Wow! What a book! This should be in every classroom everywhere.
10-year-old Ginny often feels awkward around her older sister. Allie is pretty, sporty, and can make new friends in a heartbeat. Ginny is a self-proclaimed nerd, who loves her special magnet school and revels in all things geography related. When their military-doctor father is transferred from North Carolina to Maryland, Allie is the one who quickly adapts to the move, while Ginny just can’t seem to find a niche where she can fit in and be true to herself at the same time. Then, Dad is deployed to Afghanistan for a long length of time, and without him, things just seem to fall apart for the whole family…
Readers, beware! You will develop a sudden interest in geography and random science facts by the time you finish this book! You might even take up the drawing of maps (cartography, Ginny would tell you!)5-stars-2023 best-of-2023 reviewed-on-goodreads8 s Peggy301 9

Ginny lives geography, her Dad, and learning. Military families adjust to moving, but this time is different. Ginny’s Dad deploys at the time they move, and there aren’t yet school friends. The realistic depiction of the challenge of making new friends, parents that have faults but are adults, a tenuous sibling relationship, so much to enjoy here!!2 s Shella896 2

This is an excellent book for children to read that are dealing with sibling issues. It is an terrific story to show dynamic characters that develop empathy skills in an authentic way. I wonder if Ginny is on the high end of the autism spectrum? All the geography facts are interesting. I appreciate the design of the book- the size of the pages make it seem a longer book than it really is. This a a fast read, so if your child is trying to get to the 300 page book range- this title would be a great confidence booster. Great illustrations were a bonus. 1 Ms. Yingling2,248 476

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Ginny's family is in the process of moving from Fayetteville to Silver Springs, Maryland after school is out, but this is complicated by the fact that her father is going to be deployed to Afghanistan right after the move and will be gone until Christmas. As a military family, they are used to these moves, and her mother's job as a freelance copyrighter can be done anywhere. To keep Ginny and Allie occupied while she works on a new job, their mother enrolls both girls in summer camps. Allie quickly makes friends in their neighborhood, but Ginny is both anxious and laser focused on geography, and finds it hard to connect to other children. Her father always helped her out with transitions, but he is in Afghanistan and not able to call very frequently due to work and bad WiFi. When the geography camp is cancelled for lack of enrollment, Ginny is put into a jewelry making camp with a neighbor, Supriya, whose brother Rihan has been hanging out with Allie. She diss it so much that she convinces her mother to let her stay home. So she's not just sulking in her room, Ginny tells her mother she will start her own geography camp and have neighbor children meet on the porch. Allie agrees to help so she won't be expected to go to camp herself. When Ginny gets a few neighbor children, she sets up her camp more school, and people are quickly disinterested. She's at loose ends again, worrying about her father incessantly, and concerned that she won't be getting into a math and science magnet school in the fall but will instead have to go to the regular school full of obnoxious kids. At the same time, her mother is trying to get a freeland job done, and neither girl is helping around the house. Can the family, especially Ginny, find a way to settle into life in their new community and continue on until their father gets home?
Strengths: I would to see more books about children who have to deal with parents being deployed, but there are relatively few books about military families. The moving that they do is unusual to the general population, and I'd my readers to see a variety of depictions of this. This was also fascinating, because I wonder what children today DO in the summer when parents are working. There should also be a lot more books describing various summer day camps, Vrabel's Caleb and Kit (although they do bunk off from camp!). This also had a good description of moving house that did NOT involve any ghosts or hauntings!
Weaknesses: Ginny had several traits that made me wonder if she was on the autism spectrum, but this was never specifically addressed. Allie tells her to ask new people she meets what they to do, and Ginny opines that she really doesn't care. She's also very obsessed with geography facts and doesn't really understand that other people don't share her interest. It was not surprising that her first camp wasn't successful.
What I really think: How were children in the 1970s able to put together fund raising "carnivals" (I'm apparently not making this up; read Backyard Carnivals for Charity!)? I know that when I was Ginny's age, I was babysitting a neighbor's four and six year old from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. three days a week in the summer because the mother worked as a nurse and the father was traveling for business! It was good to see Ginny and Allie trying to do things on their own, but it was completely realistic that they struggled with it. Elementary students will love this one. Emily Bush168 1 follower

Ginny Off the Map is a sweet look at a military family during deployment. When Ginny’s family moves, they aren’t also planning on her dad being deployed at the same time. He was supposed to be there with them for 6 months before he deployed. Ginny thrives on facts, routines, and having her dad there. Her sister, Allie, makes friends easily and is good at sports. After several disappointments, Ginny feels her family is falling apart without her dad. What she failed to realize, is that everyone is lost without her dad there, not just her. When she starts to take other people’s feelings into consideration, she figures out how to get along with the neighborhood kids and her sister better. Deployment is hard for everyone involved and this was a very real look at how families deal with it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own. Chandler Taylor54

It’s not a bad book but I don’t think the kids would it that much.

This is either recent historical fiction or had a long gestation period. The year is 2015. Virginia “Ginny” Pierce and her sister, Allie, have just finished fifth and sixth grade and are preparing for a new adventure in a new home. They’re used to moving a lot since their dad is a military doctor but this move is notably different because not only are they moving to a new state, their dad is being deployed to Afghanistan. What keeps Ginny grounded and connected to her dad is her love of geography and interesting facts. She’s a smart kid but a little socially awkward, un her sister. Every chapter begins with a fact about our planet and one can only hope those facts are accurate (I don’t know for sure that the book was fact checked). Ginny’s fact attacks make her slightly annoying and I think our readers would also find themselves saying “time to read another chapter about this geography nerd” I did. Mary Louise SanchezAuthor 2 books26

The main character, Ginny, would have loved the elementary school Geography Club I sponsored in the 1990s where students learned world geography in fun ways and then took the National Geography test to try and advance to the finals. The kids really enjoyed playing the game, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

The interesting facts at the beginning of each chapter foretell what will happen in the story to Ginny and her family as they experience the hardships dealing with their father and husband's deployment to the war in Afghanistan.

We need more books about deployment and the difficulties families face when they are in this situation. I loved Ginny's journey to finding her true north.


family underrepresented-cultures Kerry Woodard1 review1 follower

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and I am so glad I did! Ginny is a quirky, geography-loving girl whose family has just moved from North Carolina to Maryland. Being in a military family, Ginny is used to moving. This time, though, her father is deployed and her mother is busy with work. Ginny Off the Map takes the reader through Ginny's first summer in Maryland with all the ups and downs of making new friends and navigating challenging emotions.
This book would be excellent for a classroom read with lots of images and fun geography facts. Ginny is a refreshingly complex character who learns how to try new things while staying true to who she is.1 Miki A51 1 follower

Fabulous YA book about Ginny, the younger daughter in a military family - her dad is an army doctors who is unexpectedly deployed to Afghanistan early, right after the family PCS's to Maryland from NC. She is obsessed with geography and knows that doesn't usually fit in with other kids. Her older sister is an excellent basketball player and seems to always find and be one of the popular kids in every new place they move.

This is a wonderful exploration of both the challenges that families face when parents are deployed, as well as how it's important to find your true north and find out how to navigate towards it.

Highly recommend this great read. Robin1,073 65

Ginny loves everything about geography and sharing facts about her favorite subject -- but it's not always the best way to make new friends. Her sister Allie, on the other hand, is a great basketball player and makes new friends easily. When her dad is deployed just as the military family transferred to a new town, AND geography summer camp is cancelled, AND she is waitlisted for the magnet school, AND she doesn't hear from her dad . . . well, things get a bit stressful.

A great story of learning to adapt, learning resilience, and becoming aware of the needs of others --even people you thought you knew really well, your sister and mom -- and staying true (true north) to yourself.5th-grade-booktalks children-s-lit-realistic-fiction family ...more Wina871

Realistic fiction for ages 8-12. This is a coming-of-age novel about a girl who I'd say is neurodivergent (extremely smart and focused on facts, socially awkward). The family has a dad in the military, and his deployment is the main challenge of the book. The mom and two sisters struggle to get by, get along, and struggle with the grief and anxiety of him being in Afghanistan. It was really good, and I wanted to keep reading. I loved Ginny's facts at the beginning of each chapter, and understood the feelings everyone was going through. Well done.youth Suzy794

I loved this book so much and didn't want it to end. I loved Ginny and all her random facts!
Being apart of a military family has to be tough. The moving and the parent being gone has to be hard.
Ginny and Allie are going through so much with moving and making new friends and trying to find where they fit in.
I d learning more about all these characters and I would read more books about them in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Holly Wagner616 3

Ginny, her sister Allie, and their mom adjust to moving to a new community AND their dad being stationed in Afghanistan for 6 months. Ginny and her sister couldn’t be more different. Ginny is a brainiac obsessed with Geography and Allie makes friends easily, is good at sports, and not a natural student. All blows up when Dad has to stay an additional 3 months. But they figure out how to get along and how to help Mom and each other adjust to their new reality together. 2023-24 chapter-book-middle-grade elementary ...more Cathy635 2


This upper elemenary children's book is about two sisters who are very close in age but very different in talents, personalities and friends. When their physician father is deployed to Afghanistan at the same time the family is moving to a new town, the two sisters and their mother are each facing challenges individually. The support glue that holds them together, their dad, is too far away to help with the major meltdown that is coming to the three characters.

Melissa DassoriAuthor 1 book19

What a unique, compelling, and charm-filled story! Caroline Hickey's novel has one of the most genuine emotional arcs for Ginny, her protagonist, that I've read in a long time. I loved watching Ginny learn to become more open to others and their passions while remaining devoted to her love of all things geography. This book has so much heart, but never feels too sweet. It's a wonderful read. middle-grade Lisa3 3

This book is an absolute gem - the kind you keep on your bedside table and return to again and again for comfort. Ginny is insightful, sweet, and determined. I loved this book from start to finish. A absolute must-read for middle schoolers and all of us! Maegan713

Ginny feels out of place in her family. While her dad is deployed, her family must move again. The only thing that she's looking forward to? Geography camp. Which gets canceled. In this coming-of-age middle-grade novel, Ginny finds her place in the world and her family.family kidlit Katie Brown9

I loved this book! Ginny had a very relatable yet unique voice. Also loved the military family aspect! Amanda785 3

Cute story about being yourself. Might resonate best with military kids or kids who are extraordinary in some way. BoniAuthor 9 books73

I wish I’d had this book to read when I was 8 years old. If you know a child with a “strong personality,” give them this book to read. It might change their life.chapter-mg Jodi J58 2

I enjoyed this book very much, and I appreciated that it is a clean & charming middle grade novel. I loved Ginny. :-) LS Johnson1,431

i enjoyed the story and learned a lot!read-mg-2023 Jenny Morrow185

LOVED this one!older-elementary Leiana Day66 5

Three-ish stars. Nothing particularly remarkable but considerably sweeter than I was expecting. Emily459

Gunny struggles with a move, fitting in, and her Dad recently deployed to Afghanistan.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Ashley McNeese33 3 Read

So sweet! Great for a middle grade classroom. Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens2,799 60

As an Army brat who also has to move during her father's deployment, I love this one!2023 childrens-books history ...more Jgramley453

Being a kid these days isn’t easy. Add to that having your dad get deployed and moving to a new city and you start to get an idea of what Ginny and her sister Allie are going through in this story as they navigate their way to their true north.2023-2024 realistic-fiction CarolineAuthor 10 books27

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