Maptastic! Reimagine the World One Map at a Time by DK Publishing

Maptastic! takes readers on a tour, not just of countries and geographic features, but of populations, comparisons, and much more.

Maptastic! Reimagine the World, One Map at a Time, from DK Publishing, 2025. 159 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
• Recommended For: Ages 10-18

We’re all familiar with globes, diagrams, and political maps (that is, boundaries marking off nations, states, and territories). But who knows how to read a physical map or Mercator map or Dymaxion map (or even knows that that is?). Maptastic! takes us on a tour of the globe that reveals answers to questions most of us have never even thought of asking. Such as, What’s the roaming territory of eagles? How much rainfall drains into the Mississippi? What kind of rocks form each major continent? What’s under Arctic/Antarctic ice? What are the brightest places on Earth at night? Where are the heaviest concentrations of wealth? Of populations? Of meteorite strikes?

Like most DK books, Maptastic! is for browsing, not reading straight through. In that capacity it’s good for days if not weeks of poring over. General classifications focus on Earth’s physical makeup, populations, animal distribution, space, and history (the section on historical maps is especially fascinating). A brief reference guide at the end features types of maps and how to read them. Some mention is made of evolution and old-earth calculations, but it’s not an overwhelming theme.

Considerations: None.

Bottom Line: A well-rounded reference not just for geography, but also geology, anthropology, zoology, and more.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Reviews: Cartography themes in middle grades fiction: Ginny off the Map and The Last Mapmaker.
• Reviews: Two excellent geography resources for middle-schoolers are Indescribable Atlas Adventures and Prisoners of Geography.

You may purchase Maptastic! from Amazon.