View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IUPUIScholarWorks infoteCh Use a combination of books and technology to bring the world of Middle Earth maps alive for your students. BOOKS WITH MAPS IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY to Panem School librarians can use the maps in popular books for children and young adults to jumpstart twenty-fi rst-century skills related Maps of Imaginary Places to analyzing primary sources, using online map and satellite im- age resources, and constructing maps. The Standards for the 21st as Invitations to Reading Century Learner stress the importance of understanding text in all formats, including maps. Maps play a supporting role in some books for youth, but in annette Lamb and Larry johnson others they are an integral part of the story line. In a study of chil- dren’s books, Jeffrey Patton and Nancy Ryckman (1990) identifi ed a continuum of purposes for maps, from simple to complex. At ogwarts, Panem, Middle Earth, one end of the spectrum, maps were used to illustrate the general and the Hundred Acre Wood . setting of the book. At the intermediate point, maps showed where the story occurred or how characters were connected to a setting. these may be fi ctional places, At the complex end of the continuum, the map explained spatial H elements of the story line, such as a character’s journey or clues but they are brought to life in books. While J. K. Rowling and Suzanne Col- in a mystery. Regardless of the author’s approach, book maps can be excit- lins chose to leave their worlds up to ing tools in teaching, learning, and promoting the joy of reading. the imagination, for decades youth BOOKS, MAPS, AND IMAGINARY PLACES have been poring over the maps made famous by J. R. R. Tolkien and A. A. Today maps play a central role in many fantasy works for children and young adults. However, the use of maps to excite and assist Milne. readers is a relatively recent invention (Brogan, 2004). Books like Robinson Crusoe didn’t contain maps. It wasn’t until the late nine- According to Ricardo teenth century that they were introduced in works for youth. Padron (2007), maps While some authors create entirely new worlds, others incor- found in works of fi c- porate alternative versions of our own universe. For instance, the tion are much more new fantasy series Mapmakers by S. E. Grove contains maps with than pretty illustrations familiar geographic features. Set in an alternative 1891, where and reader’s aids—they continents have been fl ung into different time periods, thirteen- have the ability to de- year-old Sophia Tims must travel into uncharted lands in search of light, reveal truths, her kidnapped uncle. In whisper secrets, and this series, mapmaking unsettle readers. Pad- A. A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood. has become a fi ne art in- ron states, “Not only do cluding elements of sci- [maps] allow us to picture places and spaces, but by telling stories ence and magic. Readers that take place in them, or by sculpting characters associated with can download copies of them, they give those places life and meaning” (258). the maps at the series Unfortunately, a map found in a book is limited in its ability website at http://www. to convey the beauty of a landscape or the hazards of a war zone. theglasssentence.com/. Technology can enhance the map by providing satellite images, While some incor- interactive maps, and other tools to help readers visualize complex porate wonderful maps Mapmakers series by S. E. Grove. imaginary worlds. in their works, many au- In addition, since many book maps appear on the endpaper of thors, like J. K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and Veronica Roth, leave fi rst editions, they may be missing from paperback and e-book the map creation to their fans. Fandom may expand the reading editions. The Internet is a great way to locate these useful visuals. experience through their own interpretations of imaginary worlds Dora the Explorer can always be found with her trusty map. portrayed in series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Di- 60 TEACHER LIBRARIAN 42:1 vergent, which don’t contain maps. The tive map, information about the location Some imaginary worlds have even been social network DeviantArt (http://www.de- is provided. “re-imagined,” such as The Land of Oz viantart.com/) is a great example. A search by Gregory Maguire for the book Wicked for the fictional world of Panem yields over (http://www.woodge.com/books/maps/ one hundred user-created maps. Involve map_maguire_oz.jpg). students in evaluating and discussing how Other great books with maps of imagi- these maps match their ideas about the nary worlds include The Earthsea Trilogy Hunger Games series. According to David by Ursula K. LeGuin, The City of Ember Sobel (1998) in Mapmaking with Children, by Jeanne DuPrau, Tricker’s Choice by by “cultivating fantasy mapmaking with Tamora Pierce, and The Princess Bride by children we are developing the graphic William Goldman. Use tools like Glogster skills that engineers, landscape planners, (http://edu.glogster.com/) to annotate a clothing designers, graphic artists, novel- book map such as the one in The Phan- Interactive map from The Land of ists, and teachers need every day” (125). Elyon. tom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. In this Although the Harry Potter books don’t case, the annotated map (http://www.glog- contain map illustrations, the Pottermore In some cases fans have created interac- ster.com/mgronek/phantom-tollbooth/g- (http://www.pottermore.com/) companion tive maps that expand on the original pa- 6m1f0od4qkles2626lduaa0) includes ar- site uses an interactive map to guide par- per map published in the book. Wikia Map rows to key locations and quotes from the ticipants through the world of Harry Potter. (http://maps.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Maps) book. encourages users to create their own inter- active maps based on an existing image or IMAGINARY TOWNS an uploaded picture. Users then create pins to mark and identify locations. Students While some books explore entire worlds, could draw images on paper, scan them, others focus on smaller areas like villages and make them interactive with Wikia and towns. Three Times Lucky and The Map. Many youth have already uploaded Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Tur- Pottermore map. their own books and computer game maps, nage contain a map that shows the fic- which others can use. For instance, fans tional town of Tupelo Landing in North The Marauder’s Map from Harry Potter of The Lord of the Rings are creating their Carolina. By visiting the author’s website is a different type of interactive map—it’s own stories based on a map called Fan Fic- (http://www.sheilaturnage.com/SheilaTur- a magical document that can only be read tion Tales from the Black Gate (http://maps. nage/Tupelo_Landing.html), readers can by wizards. Use the Harry Potter Wikia wikia.com/wiki/Portal:_Test_Shadow_of_ view a full color version with additional page (http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/ Mordor). detail. Marauder’s_Map) to explore this map as In The Expeditioners series by S. S. Tay- Neighborhood MapMachine (http:// well as learn more about wikis and collab- lor, a beautifully designed map is woven la.scholastic.com/en/neighborhood-map- orative writing communities. Think about directly into the story line. Three siblings machine) is a commercial software pack- ways students can use wikis to share their go off in search of unmapped lands that age that allows students to create maps of excitement about book maps. aren’t on the “old” computer-generated their own community or imaginary places. maps. Use this idea of unmapped areas to Ask youth to create a map for a fiction IMAGINARY WORLDS challenge youth to investigate places that book that doesn’t currently contain one. are censored on Google Maps. Some areas Share these on an imaginary neighbor- Like the map of Middle Earth found in The are blurred out or distorted for security rea- hoods bulletin board featuring books with Lord of the Rings, many books for chil- sons, while others may simply be errors. A and without maps. dren and young adults incorporate entire simple Google search for “censored Google Buttonville is an imaginary town in imaginary worlds. Some book series web- maps” yields lots of interesting results. the new The Imaginary Veterinary series sites even provide interactive maps that L. Frank Baum drew dozens of maps of by Suzanne Selfors. In Book 1: The Sas- expand on the maps provided in the books. Oz, but the first published map appeared quatch Escape, the map shows what ten- Examples include The Inheritance Cycle by in the endpapers of Tik Tok of Oz by L. year-old Ben describes as the “saddest Christopher Paolini (http://www.alagaesia. Frank Baum. Since there are very few orig- town on Earth.” Readers can download com/alagaesia.php) and The Land of Elyon inal print copies of the book around, the the map at the series website (http://www. series by Patrick Carman (http://www. Internet is an easy way to locate the maps suzanneselfors.com/imaginary.html#map). scholastic.com/elyon/). When users click of the Land of Oz (http://en.wikipedia.org/ Use this map to practice some basic tech- locations on The Land of Elyon interac- wiki/Land_of_Oz). nology skills. Ask students to copy it into OCTOBER 2014 61 Microsoft PowerPoint, then use the shapes seek out these missing maps. For instance, tools to label areas that they think reflect it’s possible to find different versions of the idea of the “sad town.” Finally, use the Treasure Island at Archive.org, including audio to record their thoughts about the an 1883 edition (https://archive.org/de- map and the town.