Deborah Lerme Goodman

The Choose Your Own Adventure series offered an option every few pages to choose how the story would continue. According to your preference, you would follow its instructions by turning to the appropriate page of the book as indicated by your choice. This was a popular and revolutionary idea when the series was first launched in the early 1980s, driving it to incredible sales levels for many years until it was overshadowed by variants on the idea that took the concept to more elaborate show more lengths (e.g. Fighting Fantasy) and especially by other interactive media.

The plot: welcome to the Bermuda Triangle. That's right, you're in trouble already. And a close personal friend has gone missing.

Observations: the various stories explore every famous crazy theory for strange disappearances in this area, and then make up a few more. It follows in the footsteps of The Abominable Snowman #13, but whereas that had one central story that you explored variants of, this one goes every direction.

Personal memories: it's a fun mystery to explore the variant theories about, but as a story it's also a little too all over the place. Mine is the 'Special Book Fair Edition', which has nothing special about it except those words on the cover. show less

I won a Choose Your Own Adventure story in a work contest, and I was delighted. Happy nostalgia! Even better, this one is a fantasy story about a hunt for unicorns that is filled with magic, dragons, griffins, and danger. As with all CYOA stories, this one has multiple plot threads that a reader follows depending on choices made while reading. You can go into the cave by turning to page 10, or head to the old church by turning to page 102. That kind of thing. The writing is decidedly show more mediocre, but then, that's not the point. The goal is to create an interactive reading experience that is made from choices the reader makes, rather than the typical linear story that moves from the first page to the end in the manner the author envisioned. It's a gimmick, but a fun one. Certainly, stories that are built with developed worlds and layers of plot and rounded characters are better, and more engaging, but the choose your own adventure format is a nice change of pace. show less

The Choose Your Own Adventure series offered an option every few pages to choose how the story would continue. According to your preference, you would follow its instructions by turning to the appropriate page of the book as indicated by your choice. This was a popular and revolutionary idea when the series was first launched in the early 1980s, driving it to incredible sales levels for many years until it was overshadowed by variants on the idea that took the concept to more elaborate show more lengths (e.g. Fighting Fantasy) and especially by other interactive media.

The plot: Zeus is missing! If you play your cards right then you'll meet Athena, she'll send you back into the time of Greek legends, and you'll get to live some Greek mythology first-hand.

Observations: This serves as a pretty good introduction to several Greek legends, while offering lots of adventure along the way. The same author provides a similar treatment of Norse mythology later in The Trumpet of Terror #55.

Personal memories: Kids these days get their fill of Greek legends from reading about Percy Jackson. In the 1980s, we had this. show less

The Choose Your Own Adventure series offered an option every few pages to choose how the story would continue. According to your preference, you would follow its instructions by turning to the appropriate page of the book as indicated by your choice. This was a popular and revolutionary idea when the series was first launched in the early 1980s, driving it to incredible sales levels for many years until it was overshadowed by variants on the idea that took the concept to more elaborate show more lengths (e.g. Fighting Fantasy) and especially by other interactive media.

The plot: It's 938 AD, and as you're helping load supplies onto a longboat you spot a mysterious one-eyed man watching you. Guess who?

Observations: A handy glossary at the start lists important names in Norse mythology, and then you also get a page and a half providing the geography of Yggdrasil. This entry is a good compliment to Throne of Zeus #40 by the same author, which took a similar approach to introducing Greek mythology.

Personal memories: Really fascinating introduction to Norse mythology for a young teen. show less