Map of Flames
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- Create Date：2022-04-28 06:53:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa McMann
- ISBN：0593325400
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Summary
X-Men meets Oceans Eleven in the new middle-grade series from the New York Times bestselling author， Lisa McMann （The Unwanteds）。
Thirteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled the city of Estero to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Off the grid， the missing criminals were presumed dead--but that wasn't really the case。 Until recently， when the last one died。
Left behind alone on the island are their children:
There's Birdie， who can communicate with animals。
Brix has athletic and healing abilities。
Cabot is super-smart， but there's no sign yet of her special ability。
Seven's skin camouflages to match whatever is around him。
Tenner can swim like a fish and has heightened senses， including the ability to see in the dark。
When Birdie finds a map with a set of instructions directing her to a stash of treasure that's secret from everyone--including their missing parents--she knows it holds the power to change everything， for better or worse。
Thirteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled the city of Estero to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Off the grid， the missing criminals were presumed dead--but that wasn't really the case。 Until recently， when the last one died。
Left behind alone on the island are their children:
There's Birdie， who can communicate with animals。
Brix has athletic and healing abilities。
Cabot is super-smart， but there's no sign yet of her special ability。
Seven's skin camouflages to match whatever is around him。
Tenner can swim like a fish and has heightened senses， including the ability to see in the dark。
When Birdie finds a map with a set of instructions directing her to a stash of treasure that's secret from everyone--including their missing parents--she knows it holds the power to change everything， for better or worse。
Reviews
Courtney
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Read aloud - we'll be eagerly awaiting book 2！ Read aloud - we'll be eagerly awaiting book 2！ 。。。more
Maggie
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Fun middle grade adventure with good character descriptions。 Four instead of five stars because not great as a stand-alone text; ending relies on it being start of series。
Mary Jo
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Lisa McMann has created a whole new cast of characters who will connect with young readers。 5 children with superpowers embark on a journey to discover the truth about their criminal parents。 Students who are fans of super heroes， adventure， or magic are sure to devour this book。 I cannot wait to put this book into the hands of my students！ （I also can’t wait for book 2！）
Angie
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Love the adventure in the last half of the book。 Felt it was a bit slow going at the beginning but understand it needed to lay the groundwork since this is the first book in a series。 Highly enjoyable characters， especially The Librarian。 This will be a popular series for middle grade readers。A definite recommended read！
John
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Children of supervillians are left to fend for themselves when their parents start disappearing one by one， never to return to their secret hideout。 The children have been surviving in a remote location for years， but after the last parent who stayed behind dies， one of the children reads a letter with instructions to find her mother on a flaming map。 She and another child with superpowers decide to strike out on their own to find Mother they encounter the real world with flushing toilets， stree Children of supervillians are left to fend for themselves when their parents start disappearing one by one， never to return to their secret hideout。 The children have been surviving in a remote location for years， but after the last parent who stayed behind dies， one of the children reads a letter with instructions to find her mother on a flaming map。 She and another child with superpowers decide to strike out on their own to find Mother they encounter the real world with flushing toilets， street lights， and smart phones。 The group of children who stay behind end up going after the first group。 All of the children learn why they and their parents have remained in hiding all these years， and that super abilities such as theirs are not welcome。The story has a bit of a slow start with the focus on the relationship of each child to the deceased parent， but the pace picks up about 1/3 of the way， leaving readers to wonder what will happen to the kids。 It is a mashup between X-men and Castaway。 。。。more
Erth
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Great short read
Bickering Book Reviews
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For a more in-depth review watch https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=EYim3。。。2。5 Rating: This series has potential but， at times， it was slow which made it difficult to enjoy it。We received eARCs of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 For a more in-depth review watch https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=EYim3。。。2。5 Rating: This series has potential but， at times， it was slow which made it difficult to enjoy it。We received eARCs of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ian Hrabe
，
This one has a fun premise （Heist Movie meets X-Men） and the kid loved it， but my main issue here is that the plot is clunky and mostly due to the kids being a little more inept than they should be once they get to civilization。 There's a fish-out-of-water element that should be there， as the kids were all raised in isolation， but so much of the plot involves them doing something totally dumb and avoidable for the sake of pushing the story along。 That said， there is a badass hero librarian chara This one has a fun premise （Heist Movie meets X-Men） and the kid loved it， but my main issue here is that the plot is clunky and mostly due to the kids being a little more inept than they should be once they get to civilization。 There's a fish-out-of-water element that should be there， as the kids were all raised in isolation， but so much of the plot involves them doing something totally dumb and avoidable for the sake of pushing the story along。 That said， there is a badass hero librarian character here who smoothed over a lot of the issues I was having （ok， I'm biased）， and that alone nets this one an extra star。 。。。more
Andrea Rittschof
，
New Spin on SuperpowersX-Men meets Spy Kids in the new middle-grade series from the New York Times bestselling author， Lisa McMann （The Unwanteds）。Fifteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Over time， seven of them disappeared without a trace， presumed captured or killed。 And now， the remaining one has died。Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children， each with superpowers of their own: Birdie can c New Spin on SuperpowersX-Men meets Spy Kids in the new middle-grade series from the New York Times bestselling author， Lisa McMann （The Unwanteds）。Fifteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Over time， seven of them disappeared without a trace， presumed captured or killed。 And now， the remaining one has died。Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children， each with superpowers of their own: Birdie can communicate with animals。 Brix has athletic abilities and can heal quickly。 Tenner can swim like a fish and can see in the dark and hear from a distance。 Seven’s skin camouflages to match whatever is around him。 Cabot hasn’t shown signs of any unusual power—yet。Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash。 There is also a note: Go to Estero， find your mother，and give her the map。The five have lived their entire lives in isolation。 What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world full of things they’ve only heard about， like cell phones， cars， and electricity？ A world where， thanks to their parents， being supernatural is a crime？I don’t read a lot of middle age books but I found the premise of this one too intriguing to pass up。 I am grateful I took the chance on it。 It is an incredibly engaging and new twist on super powered beings with a unique world and outlook。 Lisa McMann has developed a world that is a blend of modern technology with the feel of fantasy all with superpowered teens。 The story is engaging， fast paced， and leaves you wanting more。 One of the reasons it’s so interesting is the characters。 With the five children in the novel， we get the viewpoint of each of them in turn。 While that could bog down the reader with too many points of view， Lisa McMann manages to keep the story flowing through those perspectives with very smooth transitions。 The plot is simple。 Birdie and her friends， all super powered， have been kept in isolation in the wilderness。 While they don’t understand the world they came from， they are happy for the most part until Birdie’s father dies and he tells her to find her mother。 This gives the characters plenty of motivation to leave their isolated safe home。 Birdie and the others are smart but also real children who make mistakes and are less than perfect。 Lisa McMann gives us each child’s point of view so we understand their motivations。 As readers we engage with each teen and we root for them。 And you fall in love with them。While the story leaves me wanting more， it is clearly book 1 of at least two books， possibly more。 If you love quests， if you love superheroes， if you love a new twist on all of these things， plus a blend of fantasy style setting with a modern world， you will love this book。 It is fun， it is riveting， and it will keep you reading until the very end as you can’t wait for more。 Rating: 5 out of 5 heroes。 。。。more
Nick
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This is solid。 Honestly， any book aimed at teenagers and devoid of woke garbage is going to be a good read。 This never gets into the children's sex lives， never has them confused over their sex， never has them bemoan whatever popular political movement is going on at the time of writing， and is a better story for it。 Definitely worth giving to kids， and worth a spot on a library shelf。Of course， it is not without its flaws。 The kids take way too long to get out of their hideout。 Almost a quarter This is solid。 Honestly， any book aimed at teenagers and devoid of woke garbage is going to be a good read。 This never gets into the children's sex lives， never has them confused over their sex， never has them bemoan whatever popular political movement is going on at the time of writing， and is a better story for it。 Definitely worth giving to kids， and worth a spot on a library shelf。Of course， it is not without its flaws。 The kids take way too long to get out of their hideout。 Almost a quarter of the book is them getting to what we know must obviously occur。 The scenes within the city are fun and interesting and carry the second act， that section was a joy to read。 The third act and the climax are okay 。 。 。 it seems like Seven instantly betrays himself， the "twist" with the parents falls incredibly short compared to what we had set up （she was trying to balance them being "bad guys" with them still being people we need to root for）， and it makes their powers seem incredibly too-powerful or everyone else incredibly incompetent。I'm also not sure how the world as a whole works/deals with super powered beings。 Just outlawing them doesn't make a whole lot of sense。 If there are foster homes and schools especially for them then there must be a good amount， but it never really becomes an issue。 The world seems flat and lifeless; on one hand our characters are unique， on the other hand there are whole schools filled with super-people。 It doesn't make a whole lot of sense。It ended with more of a fizzle， mostly because it was clearly going to set up for a sequel。 I have mixed emotions about that 。 。 。 but it is what it is。A good read that a kid can get lost in， enjoy themselves， and still be a kid。 。。。more
Jamie
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3。5Slow to start， kind of rushed ending， but overall enjoyable。 Would read second book for the characters。
Aaron
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Promising opening with quite a cliffhanger。 X-Men meets City Spies with a bit Oceans 11。
Ms Threlkeld
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I almost gave up on this because it took awhile for the action to pick up， but once the story started moving I couldn’t put the book down。
LeeAnne
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Lisa McMann never disappoints。 I love this new group of children she’s created！
Brandi
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I purchased this on Amazon and also listened to it on Libby app - Thank you Herrick！What a fabulous read！ I loved the mystery and unique story told in these pages！ I love that a character was crafted around a dear friend of mine and cannot wait to see that character develop further in the next books！ A beautiful blend of "Harry Potter"， "Orphan Island" and "The House in the Cerulean Sea" all tied together！ Amazing original book with elements of superpowers， mystery， adventure and family bonds th I purchased this on Amazon and also listened to it on Libby app - Thank you Herrick！What a fabulous read！ I loved the mystery and unique story told in these pages！ I love that a character was crafted around a dear friend of mine and cannot wait to see that character develop further in the next books！ A beautiful blend of "Harry Potter"， "Orphan Island" and "The House in the Cerulean Sea" all tied together！ Amazing original book with elements of superpowers， mystery， adventure and family bonds that push and pull the characters through the story！ I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves original story-lines！ I cannot wait for #2 in Nov 22。 。。。more
Annette
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A great MG Read。 It had a bit of a slow start but it got more interesting and picked up the pace。 This starts with their Dad dying and he leaves a note and a map to send them on a journey to get their mother and go on an adventure。 This is a fun and entertaining story similar to X-men。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/G。P。 Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for letting me read and review this story。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 A great MG Read。 It had a bit of a slow start but it got more interesting and picked up the pace。 This starts with their Dad dying and he leaves a note and a map to send them on a journey to get their mother and go on an adventure。 This is a fun and entertaining story similar to X-men。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/G。P。 Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for letting me read and review this story。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jaymie
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3。5 stars - Good +This has a solid hook， but after that initial engagement things dragged through part 1。 I pushed through and each subsequent section got stronger。 I think kids will enjoy this if they stick with the slower world-building/character development pieces up front。
Kimberly A
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Great book for younger readers。
Barb
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I thoroughly enjoyed MAP OF FLAMES （The Forgotten Five） & definitely recommend it as a middle grade read for anyone who likes fast-paced， adventures set in a super-hero fantasy realm but told from the perspective of the villains' kids。 I thoroughly enjoyed MAP OF FLAMES （The Forgotten Five） & definitely recommend it as a middle grade read for anyone who likes fast-paced， adventures set in a super-hero fantasy realm but told from the perspective of the villains' kids。 。。。more
Becky
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For a more in-depth review watch https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=EYim3。。。In a world where supernaturals are considered second-class citizens， thirteen criminals committed the ultimate heist before disappearing。 Now， years later， their children have been left alone and must return to the world that exiled them to find their parents and have a future。This book didn't work for me。 I didn't connect with any of the characters， and I had difficulty caring about their story。 The story was well-plotted， For a more in-depth review watch https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=EYim3。。。In a world where supernaturals are considered second-class citizens， thirteen criminals committed the ultimate heist before disappearing。 Now， years later， their children have been left alone and must return to the world that exiled them to find their parents and have a future。This book didn't work for me。 I didn't connect with any of the characters， and I had difficulty caring about their story。 The story was well-plotted， but very slow， which made it feel longer than it was。 The premise was interesting but as a fan of McMann's other books， I was disappointed。 I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bonnie Grover
，
Fifteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Over time， seven of them disappeared without a trace， presumed captured or killed。 And now the remaining one has died。 Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children- Birdie， Brie， Seven， Tenner， and Cabot- each with superpowers of their own。 After finding a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash along with a note， Birdie decides to follow Fifteen years ago， eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout。 Over time， seven of them disappeared without a trace， presumed captured or killed。 And now the remaining one has died。 Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children- Birdie， Brie， Seven， Tenner， and Cabot- each with superpowers of their own。 After finding a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash along with a note， Birdie decides to follow the map。 The five have lived their entire lives in isolation。 What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world full of things they’ve only heard about， like cell phones， cars， and electricity？ A world where thanks to their parents， being supernatural is a crime？I am not usually a fan of fantasy， but I enjoyed the fast pace of this book。 I think students will enjoy the cat and mouse thrill ride of the Forgotten Five。 I am looking forward to book two。 。。。more
emrel woody
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Let me start off by saying that I need the sequel now because it left off on such a cliffhanger！！I’ll skip the summary of this book in my review and get to what I thought。 This is a very good， strong first book。 Although if If I’m being honest， if the dust jacket didn’t have the names of the characters and their powers on the back， I might have been more lost on who was who and who the kids parents were。 We were thrown into the world very fast at the beginning。 I’m glad the cover has a beautiful Let me start off by saying that I need the sequel now because it left off on such a cliffhanger！！I’ll skip the summary of this book in my review and get to what I thought。 This is a very good， strong first book。 Although if If I’m being honest， if the dust jacket didn’t have the names of the characters and their powers on the back， I might have been more lost on who was who and who the kids parents were。 We were thrown into the world very fast at the beginning。 I’m glad the cover has a beautiful illustration of all the characters so I could also keep who was who straight。 Maybe it was just me who had this issue。 My favorite character so far would have to be Tenner。 He gives me Samheed vibes and I approve。 I love how the kids were written when it came to things they had no idea what to expect。 The fascination， the confusion， and fear all seemed very realistic and was one of my favorite parts。 I wish we got the backstory of the parents in a scene though for a true high stakes beginning。 But I understand that the focus is the kids and why that wasn’t put in。 I’m excited for where this series is going to go！ The characters are lovable， and there’s a full plot with an evil villain that they need to stop for future books。 。。。more
Carli
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Thanks to Edelweiss and @penguinrandomhouse for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 It’s out TODAY！ All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this high-stakes adventure， perfect for middle school readers。 Years ago， supernatural thieves made one last heist and fled Estero。 They settled on a remote peninsula and set up their own little community and had kids。 With supernaturals now outlawed， the kids have no plans to leave their lifestyle until the last adult with them passes away （the others l Thanks to Edelweiss and @penguinrandomhouse for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 It’s out TODAY！ All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this high-stakes adventure， perfect for middle school readers。 Years ago， supernatural thieves made one last heist and fled Estero。 They settled on a remote peninsula and set up their own little community and had kids。 With supernaturals now outlawed， the kids have no plans to leave their lifestyle until the last adult with them passes away （the others left for various reasons， never to return）。 A letter that is left for them reveals something they didn’t know， and may lead to a stash of money and treasure。 Do they leave， braving a world they don’t know， or stay safe？ Highly recommended for grades 5+， with mote to come in the series。 。。。more
Chloe Campbell
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I NEED THE SEQUEL
Melanie Dulaney
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Five children and 4 sets of supernatural parents， living on a secluded beach for 13 years after the parents flee from their life of crime and discrimination in Estero City。 Now Birdie， Tenner， Seven， Cabot and Brix are alone， but before the last remaining adult died， he left his daughter with a map and instructions to return to Estero， find her mother， and retrieve a stash of cash。 Author Lisa McMann （The Unwanteds， Unwanteds: Quests， and Going Wild） starts a new action/adventure-fantasy series Five children and 4 sets of supernatural parents， living on a secluded beach for 13 years after the parents flee from their life of crime and discrimination in Estero City。 Now Birdie， Tenner， Seven， Cabot and Brix are alone， but before the last remaining adult died， he left his daughter with a map and instructions to return to Estero， find her mother， and retrieve a stash of cash。 Author Lisa McMann （The Unwanteds， Unwanteds: Quests， and Going Wild） starts a new action/adventure-fantasy series that will intrigue middle grade readers。 The five main characters are distinct and unique in abilities and personalities and each one must learn to depend on the others’ skills in order to successfully get back to the city and， once there， navigate the technology and tools of a world that is completely foreign to them in order to locate and rescue Birdie and Brix’s mother plus learn who among the other parents might also be alive。 Less mature readers may have a bit of trouble sticking with this series opener as much background information must be laid out before the quest for Birdie and Brix’s mom begins but the time is well worth it。 Recommended for lovers of Riordan and Riordan Presents books as well as series such as Story Thieves and those by Margaret Peterson Haddix。 Text is free of profanity， sexual content and any significant violence。 Characters have a variety of skin tones but race is not a factor in the plot， however discrimination towards a group of people， in this case， supernaturals， is critical。Thanks for sending me a print arc to share with #BookAllies， Lisa McMann！ 。。。more
Laura
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If you've always suspected that those supernatural people could be selfish， mean， etc。 this is the book for you （it might crush young readers to learn this！）。 A group of four couples， shunned because of their abilities， commit one last heist and then DB Cooper an escape; said escape leads to a secluded， unaccessible beach where they settle and start to raise families。 And then most of the adults head back to Estero and never return， while the one remaining adult dies。 Yes， it's another "where ar If you've always suspected that those supernatural people could be selfish， mean， etc。 this is the book for you （it might crush young readers to learn this！）。 A group of four couples， shunned because of their abilities， commit one last heist and then DB Cooper an escape; said escape leads to a secluded， unaccessible beach where they settle and start to raise families。 And then most of the adults head back to Estero and never return， while the one remaining adult dies。 Yes， it's another "where are the adults？" book。 Flash forward several adventures and the children （all supernatural to one extent or another） are in Estero， too， looking for their parents and the hidden stash from that final heist。 And。。。 cliffhanger。As the start to a series， this isn't bad。 There are many plausible adventure paths from the story in this book， and hopefully we'll get to meet more supernaturals in Estero and elsewhere。eARC provided by publisher via Edeleweiss。 。。。more
Liz Ferguson
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4。5/5 stars。 Super fun adventure with an x-men like vibe。 Perfect for younger middle grade readers and fans of fast paced adventure books like Charlie Thorne， Story Thieves， etc。
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusFive children， all descendants of supernatural parents， have to survive after the death of Louis， a father who took care of all of them and trained them for a day when they would have to survive on their own。 In Estero City， supernaturals faced a lot of discrimination， so the parents moved their families out hoping for a better life。 Birdie， Brix， Cabot， Seven， and Tenner all have special powers that could get them into trouble。 As Birdie is dealing with （literall E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusFive children， all descendants of supernatural parents， have to survive after the death of Louis， a father who took care of all of them and trained them for a day when they would have to survive on their own。 In Estero City， supernaturals faced a lot of discrimination， so the parents moved their families out hoping for a better life。 Birdie， Brix， Cabot， Seven， and Tenner all have special powers that could get them into trouble。 As Birdie is dealing with （literally） having to bury her father， she also finds that he buried some money that the adults had stolen， and with the help of the map， she and the other survivors try to locate it。 This fast paced fantasy has an interesting if problematic world， intriguing characters， and a good twist on the super hero type of book。McMann's Unwanteds series circulates very well in my library， but her Going Wild series does not。 （http://msyinglingreads。blogspot。com/2。。。）Will probably pass on purchase for now。 。。。more
Yapha
，
Good start to what promises to be a fantastic new series。 It's a little slow at first， as we need to learn a lot of background information。 Birdie， Brix， Seven， Tenner， and Cabot are the children of 4 pairs of supernatural criminals， who after their last heist escaped to an isolated peninsula and decided to live in peace and raise their children。 Over the past 13 years， several of the adults have gone back to the city （which could be any city in our world today）。 After the last remaining adult w Good start to what promises to be a fantastic new series。 It's a little slow at first， as we need to learn a lot of background information。 Birdie， Brix， Seven， Tenner， and Cabot are the children of 4 pairs of supernatural criminals， who after their last heist escaped to an isolated peninsula and decided to live in peace and raise their children。 Over the past 13 years， several of the adults have gone back to the city （which could be any city in our world today）。 After the last remaining adult with them dies， the children set out to find any of their parents who might still be alive。 Supernaturals are feared and outlawed in this world， so they must take extreme caution。 Having grown up isolated from modern technology and the rest of the world is going to make everything about this even harder。 I'm looking forward to Book 2。 Recommended for grades 4 & up。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss 。。。more
The Keepers of the Books
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After her father died， Birdie and her friends， Brix， Tenner， and Seven have been left to fend for themselves。 When Birdie finds a map and a note from her father， saying to take the map to her mother in Estero， the friends travel across the sea to a world where being supernatural is a crime。 Following the map， the group is led towards the stash from her father and eight other criminals’ last heist。 Traveling across the sea and through a jungle， the group will discover secret allies and enemies at After her father died， Birdie and her friends， Brix， Tenner， and Seven have been left to fend for themselves。 When Birdie finds a map and a note from her father， saying to take the map to her mother in Estero， the friends travel across the sea to a world where being supernatural is a crime。 Following the map， the group is led towards the stash from her father and eight other criminals’ last heist。 Traveling across the sea and through a jungle， the group will discover secret allies and enemies at the highest level of society。 Will the four friends succeed in their mission？ The worldbuilding is a little wobbly but will draw readers into the story。 Told through alternating perspective， the author does a great job of bringing her complex characters to life。 Plot is engaging， filled with magic， and fun to read。 Fans of Brandon Mull， fantasy， adventure， and magic will want to pick this one up。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Map of Flames
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Map of Flames&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Map of Flames&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0