The Uprising: The Mapmakers in Cruxcia
Eirlys Hunter
Gecko Press
Pub. 2021

March 18, 2022

The Uprising: the Mapmakers in Cruxcia is a book by Eirlys Hunter about four kids: Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey, all siblings.

Sal is a 14-year-old girl, who is great at maths. Joe is a 12-year-old boy, who loves adventure.
Francie is Joe’s twin sister, a girl who never talks, but is amazing at drawing. Humphrey is a curious 6-year-old boy who loves food and adventures.

They are mapmakers travelling to the city of Cruxcia, in the hope of finding their missing father. There they find that the people of Cruxcia are rebelling against the newly employed governor, a ruthless man, and his employed men, the Custodians, sending innocents to jail without trial. Will they stop them? Will they get their father back? Answering these questions was only a couple of the reasons I kept reading!

The book has a tick in all the boxes of things that make a great book. It is descriptive, it has a great plot, it is easy to understand, and always keeps you on edge; whenever you put it down, you’re itching to pick it up again.

For example, this sentence was very descriptive:

“The river Afa is born from a glacier. The snow is clean and sparkling, dazzling white. Around, around, towards the sun again, but it disappears and a strange wind tugs and shoves. Shiver. The snow no longer glitters, it’s dull, flat, grey. Darkness is swallowing everything.”

The Uprising is a great book, with a mix of mystery, adventure, unexpected plot twists and excitement. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves reading.

• Caleb is 12 years old and lives in Waikanae.