172. Antarctica (Choose Your Own Adventure)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Antarctica! Lily Simonson. 2022. 128 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction; mg fiction]

First sentence: The wind nearly pushes you over as you heave yourself up into the helicopter. 

Premise/plot: In a choose your own adventure book, obviously, you the reader make almost all of the decisions. Instructions at the bottom of each page show you where to go next. In this one, YOU, a scientist/researcher are stationed in Antarctica. 

My thoughts: I always have a pen and paper in hand so I can track my choices and find all the endings. The cover on goodreads seems to think there are seventeen endings possible. The book in hand say twenty-five possible endings.

Did I enjoy this one? Not really. The endings were either pure calamity--leading to death. OR the endings were didactic hitting you on the head with climate change agenda. The 'happy' 'mildly happy' endings all had a message to preach. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

90. Stolen from the Studio

Stolen from the Studio (Case Closed #2) Lauren Magaziner. 2019. 480 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Are we there yet?" Frank asks for the millionth billionth time. "No," I sigh. "Are we there yet now?" "No," my best friend, Eliza, says through gritted teeth.

Premise/plot: Stolen from the Studio is the second in an interactive choose-your-own-adventure style mystery novel. Carlos, Eliza, and Frank are back for another adventure--or misadventure. Carlos' mom has been hired by a studio executive to find a missing television star, Layla Jay. Teen Witch was supposed to resume filming the third season, but, the actresses' disappearance has halted things. So the mom and three kid-detectives (or defectives as Frank likes to introduce themselves) are heading to Burbank, California, to solve the case. Technically, the three are just along for the ride. They are not supposed to get carried away and insert themselves into the case. But. We all know that if she truly wanted the kids to NOT get involved in another case, she'd have found a babysitter. (And why bring a friend and friend's little brother???) 

Our three amateur detectives have plenty of people to "interview" and plenty of scenes to investigate. Will their involvement lead to triumph or disaster?

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I think the second novel has definitely increased in intensity. The stakes are higher, in my opinion. The children face real danger as they risk it all to solve the case. (This choose-your-own-adventure still isn't as dangerous as Oregon Trail, mind you. More failures abound in Oregon Trail than in Stolen From the Studio.) 

Choose your own adventure novels may not be known for their substance--fully fleshed out stories and well developed characters. But I was pleasantly surprised by both Mystery in the Mansion and Stolen from the Studio. It is still very much a premise-driven, plot-driven, action-packed adventure. But attention has been paid to details. I like how fleshed out the whole story is when you take the time to read all the various paths. 

It does require a bit suspension of disbelief--that a detective agency from a small(er) town is called to Hollywood (essentially) to solve a missing persons case instead of local or federal agencies that are designed to do just that. But still, the book is fun.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

89. Mystery in the Mansion

Mystery in the Mansion (Case Closed #1) Lauren Magaziner. 2018. 390 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Rrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnngggg!!!! Rrriiinnngggggg! Mom's alarm clock goes off for the second time this morning. It rattles through my wall.

Premise/plot: Long story short: a CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE mystery novel for elementary/middle grades. Carlos Serrano, our protagonist, is teaming up with his best friend, Eliza, and Eliza's little brother, Frank, to solve mysteries for his mom's detective agency. The agency is having a bit of trouble. They need cases--successful cases. But when his mom is too sick to work, well, Carlos decides to play detective. A choice that will either be hugely successful or total failure. And part of that depends on you the reader....

The case YOU will be helping Carlos (and friends) solve involves a local millionaire receiving death threats. The first person Carlos [and the reader] will be meeting is the victim of these threats....from there the opportunities abound. There are dozens of places where the reader will decide what happens next...

My thoughts: I thought this was a FUN and DELIGHTFUL mystery. I liked this 'choose your own adventure' aspect to the mystery. It was well thought out. Unlike the choose your own adventure Oregon Trail series, Magaziner manages to still tell essentially one cohesive story. That is, that though the paths may vary, there is only ONE guilty party. And the clues that you find on *every* path could ultimately help you solve the case. Or almost every path. There are still a few paths that end within pages and don't really contribute to the overall story. But it isn't so much finding the one and only path that will lead you to success. I appreciated this. It felt logical to me. It doesn't matter if person X is interviewed first or third in the line of suspects, the information is going to stay constant. And you can take multiple paths and get a fully rounded set of clues. 

The puzzles. For some readers the puzzles will be a HUGE bonus. For me personally, the puzzles were the least favorite aspect of this one. I didn't really want to actually have to do the puzzles, so I just randomly chose options. (Well, perhaps not completely random. My first time through this one, I just picked the first option for every choice. I then went back and visited other paths.)

I would recommend this one.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Wagon Train Trek (Oregon Trail #6)

The Oregon Trail: The Wagon Train Trek. Jesse Wiley. 2019. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It's 1855, and you and your family are headed west to Oregon City to start a new life. Your pa is a doctor--and the leader of your wagon train. You're getting older now, so it's your responsibility to help Pa and Ma, along with your two Newfoundland dogs. You will lead your team of six wagons from Independence, Missouri, all the way to Oregon City. Pa is eager to join a practice there, and you're excited for a new home, wide open spaces, and the journey ahead.

Premise/plot: The Wagon Train Trek is a stand-alone novel in the Choose Your Own Adventure tradition. This one--like the five that came before it--is inspired by the video game, The Oregon Trail. There are twenty-three possible endings, but only one ending that sees you and your family safely arriving in Oregon City. Not every "bad" ending ends in DEATH, but many do.

My thoughts: How do YOU read a Choose Your Own Adventure novel? Do you read ALL the possible endings? Or do you focus on getting the one HAPPY ending?

I read with a pen and paper nearby. I mark all the decisions and their results. I want to make sure that I read all twenty-three endings.

These books are so much fun!

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Alone in the Wild

Alone in the Wild (The Oregon Trail #5) Jesse Wiley. 2019. Scholastic. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It's 1849, and you and your family are settlers on the journey of a lifetime on the Oregon Trail. So far, the trip has been filled with challenges: runaway oxen, bandits, illness, dangerous wildlife, broken wagon parts, and more. You're lucky you've all made it to South Pass, Wyoming--your halfway point.

Premise/plot: This is a stand alone title in the Oregon Trail Choose Your Own Adventure series by Jesse Wiley. In this one, the reader finds himself/herself ALONE after the fording of a river goes wrong. There are twenty possible endings but only one where you are a) alive and b) reunited with parents. (Not to be confused with the ending where you're a) barely alive and b) reunited with your parents but they're likely to die soon too.) How wisely will you choose?

My thoughts: I loved reading all four books last year in the series. I would recommend all the books.  I enjoyed this stand-alone adventure. I wouldn't mind having even MORE stand-alone adventures. There are still plenty of scenarios left unexplored at this point.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews