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Series - Storytrails

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Language:English
Publishers: Cambridge University Press -- United Kingdom
Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises -- Canada
Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises -- United States
Categories: Complexity Level : Basic (No Game System)
Format : Hardback
Format : Paperback
Genre : Adventure
Genre : Historical Fiction
Genre : Horror
Genre : Mystery
Genre : Science Fiction
Genre : Western
Licensed Property : Novel Tie-In
Target Age Group : Older Children
Writing Style : First Person
Writing Style : Past Tense
Translated Into: jué zé cóng shū [抉擇叢書] (Chinese)
mí jīn tàn àn xiǎo cóng shū [迷津探案小丛书] (Chinese)
Nyomkereső (Hungarian)
Silsilat arwa' al-mughamarat [سلسلة أروع المغامرات] (Arabic)
Sporhunden (Danish)
Storytrails (Bulgarian)
Tú resuelves el caso (Spanish)

This series of slim books features a format somewhat different from the usual basic gamebook; the writing is in the first person, and each section of the story lasts exactly two pages – only every other page of each book is numbered. A variety of genres are covered by the series, and despite their brief length, storylines are written in a fairly mature fashion (though still aimed at children). The books were first published by Cambridge University Press in the United Kingdom; selected volumes were reprinted in North America by Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises. The American editions are hardbound and include information on British vocabulary (i.e. "sweet means dessert"); because of their hardcover format, they are more commonly found in public libraries than in private collections, though they are becoming increasingly rare.

Collections

The Storytrails Book of Science Fiction (Terror in the Fourth Dimension and 3 more items)
The Storytrails Book of Thrillers (Invitation to Murder and 3 more items)

Gamebooks

1. Invitation to Murder
2. Terror in the Fourth Dimension
3. The Evil of Mr. Happiness
4. The Haunters of Marsh Hall
5. The King's Mission
6. The Stone of Badda
7. Night of the Comet
8. The Deadly Trap
9. The Dirty Dollars
10. The Tomb of Amenosis
11. Conspiracy of Blood
12. Return of the Undead
13. The Sicilian Contract
14. The Unsolved Case of Sherlock Holmes
15. Shadow over the Marsh
16. The Eye of Heaven
17. The Hands of Pablo Santos
18. The Second Conquest
19. Sherlock Holmes - The Meyringen Papers
20. The Dark Awakening
21. Island of the Walking Dead
22. The Busting of Frankie Da Mora
23. The Wolf with No Tail
24. Sherlock Holmes – The Case of the Dancing Bees
25. Death's Drum
26. To Catch a Bunyip

User Comments

Storytrails seem to buck the trend for fiction aimed at pre-teen children as being unrewarding consumption for adults. Thoughtfully and clearly written, these gamebook stories conjure up a warm charm that entertains rather than patronises their early aged readers. For a series of books that are so hard to find, it seems an anomaly that so many were published - an impressive 26 titles can be collected. Recommended... If you can find them!

--Robert123

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