 Amanda post-NCTE 2025 | December is here and with it comes the hustle of end-of-the-semester tasks. If you're like most of our blog followers, though, a long to-do list is even more reason to turn toward our favorite procrastination pastime: reading YA lit! For this week's post, I (Amanda) get to write the recommendation, and I've taken this opportunity to pick up where I left off in my June 2024 YA Wednesday Post "Girl, Get in the Game! YA Lit About Girls in Sports" and discuss the beautiful, thoughtful graphic novel A Map to the Sun (2020) by Sloane Leong. Finally, it was great to see so many of our contributors and readers in Denver at NCTE this year. I hope you all will continue to share in the love of YA literature here on the YA Wednesday blog! |
A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong
 | Is this a sports story? Yes, kind of. Is this a story about friendship, overcoming the odds, and believing in yourself? Yes, definitely. If you find yourself looking for a story about the power of determination and human connection, then look no further than Sloan Leong's 2020 graphic novel A Map to the Sun. Centered on the (strained) friendship of Luna and Ren, the novel follows a group of high school girls who at first seem unlikely basketball players, more apt to find themselves sharing a joint than a game of hoops. |
| The girls initially bond over their shared after-school punishment (cleaning the gymnasium floor in preparation for the boys' basketball team to practice). While cleaning, the girls begin goofing around on the basketball court, shooting hoops and playing pick-up games. A newly hired teacher with energy and an eye toward athletic opportunity for girls observes this and approaches them about forming a school team. Her persistence with school administration, and with the girls who eventually become her players, helps form this underdog team and propels the players toward unpredicted teamwork - both on and off the court. |  Beautiful artwork makes this story come alive |
The story unfolds by weaving the girl's individual journeys with the building of their basketball team. The more they are met with negativity and obstacles (i.e. inadequate funding for the girls' team, getting kicked off the court so the boys' team can practice), the more determined to overcome the odds they become. This holds true for the off-court challenges they each face as well, as they support one another through life's challenges ranging from emotional insecurities and mental health episodes, to poverty, abuse, and unhealthy relationships.
 Sloane Leong | The title's significance is revealed in the ending that highlights the power of leaning into love and friendship as we navigate life: "All I need to do is find the light in those around me. In the people I love. In the people I don't. To warm and be warmed. To shine and be shined on. That's all we want, isn't it? [...] Stark as black against orange. Simple as my hand in yours. A bright path in the dark. A map to the sun" (Leong, p. 357-358). |
Finding the light in life often means finding the people who will help you see it - that's the map to the sun.
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