A retelling, in a very simple and fun way, of Homer's Odyssey. The story of 'Max and the Map' is centred around a young boy, Max, and his two best friends, Kathy and Brad. The story begins with Max finding an old book at the library. At first he is unaware of its significance, but later on he discovers that it is full of old maps. Max shares his discovery with his two close friends and upon touching one of the book's maps, they are all suddenly transported to the Mediterranean Sea during the time of ancient Greece. The three begin an exciting adventure which turns out to be a journey that a very famous character has embarked on himself, Homer's Odysseus. The book 'Max and the Map' is full of thrilling twists and turns for the reader. It contains fifteen chapters in total, all with curious titles to interest the reader. The book's literary features have been carefully researched and allow children to easily delve into the world of ancient Greece, as well as learn about a very famous epic poem. 'Max and the Map' was written by American writer, Edward Alan Kurtz, a well-travelled author who has already written a variety of travel books. He spent many years living in Hawaii and now lives and writes in Thailand. As well as writing for the travel genre, the author has created many children's books, both fiction and non fiction. His travels have given him great inspiration especially for his stories.