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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

There were twenty-three of us in the Skeleton room. Really it was “Skelton,” after one of the first European settler families in Sorrento, but we all thought Skeleton was cooler. When we arrived on that first day, Mr. Khouri had hung a paper skeleton on the door, making it official.

Aidan McMillan laughed. “My dad thinks this composite class is a conspiracy I made up because I just don’t want to tell him that I’ve been held back a grade.”

Keira Thomas raised her eyebrows at him, and Aidan narrowed his back at her, saying, “Obviously not, my dad’s just nuts.”

I don’t know how it is at bigger schools, but when you live in a small town like Sorrento and attend a tiny elementary school, you kind of have to stay friends with everyone. I’ve known Aidan and Keira since kindergarten, same as all the other kids at PNP. But while Keira and I used to play together a lot in second and third grade, we hadn’t so much lately—until her closest friend, Sandy, left to attend Rosebud Primary this year. Aidan and Jed have always hung around in the same big group—they play soccer together at lunchtime most days.

But they’re not best friends or even that close, not like Jed and me.

I don’t think Aidan even knew that Jed’s real name is Trung Văn. Jed’s just a nickname he got because his dad was a big fan of those old Star Wars movies. His family grew out of the “Jedi” joke and call him “Văn,” but at school the name Jed had stuck.

Except for with Mr. Khouri, who insisted on calling out Jed’s full name as it was written on the roll, and then asking him what he’d prefer to be called.

“Jed is fine, sir,” he said.

“But—who’s Trung?” Aidan asked, and I rolled my eyes.

So while it was true that we all knew each other, it was also true that we hadn’t always been close, and we had never really hung out as just the four of us. But this year it was all different, and I didn’t yet know if it would be a good different or bad.

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6

Maps Don’t Always Tell the Truth

One night over dinner Sam asked, “What’ll its name be?”

He meant the baby.

“We can’t decide that just yet, babe—we’ve got to meet them first.” Anika smiled at Luca, then back at Sam. “Before you were born, you were this close to being called Benjamin.” She held her index finger and thumb up in a pinch. “Until your father and I met you and just knew that you were definitely more of a Sam than a Ben.”

Sam picked up his fork but only moved it around his plate. “No, I meant . . . what’ll its last name be?”