I've started looking for choose your own stories for my son. We read books together each day. He loves mysteries and I thought this sounded like a great adventure. Several of the paths taken lead to your disappearance... or whatnot. There are a few other promising twists, BUT, you have to get the next book in the series to continue your adventure.
I was expecting an all-in-one book, not have to get the next in the series to finish your story. Disappointing. We won't be continuing on with the next book...
You should note, the story is geared towards middle school and older readers. The Golden Path: Into the Hollow Earth (Choose Your Own Adventure: The Golden Path Vol I)
Some may find it hard to imagine how, with a printed book, the reader can actively participate in the adventure...but it's true. The popular Choose Your Own Adventure has been revamped, re-energized and relaunched, to the utter delight of parents and young adults everywhere. With this ingenious series, the reader has the opportunity to make multiple choices throughout the novel, which changes the plot twists, the characters that you will meet and at what stage you will interact with each. The right choices will lead you, as one of the main characters, into a secret world that exists beneath the Earth's crust.
As one of the main characters, you (the reader) are, quite literally caught up in the action and your choices effect the other characters and the progression of the story. The Golden Path: Volume One opens with an interesting, scientific prologue, which sets the tone for the scenery, ideologies and difficulties that the people in author Anson Montgomery's future face on a daily basis. The first chapter opens with a scene every student can relate too...three friends, in the library, studying for a big exam. And through the creative imagination of CYOA, you (the reader), are one of the three. The heart of the story revolves around your parents archaeological dig at Carlsbad, New Mexico and a very odd shard of pottery your friend Peter found outside the dig site. Convinced the artifact once belonged to a culture that predates the American Indians and utilizing the individual talents of each of your friends, the three of you receive special permission from your teacher to work together on the AP History project. It's true that history effects the future, but you and your friends had no idea how that piece of pottery would devastate your present and put your future in jeopardy.
Choose Your Own Adventure is an entertaining, adventure series that engages reader, however, flipping back and forth, skipping numerous chapters only to go back to them later may be confusing for younger readers. A mix of ancient history, futuristic adventure, scientific learning and creative imagination, woven around three best friends who must use their individual strengths to solve problems together. Utilizing age appropriate narrative, the book deals with family issues, friendships, loss, jealousy, grief and ultimately survival, understanding and healing. I would recommend this book (*& the series) to children who enjoy a book that doesn't fit the normal definition of "book." The characters are believable, with just enough futuristic karma to grab the attention of today's high-tech kids. With four story lines developed to move from Volume One to Volume Two, your individual choices play-out before your eyes. I think parents should be made aware that it is necessary to purchase both volumes, because without the second volume some "choices" are not available, thus changing the outcome. With the website, more information should be available and it allows the kids to participate in activities related to the stories. Definitely worth reading, a solid 3.5 and destined to get better with each new installment.
Happy Reading!
This book is fantastic. Check your soul at the door, pay the ferryman his gold and prepare for darkness. Is that a cold skeleton claw-fist knocking at the door? Or a smutty boned visage sneeringly telling us the instructions: 'Wanderer, choose wisely'. Where the heck are we?!
Beware! As we have learned from previous CYOA installations, all that appears 'Golden' might be the very path that dashes our hopes on the rocks of the past, present and future. There is something below the surface of the water. We've once again separated the name from from meaning, discovering the contextual evidence of a CYOA adventure. Are we prepared for the consequences of our subjective moral decisions? Can we hold our decisions up to the Golden light? I refuse to surrender to the night. I shall wander and touch my hand to the 'Golden Path'. This book provides a light across the steaming river Styx. Something awaits on the other side. - Adventure - Magic - Science Fiction - Action'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
