This was a fascinating book. I found it at the library book sale, and the large format caught my eye. This format is used to allow the margins to be filled in with "maps" by T.S. Spivet. Of course, by his definition, a map could be a geological map, or the method of chopping wood, or the sound waves produced by different guns.
This is a story in three parts. Roughly, the first part is life on the farm in Montana, the second is a train ride east, and the third is the arrival in Washington D.C and life at the Smithsonian.
The story is simple but the book is wonderful. This is a coming of age story, but with the main character being a 12-year old genius cartographer. The margins filled with observations, notes, and maps of people, things and places along the way.
I found the second section a little tedious, but the often-humorous observations, and unusual maps by T.S. kept the story moving.
A great book, and well worth the time to read.