The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks

What would be the result of the year that changed everything for Winifred? But she felt inside that she had a purpose and when a particular person made an impact on her life, she went with what she felt was right. As events changed around them, Winifred felt cut adrift. But more was to take their interest when they found out 400 refugees were to be arriving and housed in a “safe haven” nearby. Their teacher, Mr Khouri taught geography and maps which Winifred was fascinated by, and he always told them “Not all those who wander are lost” which stuck in Winifred’s mind. Aiden was another friend and soon Sam joined the group. Winifred had a few friends at school and was close to Jed who lived next door.

Pop was at a Rehabilitation Centre recovering from the fall he’d had, and Winifred visited him every weekend, and Wednesdays after school. She’d lost her mother Maria when she was six and still missed her terribly and didn’t want Sam or Anika in her house.

But then Luca’s girlfriend Anika and her son Sam moved in and suddenly Winifred (who was called Fred, Freddo and Winnie) felt her house was crowded. Winifred was eleven and living with her adoptive father Luca – a policeman - and until recently her Pop. But what starts as a few friendly words in Albanian will soon change their lives forever, not to mention completely redrawing Fred’s personal map of friends, family, and home, and community. Fred, who has been trying to navigate her own feelings of displacement, ends up befriending a few refugees. Others, however, feel differently, causing friction within the community.

Some people in town, like Luca, think it’s great and want to help. Soon after learning about the baby, Fred hears that the town will be taking in hundreds of refugees seeking safety from a war-torn Kosovo. According to Fred’s teacher, maps don’t always give the full picture of our history, but more and more it feels like Fred’s family is redrawing the line of their story. Her birth father was never in the picture, her mom died years ago, and her stepfather, Luca, is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. 'Timeless and beautiful, and it deserves to be read by people of all ages.' -Printz Award-winning author Melina Marchetta If you asked eleven-year-old Fred to draw a map of her family, it would be a bit confusing. Wolf Hollow meets The Thing About Jellyfish in Danielle Binks’s debut middle grade novel set in 1999, where a twelve-year-old girl grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town.

The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks