Goldenrod Moram loves maps, and Meriweather Lewis (Lewis and Clark Expedition) is her hero. When she sets out on a summer adventure to map her entire town in detail, she gets more adventure than she bargained for. She meets a gang of teen delinquents, a strange old lady who sends her on a quest for a blue rose, and the titular ghost.

The ghostly and magical elements in this adventure/mystery novel seem to be inserted for sparkle rather than being an integral part of the plot. The basic plot reminds me of the mystery books I loved when I was a girl: Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, the Boxcar Children. But there’s a ghost and a magical blue rose.

I enjoyed reading The Mapmaker and the Ghost. I think I liked the mystery/historical fiction elements better than I did the fantasy elements. If you’re a fan of both contemporary mystery adventure stories and ghost stories, and if you like maps, The Mapmaker and the Ghost would be the perfect combination.