1. The Circus
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1981
ISBN: 0-553-15120-7 (early printings), 0-553-15238-6 (later printings), 0-553-15744-2 (even later printings)
Length: 55 pages
Number of Endings: 12
Plot Summary: You visit your aunt and uncle, both circus people,
and are given the choice to learn to be an acrobat, a clown, or an animal
trainer.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is really just a collection of random events
which lead to abrupt endings. Still, it's not too bad; the visual design
is nice, with text and graphics mixing well, and there is a note at the
end explaining one of the events which occurs in the story.
2. The Haunted House
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1981
ISBN: 0-553-15119-3 (early printings), 0-553-15207-6 (later printings), 0-553-15428-1 (even later printings), 0-553-15679-9 (much later printings)
Length: 56 pages
Number of Endings: 18
Plot Summary: Your dog runs into a haunted house and you must find him.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: Being aimed at very young children, this book is an incredibly
fast read and has almost no content at all. Consequently, it's not very
interesting.
3. Sunken Treasure
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: April, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05018-4 (hardback), 0-553-15150-9 (early paperback printings), 0-553-15208-4 (later paperback printings)
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is asked to make choices which
will determine the outcome of a search for sunken treasure.
Translations: German, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is the first book in the series that seems to have
a point to it; the search for treasure definitely gives the story direction.
The book is also notable for being set in the 18th century.
4. Your Very Own Robot
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: April, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05019-2 (hardback), 0-553-15233-5 (paperback)
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 12
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is asked to make choices which
will determine the fate of a discarded robot.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: The only real innovation in this book is the inclusion of a
blank line where the reader can insert the name he or she gives the robot.
Other than that it's a typical entry in this series... The silly extent
to which the story is condensed does prove unintentionally amusing at points.
5. Gorga, The Space Monster
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05031-1 (hardback), 0-553-15161-4 (early paperback printings), 0-553-15308-0 (later paperback printings)
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is given choices to make which
determine the outcome of an adventure with a space monster who arrives
in Cape Cod.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book tells a more coherent story than some of the other
books in the series and the illustrations are often pretty amusing.
6. The Green Slime
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05032-X (hardback), 0-553-15162-2 (blue paperback), 0-553-15309-9 (orange paperback), 0-553-15680-2 (red paperback)
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is given choices to make in order
to fight the green slime made from a chemistry set.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is quite a well-designed gamebook; the continuity is good,
and some parts of the book are re-used in such a way that some paths through
the story last longer than is usual for the series (though this practice does
tend to lead to "reruns" when a seemingly unrelated path leads to
a familiar place).
7. Help! You're Shrinking
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: April, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15195-9
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: You and your dog discover a bottle of shrinking potion,
and predictably bad things occur as a result.
Translations: French, German, Spanish
My Thoughts: This isn't Packard's best work; it has several abrupt
endings, and the variations on the title (like "Help! You're Sinking!") which
periodically show up as parts of the book's text aren't nearly as cute as one
might think. The book isn't helped too much by the artwork, which I found
rather unappealing; the little boy appears to be about thirty years old in
some of the pictures, and the insects just don't look right. On the positive
side, some of the dangerous encounters with conventional animals are at least
mildly interesting, and the character of the conscience-stricken Dr. Kemp has
some amusement value. A hardback edition of this book was released by the
Weekly Reader Book Club, and I'm fortunate enough to own a copy of it.
8. Indian Trail
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Leslie Morrill
First Published: April, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15201-7
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: Your village needs rain, so you head off in search of
the kachinas, spirits who may be able to help you.
Translations: German, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book is fairly interesting since it casts the
reader in a more unusual role (and an earlier time period) than most of the
other books in the series. However, I can't heap huge amounts of praise on
it -- the portrayal of Native American life is (perhaps intentionally) rather
vague, and many of the endings lack satisfying finality. This could have
been much worse, but it also could have been considerably better.
9. Dream Trips
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: June, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15506-7
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 12
Plot Summary: You go to sleep and have dreams. Hmm.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This could have been a much more interesting book, but
sadly it wasn't. It has some weird random stuff, a couple opportunities for
wish fulfillment and little substance. I suppose it's fairly appropriate
for the age group it's aimed at, but I still can't help feeling that Edward
Packard is capable of doing better than this.
10. The Genie in the Bottle
Author: Jim Razzi
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Kevin Callahan (interior)
First Published: June, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15191-6
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: You find a genie in a bottle and, predictably enough, get
some wishes granted.
Translation: Spanish
My Thoughts: There's nothing particularly remarkable about this book,
though it's certainly not a bad entry in the series...
11. The Bigfoot Mystery
Author: Lynn Sonberg
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: September, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15222-X
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: While you're camping in the woods your campsite is attacked
by something that leaves behind huge footprints...
My Thoughts: This is another unexceptional but decent gamebook.
12. The Creature from Miller's Pond
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Ted Enik (interior)
First Published: September, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15223-8
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: You and your best friend somehow manage to catch a
humanoid lake monster while fishing...
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is a fairly entertaining book with some funny
illustrations. It starts out rather unconventionally, with the first two
paragraphs being something of a prologue to the action, then proceeds with
the story, which has some amusing moments (my favorite being the point
where you decide you should keep the monster because "Nobody else has
a Creature for a pet."). My biggest complaint is that the ending on
page 41 lacks finality and should have been expanded on in some way... As
it is, I'm left to theorize, in Lovecraftian fashion, that the creature was
a Deep One and somehow managed to contact Dagon...
13. Jungle Safari
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Lorna Tomei
First Published: November, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15226-2
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: You go on safari with your uncle Stanley and his daughter,
your favorite cousin June. During your journey you hope to find a Kawamba,
a rare species of ape not seen in many years.
Translations: French, German
My Thoughts: This book has more in common with the original
Choose Your Own Adventure series than most of the
earlier books in this series do. It has a more interesting story and the
shorter length of the book is dealt with reasonably well.
14. The Search for Champ
Author: Shannon Gilligan
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Anthony Kramer (interior)
First Published: November, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15227-0
Length: 50 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: While vacationing in Vermont, you and your sister Mag decide
to search for Champ, the monster said to live in Lake Champlain.
Translation: French
My Thoughts: Like the previous book, this has a similar plot to many of the
Choose Your Own Adventure aimed at older readers.
Really, most of the books from this point on do.
15. The Three Wishes
Author: Shannon Gilligan
Illustrators: Ralph Reese (cover), Bert Dodson (interior)
First Published: April, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15241-6
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: Your aunt Louise gives you a charm which will grant you
three wishes...
Translation: Spanish
My Thoughts: Considering that there was already a book in this series about
the granting of wishes (The Genie in the Bottle), this book seems a
bit redundant. Then again, wishing is a rather open-ended topic...
16. Dragons!
Author: Jim Razzi
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Kevin Callahan (interior)
First Published: April, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15242-4
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: You search for dragon's gold in hope of helping out your
poor family.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book almost seems like a Fantasy Forest book... It's not bad, in any case.
17. Wild Horse Country
Author: Lynn Sonberg
Illustrator: Sara Kurtz
First Published: June, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15261-0
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: Your horse, Ginger, has disappeared, and now you have
to figure out where she went!
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: Unfortunately, this book violates one of my gamebook pet
peeves -- it has no story consistency whatsoever; depending on which choices
you make, the entire nature of the story changes dramatically. You almost
always find Ginger, but the reason for her disappearance is different each
time through! Of course, there's nothing really wrong with this; it allows
more variety and probably pleases many readers. It's just not to my taste.
The book also happens to be about a subject that doesn't interest me much,
which further gives me reason to be unthrilled by it. Despite these two
strikes against it, though, I liked the adventure. It's well-written and has
many satisfyingly long paths. Interestingly, the author kills off the
reader's character a couple of times, which is unusual for the Skylark books;
one fatal ending, on page 27, also happens to be pretty funny. Good stuff!
18. Summer Camp
Author: Judy Gitenstein
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Ted Enik (interior)
First Published: July, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15262-9 (early printings), 0-553-15562-8 (later printings)
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: For the first time ever, you head off to summer camp on
your own!
My Thoughts: This is a fun little book. Its simplicity allows it to
tell several adequately-developed stories in a very small amount of space,
and all the essential elements of summer camp are here: a couple of
different sports, creepy rumors about a hermit in the woods, a variety of
exciting trips and, of course, bad food. Kids should like the adventure, and
older readers should appreciate the nostalgia.
19. The Tower of London
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrators: Ralph Reese (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: August, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15270-X
Length: 51 pages (plus "About the Armor")
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: During a trip to England, you pay a midnight visit
to the infamous Tower of London with your ghost-obsessed penpal Rodney.
Translations: French, German
My Thoughts: This is a pleasant little collection of ghost stories
with just the right level of creepiness for its target age group. There's
not all that much to it, but it has a good diversity of ghouls and adventures
crammed into its relatively few pages.
20. Trouble in Space
Author: John Woodcock
Illustrator: Randy Jones
First Published: April, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15271-8 (early printings), 0-553-15501-6 (later printings)
Length: 50 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: You are the son of a pair of space rescue workers.
While your parents are away an emergency call comes in and you decide to
follow it with the help of your alien friend Xmax.
Translations: French, German, Spanish
My Thoughts: Taking into account the brevity of the book and its
target audience, this is a fairly good sci-fi adventure. The subject matter
is a bit more interesting than usual (though still very familiar) and many of
the choices are nicely balanced with pros and cons.
21. Mona is Missing
Author: Shannon Gilligan
Illustrators: Ralph Reese (cover), Leslie Morrill (interior)
First Published: October, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15283-1
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: You live in Egypt. When Mona, your pet camel, escapes, you
must bring her back before your parents find out or they will sell her.
My Thoughts: This is one of the best books in this series. The story
is considerably more original than usual, the writing and illustrations are
both quite good, and there's a clear objective for the player to meet.
22. The Evil Wizard
Author: Andrea Packard
Illustrator: Ron Wing
First Published: November, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15418-4
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 13
Plot Summary: You must save your village from the icy spell of an
evil wizard.
My Thoughts: This book was written by Edward Packard's
then-college-age daughter while she studied at Swarthmore College, and it's
interesting to see a book written by someone who was the recipient of the
bedtime stories which inspired the whole Choose Your
Own Adventure thing in the first place. Unfortunately, the book isn't as
interesting as its own origins, being a rather generic fairy-tale-style
fantasy. It's probably somewhat evocative for an imaginative child in its
target age group, but there's really not much there for anyone else.
23. The Polar Bear Express
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: December, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15299-8
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: Minotuk, an Inuit friend of yours, invites you to visit
him in the far north.
Translation: Spanish
My Thoughts: Although this book is short and nearly plotless, it's a
bit more interesting than usual for the series thanks to its frequent
references to Inuit culture and the unusual characteristics of life in the
Arctic. As with most of this series, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone far
beyond the target age group, but it's not bad for what it is.
24. The Mummy's Tomb
Author: Stephanie Spinner
Illustrator: Ted Enik
First Published: February, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15294-7
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: Your aunt Dottie takes you to Egypt to search for a
magical scarab necklace in a mummy's tomb.
Translations: German, Spanish
My Thoughts: Like a lot of the books in this series, this feels
extremely abridged due to the perceived limitations of its target audience.
Overall, though, it's about average.
25. The Flying Carpet
Author: Jim Razzi
Illustrator: Frank Bolle
First Published: March, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15306-4
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: As it turns out, the Persian carpet your aunt gave you
can fly! You accidentally activate it and get transported to a world of
Arabian fairy tales.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This is another average entry in the series. Not bad,
but not particularly notable.
26. The Magic Path
Author: Julius Goodman
Illustrator: Frank Bolle
First Published: April, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15318-8
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: While biking with friends, you find a sign in the middle of
the woods which somehow transports you through time.
Translation: Spanish
My Thoughts: While this book isn't exceptional, it does have variety thanks
to the time travel theme.
27. Ice Cave
This book is not part of my collection.
28. Fire!
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Frank Bolle
First Published: July, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15336-6 (early printings), 0-553-15462-1 (later printings)
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: Your house catches on fire while you're home alone and
you have to do something about it.
My Thoughts: This book tries so hard to avoid being too scary that it
totally fails to have anything interesting happen in it.
29. The Fairy Kidnap
This book is not part of my collection.
30. Runaway Spaceship
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrators: Randy Jones (cover), Ted Enik (interior)
First Published: September, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15344-7 (early printings), 0-553-15463-X (later printings)
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: Thanks to your cousin Sally you get trapped in a spaceship
headed towards Mars.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book is considerably more difficult than most of the
other books in this series; there's only really one ending that could be
considered "happy."
31. Lost Dog!
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Frank Bolle
First Published: November, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-15356-0
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: After being left outside as punishment for destroying a
shoe, your dog disappears. You, of course, set off to find him...
My Thoughts: This is another fairly average entry in the series.
There's nothing exceptionally great about it, but it's not bad either. I
suppose it earns some points for the goofy illustration on page 32 and for
featuring a bully named Schooner.
32. Blizzard of Black Swan
This book is not part of my collection.
33. Haunted Harbor
Author: Shannon Gilligan
Illustrator: Bill Schmidt
First Published: April, 1986
ISBN: 0-553-15380-3 (first edition), 0-553-15732-9 (later editions)
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: While on vacation in Antigua you hear the story of the
ghost of English Harbor and get dared to look for it in a cemetary.
Translations: French, German, Spanish
My Thoughts: While some of the paths through this book are short
and unsatisfying, it does have some deeper plot threads which bring it
well above average for the series. There's also a jab at Christopher
Columbus which I found fairly amusing.
34. Attack of the Monster Plants
This book is not part of my collection.
35. The Miss Liberty Caper
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrator: Alex Bloch
First Published: July, 1986
ISBN: 0-553-15416-8
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: You have to find and recapture your escaped pet flying
squirrel which you brought along on a trip to the Statue of Liberty on a
dare.
My Thoughts: This is one of the better "educational" books
in the series; while you search for the squirrel, various facts about the
Statue of Liberty are mentioned. This is done a bit cheesily at times, but
many of the facts are interesting and memorable enough that the book might
actually work as a teaching tool.
36. The Owl Tree
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Leslie Morrill
First Published: September, 1986
ISBN: 0-553-15449-4
Length: 50 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: A magical owl-inhabited tree in the woods leads you to
various adventures.
My Thoughts: This is a pretty weird and incoherent book, but I have a
certain fondness for it, perhaps because I first read it a very long
time ago.
37. Haunted Halloween Party
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrator: Ron Wing
First Published: October, 1986
ISBN: 0-553-15453-2
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: You accidentally go to the wrong Halloween party - one full
of real ghosts and goblins.
My Thoughts: I always loved Halloween, so I have a soft spot for stories
relating to it... This book definitely hits the right nostalgic note, so
I can't help liking it.
38. Sand Castle
This book is not part of my collection.
39. Caravan
This book is not part of my collection.
40. The Great Easter Bunny Adventure
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Vincent Bell
First Published: April, 1987
ISBN: 0-553-15492-3
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: On Easter you follow a talking bunny and somehow travel
through time in the process.
My Thoughts: This is definitely a weird one... Perhaps there's some
sort of message hidden in here... Or maybe it's just a children's
introduction to surrealism.
41. The Movie Mystery
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrators: Thomas Sperling and Sara Kurtz
First Published: June, 1987
ISBN: 0-8124-5377-8 (hardback), 0-553-15509-1 (paperback)
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: Your aunt, a stunt woman, takes you on location with
her as she works on a new movie.
My Thoughts: This book's about average for the series... There's
nothing particularly special about it, and the solution to the title mystery
is incredibly obvious by any standards (even, I'd say, those of the book's
rather young target age group). For me, though, all flaws are redeemed by
the extremely amusing illustration on page 37; there's just something special
about a bear falling off a cliff...
42. Light on Burro Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.
43. Home in Time for Christmas
This book is not part of my collection.
44. You See the Future
Author: Deborah Lerme Goodman
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (cover), Leslie Morrill (interior)
First Published: February, 1988
ISBN: 0-553-15565-2
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: After getting hit in the head with a softball you find that
you can see into the future.
My Thoughts: While this book is fairly average, at least it manages to
have both a bank robbery and an alien encounter in it for variety.
45. The Great Zopper Toothpaste Treasure
This book is not part of my collection.
46. A Day with the Dinosaurs
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (cover), Ron Wing (interior)
First Published: August, 1988
ISBN: 0-553-15612-8
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: You travel to Wyoming to witness a fossil hunt headed by
a paleontologist named Dr. Robert Holmes.
My Thoughts: This is a pretty weak entry in the series, being both
largely plotless and full of errors (from mixing dinosaur time periods to
using the wrong form of the word "its" on page 39). There are
some interesting points, though... First of all, travel to the age of
dinosaurs is accomplished through an encounter with the Cave of Time, an
interesting cross-series reference to the first Choose
Your Own Adventure book. Also, in what is almost certainly a coincidence,
the book's paleontologist shares his name with one of Doctor Who's most
distinguished script writers...
47. Spooky Thanksgiving
This book is not part of my collection.
48. You Are Invisible
Author: Susan Saunders
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (cover), Ron Wing (interior)
First Published: February, 1989
ISBN: 0-553-15685-3
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: While cleaning the attic with your friend Robert you
come across a magical cape of invisibility.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This is a fairly good book; it feels a bit longer than
usual (which is nice, considering the brevity of most of these books) and the
writing is above average. The story is nothing new, but that's not really
a problem considering the age group the book is aimed at; this scenario is a
common childhood fantasy and should be appreciated by many kids.
49. Race of the Year
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Susan Tang
First Published: May, 1989
ISBN: 0-553-15696-9
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 5
Plot Summary: You have been asked to watch your uncle Bill's horse,
Straight Shooter, to be sure that nothing happens to him before he is
entered in the Kentucky Derby.
My Thoughts: There's a higher text-to-choice ratio than usual... This aids
the story but seriously cuts down the replay value; having only five endings
doesn't allow for too much diversity.
50. Stranded!
Author: Sara Compton
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (cover), Leslie Morrill (interior)
First Published: November, 1989
ISBN: 0-553-15762-0
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: After being swept off a luxury liner by a huge wave, you find
yourself on an island from which you must be rescued.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This book is fairly reminiscent of Sugarcane Island
(a book first published in the Adventures of You
series) but isn't as interesting. Still, it's fairly good.
51. You Can Make a Difference: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Author: Anne Bailey
Illustrator: Leslie Morrill
First Published: February, 1990
ISBN: 0-553-15776-0
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: A celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday leads
you to have dreams about him and his impact on the world.
My Thoughts: Of all the ways to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., a gamebook
doesn't seem the best. While it's certainly a nice idea to educate young
children about the civil rights movement in a book like this, it really
doesn't work too well since half of this book is basically a biography and
the other half is a series of dreamed events unlikely to make sense to a
child who doesn't already know about segregation.
52. The Enchanted Attic
This book is not part of my collection.
