A review by teaandspite
MapMaker by Lisa Moore Ramée
3.0
If I were rating solely on storytelling and writing-craft, this would get four stars. It's fun, well-paced, well-written, and full of great characters. The only real complaint from a writing standpoint is that the pacing is a bit off.
Problem is, this is a book for children. Writing for children requires a certain level of responsibility that doesn't exist in writing for adults. Kids learn from the books they read in a way adults don't. Fiction shapes their expectations of the world, even when it's about dragons. That means having to look at the messages of a story. In this case, that means having to drop down a star because of Walt and Van's dad.
As an adult, I can recognise that characters are flawed and complex and being realistic does not necessarily mean being good. Kids, however, look at a father character who is emotionally absent, domineering, and dismissive and internalise that it's fine for their own parents to treat them the same way. They see a narrative that dismisses emotional neglect because it's not as readily apparent as physical neglect and learn that only certain kinds of neglect 'count'.
These things are not ok. They are not simply 'cultural'. They are demonstrably harmful to child development and children should not be taught that they are normal. Despite the wonderful storytelling, I would be hesitant to give this book to a child because of these messages. They make it far too easy for abused and neglected children to rationalise their parents' behaviour.
Problem is, this is a book for children. Writing for children requires a certain level of responsibility that doesn't exist in writing for adults. Kids learn from the books they read in a way adults don't. Fiction shapes their expectations of the world, even when it's about dragons. That means having to look at the messages of a story. In this case, that means having to drop down a star because of Walt and Van's dad.
As an adult, I can recognise that characters are flawed and complex and being realistic does not necessarily mean being good. Kids, however, look at a father character who is emotionally absent, domineering, and dismissive and internalise that it's fine for their own parents to treat them the same way. They see a narrative that dismisses emotional neglect because it's not as readily apparent as physical neglect and learn that only certain kinds of neglect 'count'.
These things are not ok. They are not simply 'cultural'. They are demonstrably harmful to child development and children should not be taught that they are normal. Despite the wonderful storytelling, I would be hesitant to give this book to a child because of these messages. They make it far too easy for abused and neglected children to rationalise their parents' behaviour.