothed over without any real conversation. 

I ended up buying myself a copy, there was just too many beautiful quotes throughout and I know that this will be a book I'll come back to eventually. This was certainly a memorable read, even if middle grade fiction isn't usually your thing, yet you have leanings towards historical fiction I invite you to read it.