Whenever I crack open a book and find a map, I know I’m in for an adventure. Plus, maps in books are incredibly helpful since they lay out fictional, imaginary worlds in a way that makes the story clearer for directionally-challenged people like me. I can’t read a real map to save my life, but in books, I love to feel like I can investigate and explore the setting along with my favorite characters.
While writing Essential Maps for the Lost (which you can read an extended excerpt of here for free until April 17), Deb Caletti immersed herself in literary maps—specifically the map inside E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. In addition to the Mixed-Up Files map, I’ve rounded up a few more places that I’d love to travel to without leaving my couch. Let me know in the comments which fictional worlds, cities, and spaces you’d like to explore!