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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

I felt my face heat up, but I didn’t know if it was anger or embarrassment or both. And I didn’t know why it all annoyed me so much.

Mr. Khouri went back to pacing, holding his hands out wide while he talked.

He stopped at the front of the room. “And here’s the thing—we don’t rely on maps to tell us where we’re going, so much as where we’ve been. Because where we live has such an impact on who we are, and who we will be, that it may well be the thing that defines us more than any other.”

Then Mr. Khouri put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. “You might have been hearing some things on the evening news, or read about them in the paper—I expect you all, particularly the sixth graders, to read and watch the news regularly.” He paused for a second, and I frowned—there was something wrong with Mr. Khouri’s voice. It sounded off, somehow.

“We are very lucky to live where we do. Not everyone in this world is as fortunate. . . .” And then he stopped again, shook his head, and brought his hands back around to clasp in front of him. “Right! Where were we? Back to volcanoes for some and mountains for others—the difference between crust and magma!” And just like that his voice was back to normal.

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8

A Conspiracy Is a Secret

“Your dad thinks you being in a composite class is a conspiracy, and you think your dad coming down to check that you’re in a composite class is a conspiracy?” Jed asked.

“I’m telling you, it’s definitely a conspiracy against me,” Aidan said.

“You are so paranoid,” I said, sighing.

“My dad thinks that just because you’re paranoid it doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.”

“Who’s out to get you and what’s a conspiracy?” Sam asked. He’d been walking a little ahead of us but stopped and turned around.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a secret.”

“Don’t be annoying—just tell me!”

And I had to bite back the words I wanted to say, the ones that weren’t nice or polite and would get me in trouble with Luca if Sam ratted me out—which he would.

The three of us caught up to him and turned onto the winding street, at the end of which were Jed’s and my houses.

“Well? Are you gonna tell me?” he demanded.

I opened my mouth, but Aidan gently nudged me.

“No, Sam—a conspiracy is a secret,” Aidan said. “It’s when a bunch of people come together and plan something that nobody else knows about and they make up all these lies and secrets to cover it up.”