Mapmaker

Screenwriter Bomback and author Craze (The Last Princess) team up for a thriller that offers a frightening glimpse into how technology can be abused. Tanya Barrett’s father’s death during an alleged research trip in Cambodia leaves her an orphan, living in an uneasy relationship with her stepmother. Tanya intends to spend the summer before her senior year of high school interning at MapOut, a thriving digital mapmaking company founded by her father and his best friend, Harrison. But after Tanya and Harrison’s son, Connor, snoop on her father’s computer, Connor disappears, and Tanya is kidnapped. Tanya narrowly manages to escape with only her preternatural “gift” (“It was part knack for gauging distances, part photographic memory of geospatial imagery”), the clue “Alaska,” and the hope of tracking down her father’s friend Cleo. Cinematic action propels the plot but the authors also devote attention to Tanya’s bottled-up emotions. MapOut’s goals and their privacy implications are thought-provoking, while the inconclusive ending necessitates a sequel. Ages 14–up. Agent: (for Bomback) Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor; (for Craze) Kim Witherspoon, Inkwell Management. (Apr.)