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Escape from Firestone Fortress

Oct9
Escape from Firestone Fortress

Escape from Firestone Fortress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escape from Firestone Fortress

Rachel Jackson

Riveted Press, 2025

320pp., pbk., RRP $A18.00

9781764007122

The Grand Wizard Dawlish is intent on stealing the legendary Firestone from his neighbour Kang Thistlebraith because he “has hoarded its ancient power for long enough” and he covets the fortune it is rumoured to bring to the kingdom that holds it.

“Twix the moon and sun, afore night is done

One shall hold the Firestone, And raise the fortune of the throne.”

 And the reader, his apprentice, has been given the task of stealing it, for although the Grand Wizard might be stooped and have knobbly joints and a long white beard, he still has the power and the magic to carry out his threat of crushing you if you don’t do what we commands.  But there is more to the saying that he does not utter, but there is more to this task than just breaking into the fortress and stealing the stone. Escaping from the castle itself is hazardous because it depends on the choices you make, particularly as your decision will hatch the first dragon to live in one thousand years!  With lost dragonian texts to decipher, ancient riddles to solve and spells to be cast as you navigate the dangerous world of dragons as well as your own fledgling magic, can you form an alliance with the dragon, find the others hidden within and escape?  

This, the third in the Solve It Your Way series, written by a senior intelligence analyst who looks for clues, solves puzzles and explores options to help the good guys win the day in her everyday, daytime job has 38 unique ways to escape and a multitude of dragons to discover, combining the current literature love of fantasy quests as well as empowering the reader to be in charge of it. 

As with its predecessors, this is one for independent readers who can engage with more complex plots as they choose the pathway they will take, and then, having followed one to its conclusion,  return to investigate others. 

For decades the choose-your-own-adventure genre has fascinated readers as they engage with the author and text on a one-to-one basis, pitting their skills of analysis and interpretation against the antagonists so they are triumphant, and this is no different.  Highly engaging, the reader can spend hours going here and there, trying this and that, learning, thinking, and discovering – and all within the pages of a book that they are in charge of!  Superb. 

 

You Choose Mega: Prehistoric Peril

Aug18
You Choose Mega: Prehistoric Peril

You Choose Mega: Prehistoric Peril

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Choose Mega: Prehistoric Peril

George Ivanoff

Penguin, 2025

240pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761353499

“Book an Adventure” is the theme for this year’s CBCA Book Week and could there be a better way to kickstart this week than this new choose-your-own -adventure by the master of the genre, George Ivanoff?

This time, the reader is on a school trip to the new dinosaur-themed education centre but…

Do you go to the animatronics exhibition, and discover dangerous robot dinosaurs?

Or the research institute, where a rogue scientist has been experimenting with dinosaur DNA?

Or perhaps you uncover the secret time travel project, where pressing the wrong button accidentally transports you back in time!?

Or do you have an entirely different adventure as you follow a different path…?

With the reader as the protagonist and the setting one that has proven appeal, this is another in the popular You Choose series the power of where the story goes is put into the reader’s hands as they choose their own adventure by deciding what action to take when they are confronted by a dilemma and therefore where to move next in the story, rather than the author’s predetermined storyline. And each time the book is read a different choice can be made and a new story created. As well as giving the reader the power to determine the action combining interactivity and reading, it enables the reader to think about cause and effect, to consider the options, to take the time to make a decision, and to take risks in a safe environment -all traits we encourage. 

While it mimics the appeal and importance of gaming in young readers’ lives, it also offers scope for more in-context exploration as they  are encouraged to map the story, its choices and consequences on a flow chart; including a few twists of their own, and then discuss how these can have an exponential effect on the outcomes. Then set a new scenario and start to explore the pathways and fun of “what if…”, encouraging the students to let their imaginations go, push the boundaries, think beyond the usual as they draw on their own knowledge of the period and its inhabitants…

As well as offering an engaging read, skilled teachers could use this as a model for an absorbing, integrated project that would draw in their writers, their illustrators, their mathematicians, their gamers and  computer coders  to create something new that accentuates the need for a team, encourages negotiation and compromise as well as the skills of seeing things from another perspective and looking for alternatives.

This is a read that offers all sorts of adventures – not all of them in print. 

Escape from Marigold Manor

Jun13
Escape from Marigold Manor

Escape from Marigold Manor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escape from Marigold Manor

Rachel Jackson

Riveted Press, 2025

240pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

 9781763526068

The world’s greatest detective, Detective Christie has received a mysterious invitation from Captain Marigold to attend a ball at Marigold Manor to honour his daughter, Marigold. But Detective Christie doesn’t know either the captain or his daughter so why has he been singled out?  Clearly there is a mystery to be solved, which is confirmed by a curious note pushed under the door, but before an investigation can begin, the detective must find a way out of the locked room, because, like all the other guests, they are imprisoned inside he iron gates of this opulent mansion.

And here comes the twist…

The reader must take on the persona of Detective Christie and solve the puzzle.  To begin there are five keys found in a drawer but which one do you choose – and depending on the choice, you are led to a different scenario as the start of this classic choose-your-own -adventure begins to unfold. Every decision you make will lead you through the twisty corridors of Marigold Manor to your mystery. You might be called upon to crack the case of the stolen tiara, or enlisted to find Captain Marigold who has disappeared.

Then there are thieves afoot – but they don’t stand a chance with a detective like you on the case! There will be a scream – the butler has met with an unfortunate demise! Could one of your companions really be to blame? Along another path, a message written in invisible ink warns you that Miss Marigold is an imposter… And in a dusty room, down a forgotten hallway, a lost journal holds a secret about the bewitching truth of Marigold Manor. If you can solve it, you’ll be free of Marigold Manor once and for all. But beware the cats that roam the grounds … They have their own agenda and if you don’t take care, you might find yourself turned into a cat or—even worse—a mouse! But even when you’re deep undercover there are mysteries to be found, and solved. It turns out there is more than one way to leave Marigold Manor…

There are thirty-two unique endings in Escape from Marigold Manor. Each mystery requires you to complete a series of interviews and brainteasers in order to identify the culprit. The challenges include puzzles that you must crack in order to unlock safes, read secret messages and locate hidden clues. The casefiles at the back of the book will help you keep track of which cases you’ve sold, and which cases still await you in the mansion. Can you solve them all? Your reputation (and maybe your life) as the greatest detective in the land depends on it!

Over the years, the popularity of choose-your-own-adventure books  has remained steady as generations of readers have discovered them, and this, along with its predecessor Escape from Cuttlefish Cove, are outstanding examples of the genre, probably because the author herself is a senior intelligence analyst and looks for clues, solves puzzles and explores options to help the good guys win the day in her daytime job.  More suited to independent readers able to follow twisty-turny plots, this is one to offer those who see themselves as amateur sleuths.

Fellow teacher librarian Sue Warren has a fascinating Q & A with Rachel Jackson for those who want to know more about her, her job and her writing.  

 

The Transylvanian Express

Mar16
The Transylvanian Express

The Transylvanian Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solve Your Own Mystery: The Transylvanian Express

Gareth P. Jones

Louise Forshaw

Walker Books, 2023

224pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781760656591

Haventry is a town where the ordinary and extraordinary collide and with ghosts, werewolves, vampires, mummies, zombies and all sorts of other fantastic creatures living side by side, trouble is always brewing. Following the delivery of a mysterious letter from an unknown client, Klaus Solstang is on the Transylvania express travelling to the home of dreaded  Count Fledermaus, a vampire whose castle will be opened for an annual public event. The trouble is that a VIP, Night Mayor Franklefink, has gone missing while on the train, and one of the suspects is his arch nemesis, Bramwell Stoker.

However, Klaus Solstang is not an ordinary detective – he is a yeti and the reader becomes his assistant in solving the mystery, bestowed with special magical powers. And so this modern choose=your-own-adventure begins…

Written for independent readers, this is one of a series in which the reader is actively engaged in solving a mystery, each choice of action made offering a new permutation of the story. This feeling of being directly involved is consolidated with the narrative being written in the second person, addressing the reader encouraging them to follow the prompts and clues, identify opportunities and motives, and then choose which path to take to work out who committed the crime.  Each path leads to a different outcome so it is one of those books that keeps on giving. 

Part of a series of four that depend on the reader’s participation, it encourages a deeper interaction with the story than normal and is ideal for those who like to solve crimes and mysteries and fancy themselves as detectives..

Solve Your Own Mystery (series)

Solve Your Own Mystery (series)

The Goblins’ Revenge

Feb24
The Goblins' Revenge

The Goblins’ Revenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Goblins’ Revenge

Andy Prentice

Tom Knight

Usborne, 2024

288pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781803706467

For 93 years the land of Sibele has been ruled by the evil wizard Darkmoon, and now he is hunting down the last few rebels who dare to oppose him, and the only one who can save them and end his reign is the reader. With a horde of undead warriors on the trail and a series of blood-curdling dangers ahead , it would be a terrifying task for anyone – but you’re just a goblin, which makes things even more challenging. Confronted by menacing monsters, ghostly magic and a thrilling race against time in this spectacular fantasy adventure gamebook, the reader becomes the hero whose decisions and choices determine the outcome.  

Decades ago the choose-your-own adventure genre hit the shelves and were an instant success with those who like to insert and immerse themselves in the stories, and this 21st century version combines that genre with the gaming craze, combining three loves of the current generation – video games, fantasy and a story in print which becomes a new adventure with every choice made. 

It begins with instructions on how to play complete with items, weapons and abilities, a logbook to keep track of the relevant details of the quest as  well as all the other things needed to play a game and complete a quest in this modern era.  There are crucial picture puzzles to solve along the way, and although a computer is not needed to play, there are links to an online dice roller if physical dice (needed to play the combat system) aren’t available as well as a printable logbook.

I am the first to admit that this is not my sort of game and my granddaughters gave up in frustration as they tried to teach me some of theirs, but nevertheless, this seems to be something that teacher librarians should be aware of so they can capture the imagination and minds of those engaged by this sort of activity, thus demonstrating that the library has resources that are relevant to them. In fact, while the publisher suggests this is suitable for 9+, it could be one to give to your gamers for feedback on suitability both for reading /comprehension age as well as future releases in the series.  

You Choose Christmas

Dec19

 

 

 

You Choose Christmas

You Choose Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Choose Christmas

Pippa Goodhart

Nick Sharratt

Puffin, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780241556016

For many, Christmas brings to mind images of decorated trees twinkling with lights; a jolly, fat man in a red suit bringing gifts; family seated around a table eating turkey and trimmings and…

But there are as many choices to make about how Christmas can be celebrated as there are families in the world, and this amazing book brings together many of them in a unique way that encourages the young reader to pick and choose their own adventure through this time.  

Written in rhyme, each double spread has a different focus on the general commonalities of the season such as the advent calendar, decorating the tree, Santa’s workshop, or choosing gifts and then there are a multitude of things that the child can choose, either those that are familiar or maybe making up a different story.  For example, would they send a Christmas card with a picture of La Befana or a pohutukawa tree, a “snowman” made of sand or 13 mischievous “Yule Lads”? Similarly, what might be on their Christmas menu?  Indeed, when would they have it?

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Apart from being an entertaining way to get the child to engage with the book, it is also an opportunity to show them that there are many ways to celebrate, and that what might be familiar to them may be foreign to the family next-door.  But there is no right way or only way.  They might even like to think about the things that other families do that they would like to try, and consider which of the things their family does that they will share with their own children in years to come.  

This is the latest in this series which is celebrating its 21st birthday, one that has endured because the young reader can return to it time and time again and have a new, unique experience each time as they not only learn to make choices and decisions but have the power to do so.. 

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Aug4
Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Sarah Coyle

Adam Walker-Parker

Farshore, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781405299053

Gwen was very excited about having a fancy-dress birthday party,  the decorations are up and the food set out.  But suddenly the birthday cake that Dad has made disappears!  Who has taken it?

Well, that depends on what the reader decides because depending on whether they choose the unicorn, robot or dinosaur they are taken on a different adventure, each time being able to choose the next chapter in their story.

While choose-your-own adventures have been in novel format for years and been immensely popular because of all the possibilities they open up, a picture book format is unusual. Young readers will love the interactivity that takes them beyond the more familiar lift-the-flap and gives them the power to decide the direction of the story.  And when one is told, they can return to the beginning and start another…  The power of choice.

There are three in this series now – a pirate/alien/jungle/adventure already available and a dragon/mermaid/superhero adventure to be released in time for Christmas – so all those characters that young readers love are covered and they can follow all sorts of paths and trails through the stories. Putting the reader in the writer’s seat is empowering and they might even be able to suggest a new combination or adventure, teaching them that they can not only be readers but writers too.  

 

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Peppa Pig: My Peppa Adventure

Mar21
Peppa Pig: My Peppa Adventure

Peppa Pig: My Peppa Adventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peppa Pig: My Peppa Adventure

Peppa Pig

Ladybird, 2022

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9780241543498

Although formal reading instruction usually doesn’t begin until a child starts “big school”, so much of the rate of success and achievement is dependent on the groundwork that has gone before.  Mem Fox has said, ” If every parent -and every adult caring for a child – read aloud a minimum of three stories a day to the children in their lives, we could probably wipe out illiteracy in one generation!” 

But this new Peppa Pig adventure offers an even greater opportunity for our littlest readers to start developing those early reading behaviours that are crucial to underpinning reading development because it requires the child to create their own story. This is a choose-your-own adventure for the very young.   

Starting with a page of pictures of possible destinations, the child chooses where in the world they want to travel – to the jungle, the ocean, the desert, the city or even outer space – and then on succeeding pages they use the picture cues to decide which of Peppa’s family and friends they will take with them; their clothing; their lunchtime menu; how they will travel and so on, building an entire adventure as they turn the pages. There are musical instruments to play, shops to visit, parties to attend – and each is the child’s choice,  And when they return home safely, they can go back to the start and map out another adventure to tell!  The power of print over the fleeting screen! 

While listening to stories and building the pictures in their imagination is vital, having the scaffolding to build your own story with your favourite character is brilliant – there are so many skills involved and learning that takes place, not to mention the empowerment of being the author and making the decisions that this is, IMO, a must-have in the library of any beginning reader.  In all my years of reading and reviewing, showing and sharing books with little ones, books that are interactive with lift-the-flaps and other devices, I don’t recall one in this choose-your-own format for this age group.  Love it! 

 

 

Return to FACTopia!

Mar11
Return to FACTopia!

Return to FACTopia!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to FACTopia!

Kate Hale

Andy Smith

Britannica Books, 2022

208pp., hbk., RRP $25.99

9781913750398

Did you know that bacteria from between people’s toes has been used to make cheese? Or that the world’s most expensive cheese is made from donkey milk? Or that the milk from one species of cockroach is the most nutritious substance on Earth? Or that a cockroach can survive for weeks without its head?

In this choose-your-own adventure journey through more than 400 facts, all of which have been verified by Encyclopedia Britannica, every fact  is connected to the next in an ingenious trail of information, where you will hop from topic to topic in unexpected and hilarious ways. And there’s not just one trail through these pages: sometimes your path branches and you can choose to jump to a totally different (but still connected) part of the book. Let your curiosity lead you through this witty wonderland of facts!

There are connections made between a vast range of topics from history and geography to science and nature, including astronauts, polar bears, rollercoasters, sabre-toothed cats, shipwrecks, bananas, pirates, orangutans, medieval knights, and more, all accompanied by more than 300 fabulously witty colour illustrations and photographs.

And while disclosing that bacteria from between people’s toes has been used to make cheese may not be quite the best to share at the family dinner table, nevertheless these are the sorts of weird and wonderful things that kids of a certain age love to pore over and absorb for just the right (or wrong) occasion.  The format of taking your own path which is indicated by a dotted line and then branching out with diversions to other pages is unique to this series which includes FACTopia and the upcoming Gross FACTopis and ensure that each time the reader devles into it, new discoveries are made. 

Something a little different for your non fiction lovers. 

 

 

LEGO Star Wars Choose Your Path

May4
Lego Star Wars Choose Your Path

Lego Star Wars Choose Your Path

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEGO Star Wars Choose Your Path

Simon Hugo

DK, 2018

125pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780241313824

What more fitting book to review for May the 4th than one with a Star Wars theme? Even though it is not released till May 28, there is no harm in building up anticipation for something new and different that is going to encourage even the most reluctant of readers to explore.

With the book comes protocol droid U-3PO, a small toy suitable for those 6+, who accompanies the adventures, gives advice and maybe even leads the adventurer astray. The reader chooses one of three quests- Hunt the Sith, Fight the Empire or Defeat the First Order – and then sets off to achieve it while meeting favourite characters and creatures, travelling in awesome vehicles as they move from planet to planet, all the while remaining in charge of the journey as they select the route according to the choices on offer.  

Along the way there are photos, facts and figures and information about a range of incredible Lego models that can be purchased – Star Wars fans like my son are so easy to buy for! –  as well as challenges to build new, original models.

The power of choose-you-own-adventure has long been proven as an inducement to read and discover, so to combine it with both Star Wars and Lego is just genius.  Perfect for that collaborative reading that young boys who are verging on independence love and need, or for any Star Wars fan.