5 Minutes For Books

Choose Your Own Adventure series

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Does anyone else remember the Choose Your Own Adventure Stories? I was SO DELIGHTED to see them in a local bookstore as I have fond memories of reading these books voraciously when I was younger. I remember that I would always try to pick the option that would lead to the longest story. I remember sharing the books with my best friend. We would pour over these books for hours, trying to see how many story conclusions could be drawn per book.

If you have somehow lived your life hidden under a rock and are not familiar with the Choose Your Own Adventure stories well, just sit down! Let’s catch you up. Choose Your Own Adventure stories are stories where you get to do exactly that. You are put “into” the story. You, the main character, get to decide which option you’ll take in causing the story to unfold. You and you alone get to hunt for the abominable snowman. You and you alone (say this with a deep and mysterious voice:) will search for the lost jewels of Nabooti. Oh yes, my friends. The adventures are dangerous, sometimes deadly, frequently mysterious and very. very. curious.

There is a new Choose Your Own Adventure series (that I had never seen before) specifically tailored for kids between the ages of 9-12. The books are about 50 pages long and very between having 9-12 possible endings. For example, in the book Your Very Own Robot you are given a (surprise!) robot. You must choose what you are going to do with him from whether or not you are going to paint him or not (with varying results) to whether or not you will choose to attack a band of pirates with him (with varying degrees of success depending on which option you choose). You can choose whether or not your robot will have friends and how those friends will be. The illustrations in this look very much like a cartoon you’d see on tv. The characters are therefore easy to identify with because they have a familiar look about them. It is simply a matter of what you will choose to have those characters do.

Then, of course, there are the traditional classic stories which are being reprinted. You can get the first four in the series in a boxed set for convenience sake and it contains the following titles: The Abominable Snowman, Journey Under the Sea, Space and Beyond, and The Lost Jewels of the Nabooti. They also have a relatively new series under the Choose Your Own Adventure umbrella. The first book in the series is called The Golden Path: Into the Hollow Earth which is a series that is a little more up-to-date with this modern world. However, all the stories are so fantastical that I don’t think the “classic” series is really out-of-date in any way. They are creative, imaginative and I’ve never seen anything else quite like them.

What about you? Do you have fond memories of this series? Well, then, you’ll be glad to note that you can share them with your kids also. Remember: YOU and YOU ALONE decide the adventure so BEWARE!

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.

Speaking of sharing them with your kids (or grandkids!), the Choose Your Own Adventure Company has graciously agreed to give away a copy of the first four titles in the classic series to one of our readers, signed by author R.A. Montgomery.

In order to win, leave a comment below. U.S. Residents only, please. Good luck and may your adventures be safe!

Click on the banner above to enter our other Summer Fun Giveaways. All winners will be announced on June 11.

Comments

  1. I used to *love* these? I would re-read them over and over until I thought I had read every possible combination!

  5. I loved these as a kid. I had a whole shelf full of them and even tried writing my own. It would be great to win these so my daughter can enjoy them.

  6. I’ve never heard of these before but I have grand and greatgrandchildren who would go nuts for them!

  11. i didn’t even know they still made these! i LOVED choose your own adventure books when i was little. i would love to win these for my son!

  12. My children love to come up with different story endings. This would be great for them! Thanks!

  14. I loved to find out what happens if I choose a different path… these books are good for repeat readers too!

  16. kids enjoy re-reading these from the library.. it would be awesome for them to have their own books

  17. I loved choose your own adventure when I was a kid. I would always choose the wrong path and have to start over again and again.

  19. When I was a child, I remember reading choose your own adventure books. I loved them. I would love these for my son.

  20. Wow, the books sure look different now. I fondly remember reading these as a kid. Would love to have a set for my kids.

  21. I remember these when i was a kid, been around a long time, used to like them a lot

  23. Please include me in your giveaway.
    Thanks
    carlene
    iluvreading(at)verizon.net

  27. These bring back a lot of memories. Choose Your Own Adventure were some of my favorite books when I was younger. I’m sure my little nephews will enjoy these books just as much as I did when I was their age. Thank you for the chance to win.

  28. I adored these books when I was young. Never knew how they’d turn out and you could read them several times. They were great! I’d love to win a set. Thanks!

  29. I really loved reading and re-reading choose your own adventure books. They give kids a sense of power and option that is usually lacking in real life.

  32. I used to love reading these when I was a kid. would love to pass on the tradition to my kids

  34. WHOA!!! I LOVED these when I was a kid and would love to share them with my son now! Thanks for the chance!

  35. I remember reading these and my older kids have read many of them, too. I would like to introduce my younger kids to them.

  40. these were my favorites as a child and i would love to share them with my children

  45. To be honest, I don’t remember these books, but my kids have liked other books where you can pick endings. So I’d love to try them. Thanks.

  46. I remember reading these books, and ‘cheating’ by going back and trying to make another choice to get a better ending! My 10 year old would love these so much, so thank you for hosting yet another great giveaway!

  48. I would love to read these with my 5 year old son. He would love it.

    mercsmercado at yahoo dot com

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