Item - Statue of Liberty Adventure

Some CYOAs that branch radically at the first step just leave my head spinning, with me a bit glad to move on to the next one or wondering what the author could've done just concentrating on one side.

But Statue of Liberty Adventure pieces together two very different stories, and it's effective. You are on a school trip to see the Statue of Liberty, and Kay Mallett, who has pretty much all the teachers fooled that she is very nice, bugs you as you look at a picture. Your reaction determines if you are sucked into the picture, or if you go and search for Kay's uncle's treasure.

Inside the picture, you're on a boat to Ellis Island. There you meet people eager to see the US, with various degrees of optimism. You may trespass into the rich people's area, and two men offer you jobs of a very different sort. Your ability to read is important, and the author doesn't over-highlight it. Some immigrants are turned back. There's even an ending that avoids full "it was all a dream" status where, well, you wind up having learned more than your classmates, but of course it's hard to explain.

Outside the picture, you're treated to Kay Mallett's whims and ambition. You sneak around with her, reading her Uncle Rex's rhyme/riddles. This is actually more dangerous than going back in time. You wind up falling from a great height in a few endings. But there are some genuine schadenfreude endings where Kay gets what she deserves--both where the teachers catch her, and where it's clear the teachers will be very mad when they find here. I have to admit I enjoyed hating her. There's also an ending where you get to do a heel turn. I enjoyed the treasure hunt puzzling--there's one ending where you and Kay share the treasure, and another where she double crosses you. But I really enjoyed anticipating what would happen to Kay. She's an unusual figure in CYOA, an antagonist your age -- sort of a mean Jenny Mudge from Harlowe Thrombey.

There's a lot to recommend here. I thought the segue with the two dopey gangsters trying to find the treasure was a bit overdone, even with a clever bit where they don't know which of you is Kay and you can spill the beans on her if you want. There, still, Kay manages to salvage things by outsmarting them. And the contrasting halves (treasure versus a newer, more bearable life) work, as the book doesn't overdo the "you're learning more inside the picture" angle.

More reviews by andrewschultz

This book was published simultaneously with The Miss Liberty Caper, a similarly-themed book in the Choose Your Own Adventure for Younger Readers series. Like its companion book, it handles its educational aspects pretty well, throwing interesting facts into the story periodically. The book really divides into two distinct stories. One of them, involving (rather unsurprisingly) time travel, doesn't always make a whole lot of sense, but its randomness is largely compensated for by its characters, all of whom are well-drawn if not particularly believable. I particularly enjoyed falling in with an early 20th-century anarchist! The other story is more game-oriented, and it does a respectable job of allowing the reader to puzzle out a riddle, being designed in such a way that making a wrong choice initially still won't make the ultimate solution too obvious. On a whole, the book certainly isn't my favorite, but it is entertaining and has a good bit of variety in it, so it's worth a read.

More reviews by Demian

I normally don't like historical gamebooks, but this one is pretty good. The two main storylines are going back in time to become one of your ancestors coming to America, or helping the class brat solve a riddle to find treasure. The time traveling one is a little grim... the first path I took, which involved asking a kind man on the boat what was going on, led to either me getting stamped insane and headed towards a bleak future, or if I accepted a job recommendation from an old man, I fall in with some kind of slum lord who "beats you until your clothes are stained with blood." Wow. That's a bit harsh for a children's story.

Still, it was enjoyable on the whole. Most of the good endings stem from the treasure hunting path, not surprisingly, because being trapped in the past sucks no matter what kind of life you make for yourself. (There is a way to get back from the past though, and it involves getting punched in the face. Yay for that.)

The illustrations are a bit goofy, especially considering the grim tone of a lot of the events. The picture on page 58 of the main character about to be beaten by the slum lord guy is amusing yet horrible. This artist (Ted Enik) would be better suited to draw for some of the more humorous stories.

More reviews by yunakitty