The Road to There: Mapmakers and Their Stories is a fascinating exploration of humanity’s attempts to map the unknown parts of our world. Starting with the scholarly detective tale of the forged Vinland map, the book traces the history of more than 10 centuries of cartography, from 12th-century planispheres to 21st-century charts of space. Ross, a journalist, combines extensive research with crisp prose and engaging narratives that emphasize the mapmakers as much as their maps. Through these biographies, Ross makes clear for young readers that mapmaking is a social, economic, and political act, motivated as often by imperial or commercial interests as by scientific curiosity. She tempers her triumphant tales of exploration by describing how maps have aided the slave trade, imperialism, and wars. She is careful to note as well that many oral cultures also made maps through songs and stories and that such methods, though nontraditional by European standards, are equally authoritative guides to territories.

While the book’s 13 chapters focus on the most recent millennium, Ross uses sidebars to extend her historical coverage, adding supplemental information on ancient maps, navigational tools, and scientific methods. This range makes the text an excellent resource for research, and Ross also includes a lightly annotated list of suggestions for further reading. (The index, however, is inconsistent in its coverage, and I keenly felt the lack of a glossary.) The rich graphics make an impressive-looking volume that’s very “grown-up” and stylish. This aesthetic, along with the well-written, compelling narrative, contributes to the book’s crossover potential. Though it’s marketed to ages 11 and up (a very sophisticated 11, mind you), The Road to There will also engage adult readers.